Additions to the taxonomy of the Afrotropical Tetramorium weitzeckeri species complex (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae), with the description of a new species from Kenya Author Garcia, Francisco Hita Author Fischer, Georg 16CEBC67-ECE7-4FC4-B537-085F0E26E85A Entomology, California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118, U. S. A. Email: georgf 81 @ gmail. com & urn: lsid: zoobank. org: author: 16 CEBC 67 - ECE 7 - 4 FC 4 - B 537 - 085 F 0 E 26 E 85 A text European Journal of Taxonomy 2014 2014-07-15 90 1 16 journal article 21981 10.5852/ejt.2014.90 170f489e-4f44-4283-8c5a-6a7426f72eeb 2118-9773 3836785 Identification key to species of the T. weitzeckeri species complex (workers) 1. First gastral tergite without any form of standing pilosity ( Fig. 3A ).......................................2 – First gastral tergite with standing pilosity ( Fig. 3B–C )............................................................5 2. Mesosoma with abundant long, erect hairs (usually 7 to 8 pairs of hairs) ( Fig. 4A ) [ Mozambique , Tanzania , South Africa , Swaziland ] ................................................................................. T. sepultum – Mesosoma usually without long, erect hairs, rarely with up to 4 pairs of hairs at most ( Fig. 4B–C )...3 3. Whole mesosoma covered with fine, mostly longitudinal rugulae superimposed on a very distinct reticulate-punctate ground sculpture ( Fig. 5A ) [ Burundi ] ................................. T. bendai – Mesosoma either mostly unsculptured or rugulose, often in parts with weakly punctate ground sculpture, but never fully covered with distinct reticulate-punctate ground sculpture as above ( Fig. 5B–C )................................................................................................................................................4 Fig. 5. Mesosoma in dorsal view. A . Tetramorium bendai Hita Garcia, Fischer & Peters (ZFMKHYM20096204). B . T. tanaense Hita Garcia, Fischer & Peters (CASENT0235815, AntWeb, R. Perry 2011). C . T. humbloti Forel (CASENT0059691, AntWeb, A. Nobile 2006). 4. Most of mesosomal dorsum, especially pronotum, noticeably longitudinally rugulose ( Fig. 5B ) [ Kenya , Tanzania ] ............................................................................................................. T. tanaense – Dorsum of mesosoma, especially pronotum, unsculptured and shiny ( Fig. 5C ) [ Comoros , Kenya , Madagascar , Mauritius , Mayotte , Mozambique , Namibia , South Africa , Tanzania , Zambia , Zimbabwe ] ........................................................................................................................ T. humbloti 5. Eyes very large (OI 31); first gastral tergite with long, decumbent to subdecumbent (rarely appressed) pilosity [ Kenya ] ( Fig. 6A, D ) ............................................................ T. mpala sp. nov. – Eyes always smaller than above (OI 16–26); first gastral tergite with long suberect to erect pilosity ( Fig. 6B–C, E–F )...............................................................................................................6 6. Dorsum of head with conspicuous reticulate-punctate ground sculpture; postpetiole in profile between 1.3 and 1.7 times higher than long (LPpI 59–75) and in dorsal view around 1.4 to 1.5 times wider than long (DPpI 137–154) ( Fig. 7A, E–F ) [ Cameroon , Central African Republic , D.R. Congo , Gabon , Ghana , Guinea , Ivory Coast , Liberia , Nigeria ] ...... T. guineense Fig. 6. Half of head in frontal view and gaster in lateral view. A , D . Tetramorium mpala sp. nov. (CASENT0247445, AntWeb, M. Esposito 2013). B , E . T. snellingi Hita Garcia, Fischer & Peters (ZFMK-HYM20093102). C , F . T. renae Hita Garcia, Fischer & Peters (CASENT0095412). Fig. 7. Head in frontal view and waist segments in dorsal view. A , E–F . Tetramorium guineense (Bernard) (CASENT0217061, AntWeb, E. Prado 2011). B . T. renae Hita Garcia, Fischer & Peters (CASENT0095412). C–D , G–H . T. weitzeckeri Emery (CASENT0103295 & CASENT0235814, AntWeb, A. Nobile 2006 & R. Perry 2011). – Character combination never as above; dorsum of head usually without conspicuous reticulatepunctate ground sculpture; if cephalic ground sculpture noticeably reticulate-punctate (as in some series of T. weitzeckeri ), then postpetiole in profile around 1.7 to 2.1 times higher than long (LPpI 49–60) and in dorsal view 1.7 to 2.0 times wider than long (DPpI 146–203) ( Fig. 7B–D, G–H )......7 7. Distinctly bicoloured species, head and mesosoma orange to reddish brown, petiole, postpetiole and gaster very dark brown to black ( Fig. 8A ) [ Central African Republic , Kenya , Uganda ] ... T. snellingi – Whole body either uniformly brown to black or bicoloured with gaster, and often head, of lighter colour than mesosoma, petiole, and postpetiole ( Fig. 8B–C ).......................................8 8. Species either bicoloured, with gaster, appendages and head yellowish brown contrasting with reddish brown mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole, or whole body dark brown to black; mesosomal sculpture partly reduced, dorsum generally with weak longitudinal rugulae only, lateral mesosoma to great extent unsculptured; ground sculpture on lateral and dorsal mesosoma absent, appearing smooth and shining ( Figs 8C , 9A–B, E–F ) [ São Tomé & Principe ] ...... T. renae Fig. 8. Body in lateral view. A . Tetramorium snellingi Hita Garcia, Fischer & Peters (ZFMKHYM- 20093102, E. Wiesel). B . T. weitzeckeri Emery (CASENT0103295,AntWeb, A. Nobile 2006). C . T. renae Hita Garcia, Fischer & Peters (CASENT0095412). Fig. 9. Mesosoma in dorsal and lateral views. A , E . Tetramorium renae Hita Garcia, Fischer & Peters – light brown form (CASENT0095412). B , F . T. renae Hita Garcia, Fischer & Peters – dark brown form (CASENT0095421, AntWeb, W. Ericson 2011). C , G . T. weitzeckeri Emery (CASENT0103295, AntWeb, A. Nobile 2006). D , H . T. boltoni Hita Garcia, Fischer & Peters (CASENT0217229, AntWeb, R. Perry 2011). – Uniformly coloured species, generally dark brown to black; usually with mesosoma dorsally and laterally strongly longitudinally rugose, very rarely with weaker developed rugae or rugulae, in the latter case the ground sculpture is reticulate-punctate ( Figs 8B , 9C–D, G–H ).....................9 9. Larger species (HW 0.77–0.93; HL 0.79–0.94; SL 0.60–0.74; WL 0.91–1.21); propodeal spines long to very long and spinose (PSLI 32–45); body colouration ranging from light brown to almost black, but usually of lighter brown than below; dry forest or savannah species ( Figs 9G , 10A ) [ Angola , Eritrea , Kenya , Mozambique , Namibia , South Africa , Sudan , Swaziland , Tanzania , Zambia , Zimbabwe ] ............................................................. T. weitzeckeri – Smaller species (HW 0.64–0.74; HL 0.68–0.76; SL 0.47–0.54; WL 0.78–0.91); propodeal spines moderate to long, triangular-elongate to spinose, but never as long as above (PSLI 23– 29); body colouration always very dark brown to black; rainforest species ( Figs 9H , 10B ) [ Angola , Cameroon , Central African Republic , D.R. Congo , Equatorial Guinea , Gabon , Kenya , Nigeria , Uganda , Sudan ] .................................................................................................. T. boltoni