AntWeb field guide to the Species of Kenya

Apparently compiled by the late Roy Snelling http://www.antweb.org/kenya.jsp http://www.antweb.org/kenya/species.pdf

* = species from Kenya but not listed on pdf; in this list I follow Baroni Urbani & de Andrade (2007) in synonymizing Pyramica under Strumigenys but I have not retitled the linked pages, pending investigation of the wider acceptance of the synonymization.

Note also my compilation of Kenya occurrence records, mostly from the pre-modern literature, at Distribution Records - Kenya. That includes a number of species not on the Antweb Field Guide.

Pdf page & no Family Species Notes
1.1 Formicinae Acropyga silvestrii Type location Eritrea; the Antweb photo of a specimen from Kenya shows a different head shape to the type description but small size leads to this from my genus key 
1.2 Ponerinae Anochetus katonae Type location Tanzania; pan-African; specimen shown is from Kenya
1.3 Ponerinae Anochetus obscuratus Type location Tanzania; uncommon pan-African; specimen shown is a queen from Tanzania but a worker also is shown on the Antweb page
1.4 Ponerinae Anochetus pellucidus Type location Cameroun; Congo Basin & West Africa; specimen shown is a queen from Kenya (a worker shown on the Antweb page is A. maynei
2.1 Ponerinae Anochetus traegaordhi Type location Sudan; pan-African; specimen shown is a queen from South Africa but a worker also is shown on the Antweb page
2.2 Myrmicinae Atopomyrmex cryptoceroides Type location Ivory Coast; pan-African; specimen shown is from Kenya but is misidentified as A. mocquerysi (which has thicker propodeal spines)
2.3 Formicinae Axinidris bidens Type location Ghana; it seems possible the Kenya species is distinct as the original key has a double option
2.4 Formicinae Axinidris hypoclinoides Type location Zaire; illustration is of a Gabon specimen; Kenya specimen from Kakamega Forest (Snelling, 2007)
* Formicinae Axinidris icipe Type location Kenya; not shown in the list; Kenya specimen from Kakamega District (Snelling, 2007: 561)
* Formicinae Axinidris kakamegensis Type location Kenya; not shown in the list; Kenya specimen from Kakamega District (Shattuck, 1991: 115)
3.1 Formicinae Axinidris luhya Type location Kenya; from Kakamega District (Snelling, 2007: 564)
3.2 Formicinae Axinidris murielae Type location Cameroun; illustration is of a Gabon specimen; from Kakamega District, the specimen shown on Antweb has a lower SI and a much darker colour than the Gabon form  (Snelling, 2007)
* Formicinae Axinidris okekai Type location Kenya; not shown in the list; Kenya specimen from Kakamega Forest (Snelling, 2007: 569)
3.3 Myrmicinae Calyptomyrmex clavatus Type location Kenya; no prior illustration but I think the list has this misidentified as Calyptomyrmex brunneus (the postpetiole is only slightly wider than the petiole)
3.4 Myrmicinae Calyptomyrmex tensus Type location Uganda; the list has this misidentified as Calyptomyrmex piripilis (that can be seen at http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0406908)
4.1 Formicinae Camponotus (Myrmotrema) perrisii Type location Angola; misidentified in list as C. bayeri which is a much smaller species (TL major 6-7 mm) this has TL ca 10 mm +
4.2 Formicinae Camponotus (Myrmotrema) grandidieri Type location Madagascar; unverifiable as specimen shown in list is a minor from Mauritius; the sole prior Kenya record was from Pemba Island
4.3 Formicinae Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) maculatus Type location West Africa (?); unverifiable as specimen shown in list is a minor from Mauritius; the "species" in the older literature is a mess of confused subspecies and varieties
4.4 Formicinae Camponotus (Myrmopiromis) niveosetosus Type location South Africa (?); unverifiable as specimen shown in list is a minor from Mauritius and probably not the type form; the only prior record from Kenya was Fundu Island
5.1 Formicinae Camponotus (Orthonotomyrmex) sericeus Type location Senegal (?); unverifiable as specimen shown in list is a major from Guinea; there are several prior records from Kenya
5.2 Myrmicinae Cardiocondyla emeryi Type location Virgin Islands but is a pantropical tramp species; Bolton (1982) gave a record from Embu & Ishiara; the specimen shown is from Reunion I. and is labelled Cardiocondyla kagutsukuchi on the Antweb page
5.3 Myrmicinae Cardiocondyla wroughtonii Type location India but it is a pantropical tramp species; Bolton (1982) gave a record from Embu & Ishiara; the specimen shown is from Kenya 
5.4 Myrmicinae Paedalgus distinctus Type location Ghana; specimen shown in list is from Ghana; only other records are from Nigeria & Ivory Coast; in list as Carebara distincta but synonymization of genus Paedalgus under Carebara by Fernandez (2004); regarded by me as unconvincing
