Temnothorax

Bharti, H., Gu, I. & Sasi, S., 2016, Taxonomy of Temnothorax simlensis stat. nov. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with first description of sexual castes along with a mention of its plesiobiotic association with Himalayan species of genus Myrmica, Sociobiology 63 (2), pp. 748-754 : 7

A revised key to the known Indian species of Temnothorax based on worker caste (modiFed after Bharti et al., 2012)

1. Propodeum without any teeth or spines; pilosity very sparse; head and mesosoma shiny, very slightly longitudinally rugose, rest of the body smooth and shiny....………. T. inermis (Forel)

- Propodeumwithvariouslydevelopedteethorspines; pilosity more dense; head and mesosoma smooth or with diFerent surface sculpture but never with only slightly longitudinally rugose sculpture……............…….....……………………....2

2. Dorsal outline of mesosoma in proFle without any impression, mesometanotal groove absent................................................3

-DorsaloutlineofmesosomainproFlemoreorlessimpressedat the mesometanotal groove or behind……...…......……….…4

3. Mesosoma, the base of the Frst gastral segment, petiole, postpetiole, legs and antennae testaceous yellow to yellowish brown; head and rest of gaster brown; CI=122-124; SI1=75- 78.6; (length 2.2-2.9mm)……....…….…… T. desioi (Menozzi)

- The color is uniformly brown; CI= 127-128; SI1= 73-75; (length 2.4-3.0mm) ….........….. T. desioi melanicus (Menozzi)

4. Either head and mesosoma distinctly sculptured or the head is smooth and mesosoma distinctly sculptered...............……5

- Head and mesosoma smooth and shining with a few rugulae...10

5. Head smooth, mesosoma distinctly sculptured; the species is bicolored, with light to dark brown head and gaster and yellowish to reddish yellow mesosoma; (length 2.5-3.3mm)… …................................................. T. kashmirensis Bharti et al.

- Head and thorax distinctly sculptured; color combination diFerent but never as in above .....................…………….….6

6. Whole body black; head distinctly longitudinally rugose; PSLI= 18-23; CI= 117-123; SI1= 72-73; SI2= 85-90; (length 2.8-3.2mm). .................................................. T. schurri (Forel)

- Whole body light yellow to dark brown, never black; head

distinctly rugulose and microreticulated ...........……………7 7. The color of head distinctly brown .............................…...8

- The color of head distinctly yellow......................................9

8. Propodeal spines as long as is the interval between their bases; PSLI= 11-20; (length 2.5-3.9mm)… T. rothneyi (Forel)

- Propodeal spines small, triangular, more or less dentate; PSLI=9-10; (length 2.8-3.1mm).............. T. simlensis stat. nov.

9. Scape reaches beyond the posterior margin of head by 1/6 of its total length; the color of body is uniformly pale yellow; propodeal spines very long (Spine length PSL: 0.20-0.23mm). .............................................................. T. nordmeyeri (Schulz)

- Scape somewhat short not reaching the posterior margin of head; gaster with a brown patch in the middle; propodeal spines short (Spine length PSL: 0.09-0.11mm); (length 2.8-3.4mm).. ................................................. T. microreticulatus Bharti et al.

10. Propodeal spines very short, appearing as two small blunt denticles (tubercles) in dorsal view; node of petiole rounded in proFle.................................……...… T. wroughtonii (Forel) - Propodeal spines much longer, as long as 2/3 the range of their bases; node of petiole more or less angular in proFle.............. 11

11. Head more or less chestnut brown; mesosoma, legs, antennae, petiole and postpetiole more or less yellowish brown; gaster dark brown; CI=120-139; SI1=77-79; SI2=94- 108; (length 2.4-3.1mm).......……………… T. fultonii (Forel)

- Head light yellow to dark yellow with a brownish tinge; mesosoma light to dark yellow; gaster light yellow to dark yellow most often with a brownish patch dorsally in the middle; CI=113-122; SI1=70-76; SI2=81-95; (length 2.35-2.79mm)… …..…..................................…… T. himachalensis Bharti et al.