Parasyscia, Emery, 1882

Chen, Zhilin, Liang, Cuijun & Du, Congcong, 2022, Revision of Chinese species of the ant genus Parasyscia Emery, 1882 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dorylinae), Zootaxa 5196 (3), pp. 301-330 : 303-315

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5196.3.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:AC077DDE-B1ED-4546-B8EB-2AE5AB57C083
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7244194
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/4D0D87F2-FF99-FFA9-FF14-99B6EFF76ED4
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Parasyscia
status

Treatment

Key to Asian species of Parasyscia based on the worker caste

Notes. We follow Bharti & Akbar (2013) and treat P. keralensis (Karmaly, et al, 2012) as a species inquirenda, thus excluding it from this key.

1. Eye degenerate, small, its maximum diameter smaller than or equal to the width of basal funicular segment, not breaking the lateral margins of head ( Fig. 1A–B View FIGURE 1 )....................................................................... 2

-. Eye large and protruding, its maximum diameter two times more than the width of basal funicular segment, breaking lateral margins of head ( Fig. 1C–D View FIGURE 1 )............................................................................ 7

2. Mid-dorsal portion of mesosoma smooth and shiny, without puncta ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 )...................................... 3

-. Mid-dorsal portion of mesosoma punctate ( Fig. 2B View FIGURE 2 ).......................................................... 4

3. Maximum diameter of eye equal to the basal width of scape; ventral margin of subpetiolar process straight; in lateral view petiolar node subrectangular, the front and the back parallel ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 )................... P. wittmeri ( Collingwood, 1985)

-. Maximum diameter of eye smaller than the basal width of scape; ventral margin of subpetiolar process concave; in lateral view petiolar node trapezoid, with top narrower than bottom ( Fig. 3B View FIGURE 3 )............................ P. piochardi Emery, 1882

4. Lateral surface of head and mesosoma densely and coarsely reticulate ( Fig. 4A View FIGURE 4 ).................................... 5

-. Lateral surface of head and mesosoma smooth and shiny, or with small, sparse puncta, interspaces between puncta smooth and shiny ( Fig. 4B View FIGURE 4 )....................................................................................... 6

5. In lateral view, anterodorsal corner of petiolar node angular, level with posterodorsal corner; in dorsal view, petiole subrectangular, lateral margins parallel ( Fig. 5A–B View FIGURE 5 ).................................................. P. reticulata ( Emery, 1923)

-. In lateral view, anterodorsal corner of petiolar node rounded, and lower than posterodorsal corner; in dorsal view, petiole trapezoid, broader posteriorly ( Fig. 5C–D View FIGURE 5 )........................................ P. hashimotoi ( Terayama, 1996)

6. Antennae 12-segmented...................................................... P. wighti ( Bharti & Akbar, 2013)

-. Antennae 11-segmented...................................................... P. ganeshaiahi Aswaj et al, 2021

7. In lateral view, petiole trapezoid, anterior and posterior faces convex ( Fig. 6A–B View FIGURE 6 ).................................. 8

-. In lateral view, petiole subrectangular, anterior and posterior faces flat, parallel ( Fig. 6C–D View FIGURE 6 )......................... 12

8. Abdomen clearly concolorous ( Fig. 7A View FIGURE )................................................................... 9

-. Abdomen clearly bicolored ( Fig. 7B View FIGURE )..................................................................... 10

9. Body dark reddish-brown; in lateral view, dorsal outline of mesosoma strongly convex; in dorsal view, anterolateral margin of first gastral segment relatively more convex ( Fig. 8A–B View FIGURE 8 )........................................................................................................................... P. muiri ( Wheeler & Chapman, 1925)

-. Body light yellow; in lateral view, dorsal outline of mesosoma slightly convex; in dorsal view, anterolateral margin of first gastral segment relatively less convex, tapering more evenly to juncture with third abdominal segment ( Fig. 8C–D View FIGURE 8 )................................................................................................ P. shii sp. nov.

10. In full-face view, head rounded, posterolateral corner broadly rounded ( Fig. 9A View FIGURE 9 )............... P. fossulata ( Forel, 1895)

-. In full-face view, head subrectangular, posterolateral corner narrowly rounded or clearly angular ( Fig. 9B–C View FIGURE 9 )........... 11

11. In full-face view, posterior margin of head slightly convex, posterolateral corner narrowly rounded ( Fig. 9B View FIGURE 9 ); head with tiny piligerous puncta; posterodorsal margin of propodeum without carina; if carina present, it is extremely degraded ( Fig. 10A View FIGURE 10 ).................................................................. P. rufithorax ( Wheeler & Chapman, 1925)

-. In full-face view, posterior margin of head strongly concave, posterolateral corner clearly angular ( Fig. 9C View FIGURE 9 ); head with coarse puncta; posterodorsal margin of propodeum with strong carina ( Fig. 10B View FIGURE 10 ).......................... P. tibetana sp. nov.

12. Abdomen clearly bicolored ( Fig. 11A View FIGURE 11 ).................................................................... 13

-. Abdomen concolorous or nearly so ( Fig. 11B–C View FIGURE 11 )........................................................... 14

13. In lateral view, posterodorsal corner of propodeum rounded; mesosoma and petiole with shallow puncta ( Fig. 12A View FIGURE 12 )......................................................................................... P. aitkenii ( Forel, 1900)

-. In lateral view, posterodorsal corner of propodeum angular; mesosoma and petiole with deep puncta ( Fig. 12B View FIGURE 12 )................................................................................................ P. wilsoni sp. nov.

14. In full-face view, center of head with longitudinal groove, almost reaching to the posterior margin of the head ( Fig. 13A View FIGURE 13 )............................................................................. P. conservata ( Viehmeyer, 1913)

-. In full-face view, center of head without longitudinal groove ( Fig. 13B View FIGURE 13 )......................................... 15

15. In dorsal view, petiole longer than wide ( Fig. 14A View FIGURE 14 )........................................ P. indica ( Brown, 1975)

-. In dorsal view, petiole broader than long ( Fig. 14B View FIGURE 14 )......................................................... 16

16. In full-face view, the front of head with a wide and deep arc-shaped groove ( Fig. 15A View FIGURE 15 )....... P. kodecorum ( Brown, 1975)

-. In full-face view, the front of head without a wide and deep arc-shaped groove ( Fig. 15B View FIGURE 15 )........................... 17

17. In full-face view, head coarsely and densely punctate, margins of puncta partially connected to reticulation ( Fig. 16A–B View FIGURE 16 )...................................................................................................... 18

-. In full-face view, head smooth and shiny, or, if punctate, with margins of puncta not connected to reticulation ( Fig. 16C–D View FIGURE 16 ).................................................................................................... 21

18. In lateral view, petiolar node higher than long ( Fig. 17A View FIGURE 17 )............................. P. foveolata ( Radchenko, 1993)

-. In lateral view, petiolar node longer than high ( Fig. 17B View FIGURE 17 )..................................................... 19

19. In full-face view, posterolateral corner of head angular; in dorsal view, tergite of postpetiole with scattered shallow puncta ( Fig. 18A–B View FIGURE 18 )................................................................................ P. nigrita sp. nov.

-. In full-face view, posterolateral corner of head rounded; in dorsal view, tergite of postpetiole rugoso-reticulate ( Fig. 18C–F View FIGURE 18 )................................................................................................... 20

20. The mid-dorsal portion of mesosoma with confluent puncta; posterior face of propodeum rugose ( Fig. 19A View FIGURE 19 )................................................................................... P. browni ( Bharti & Wachkoo, 2013)

-. The mid-dorsal portion of propodeum with separated puncta; posterior face of propodeum smooth and shiny ( Fig. 19B View FIGURE 19 ).................................................................................... P. dohertyi ( Emery, 1902)

21. Small size (TL ≤ 2 mm)........................................................... P. bryanti ( Wheeler, 1919)

-. Large size (TL> 2.8 mm).............................................................................. 22

22. In full-face view, posterior margin of head distinctly concave, posterolateral corner forming prominent lobe; the maximum diameter of eye larger than the maximum diameter of the apical funicular segment; body black ( Fig. 20A–B View FIGURE 20 )…….................................................................................... P. salimani ( Karavaiev, 1925)

-. In full-face view, posterior margin of head straight, posterolateral corner not forming prominent lobe; the maximum diameter of eye slightly smaller than or equal to the maximum diameter of the apical funicular segment; body yellow to dark brown ( Fig. 20C–D View FIGURE 20 )............................................................................................ 23

23. In lateral view, posterodorsal margin of propodeum rounded; anterodorsal corner of petiole lower than posterodorsal corner; in dorsal view, posterodorsal margin of propodeum without carina ( Fig. 21A–B View FIGURE 21 )............... P. luteoviger ( Brown, 1975)

-. In lateral view, posterodorsal margin of propodeum angular; anterodorsal corner of petiole and posterodorsal corner at the same level; in dorsal view, posterodorsal margin of propodeum with carina ( Fig. 21C–D View FIGURE 21 )................................ 24

24. Petiole slightly broader than long, PI=114–116; head subrectangular, lateral margins parallel ( Fig. 22A–B View FIGURE 22 )...................................................................................... P. schoedli ( Bharti & Akbar, 2013)

-. Petiole distinctly broader than long, PI>140; head lateral margins converging anteriorly and posteriorly ( Fig. 22C–D View FIGURE 22 ).... 25

25. Eye small, its maximum diameter equal to the width of base of scape ( Fig. 23A View FIGURE 23 )....... … P. seema ( Bharti & Akbar, 2013)

-. Eye large, its maximum diameter almost two times more than width of the base of scape ( Fig. 23B–C View FIGURE 23 )................. 26

26. Lateral mesosoma with small puncta, their maximum diameter smaller than the diameter of spiracle of propodeum; declivity of propodeum straight ( Fig. 24A–B View FIGURE 24 )................................................ P. rifati Sharaf & Akbar, 2018

-. Lateral mesosoma with large puncta, their maximum diameter equal to or larger than the diameter of spiracle of propodeum; declivity of propodeum concave ( Fig. 24C View FIGURE 24 )....................................................... P. xui sp. nov.