6.1 Myrmicinae Carebara junodi Type location South Africa; no prior record from Kenya; specimen shown in list as Carebara vidua is from Kenya; the latter has scant pilosity, strong puncturation on the head and the postpetiole is narrower than the petiole; this has obviously abundant pilosity, no clear puncturation on the head and the postpetiole is slightly wider than the petiole
6.2 Myrmicinae Cataulacus egenus Type location Congo; no prior records from Kenya; specimen shown in list is from Kenya
6.3 Myrmicinae Cataulacus jeanneli Type location Kenya; specimen shown in list is from Kenya; in list as Cataulacus lujae but matches the jeanneli type description
6.4 Myrmicinae Cataulacus linearis Type location Kenya; elevated by me from sight of the fresh specimen, from Kenya, misidentified in list as Cataulacus striativentris
7.1 Cerapachyinae Cerapachys foreli Type location Ghana; all prior reports were from West Africa and the Congo Basin; unverifiable as the specimen shown is from Ivory Coast
7.2 Cerapachyinae Cerapachys kenyensis Type location Kenya; the specimen shown is a male and somewhat unhelpful as the worker and queen, both shown on http://www.antweb.org/description.do?rank=species&name=kenyensis&genus=cerapachys&project=kenyaants are a distinctive shiny red-brown
7.3 Cerapachyinae Cerapachys cribrinodis Type location Cameroun; prior records from West Africa & Congo Basin; misidentified as Cerapachys lamborni is from Kenya; but C. lamborni has much coarser pits on the head and elsewhere
7.4 Cerapachyinae Cerapachys nkomoensis Type location Zaire; all prior reports were from Cameroun, Zaire and Fernando Po; the specimen shown in the list and on Antweb differs in several aspects from the Forel (1916) description of nkomoensis; notably the type had a strong deep puncturation (the Kenya specimen has minute sparse puncturation; type had the scape reaching the posterior third of the head (shorter on the Kenya specimen) the type also had three minute teeth on the junction of the propodeum dorsum and declivity (none on the Kenya specimen), the petiole with posterior angles each with a small triangular tooth (none on the Kenya specimens), the postpetiole is wider than the petiole (the same width on the Kenya specimen); the likely conclusion seems to be the Kenya specimen is of a new species
8.1 Cerapachyinae Cerapachys spp rrs01 Unnamed form from Kenya; shown on http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0178211&shot=p1&project=kenyaants
8.2 Cerapachyinae Cerapachys vespula Type location Kenya; the specimen shown is a queen and there is no published description other than the worker; details of shown queen differ significantly from the worker description, e.g petiole of worker ca 1.5 X wider than long, of this queen ca 2.5 X wider than long
8.3 Myrmicinae Crematogaster (Cr.) castanea Type location South Africa; a species historically purported to have numerous subspecies or varieties; it seems possible, perhaps probable, that it is not known outside southern Africa; the specimen on the list is a syntype from South Africa
8.4 Myrmicinae Crematogaster (Cr.) tricolor Type location Mozambique; this is so readily separable from the type C. castanea that I believe it has to be reverted to full species; the record from Kenya seems valid; the specimen shown on the list is not locatable on AntWeb
9.1 Myrmicinae Cyphoidris werneri Type location Rwanda, sole prior record; separable by the distinctive coarse sculpturation on the alitrunk dorsum; specimen from Kenya shown in list as C. spinosa
9.2 Myrmicinae Decamorium decem Type location Zimbabwe, recorded by Weber (1952) from Kenya, near Tanzania border; specimen shown is from the Central African Republic
9.3 Proceratiinae Discothyrea oculata Type location Liberia; only other record is from Ghana; misidentified in list as D. mixta, that has 11-segmented antennae and minute eyes, the Kenya specimen shown has 9-segmented antennae and the overall form of oculata
9.4 Dorylinae Dorylus burmeisteri Type location Sierra Leone; the specimen shown is from Ivory Coast; I know of no records from Kenya where the more likely species is Dorylus (Anomma) molestus
10.1 Dorylinae Dorylus emeryi Type location Cameroun; the specimen shown is from Ivory Coast; D. emeryi is a West Africa/Congo Basin species and I know of no records from Kenya where the more likely candidate species is Dorylus (Anomma) victoriae
10.2 Dorylinae Dorylus (Dorylus) helvolus Type location South Africa; the specimen shown is from South Africa; the species is known from Kenya (Santschi, 1914)
10.3 Dorylinae Dorylus (Anomma) wilverthi Type location Zaire; the specimen shown is from Congo; D. wilverthi is a Congo Basin species but I have records of it from Uganda
10.4 Formicinae Lepisiota canescens Type location Somalia; variety from Kenya, the specimen shown is from Kenya
11.1 Formicinae Lepisiota capensis Type location South Africa; there is an old record from Pemba Is.  The specimen shown is from Comoros. It probably is not true L. capensis which was described as having short, sparse, brown pilosity and a shallow metanotal groove - this has quite abundant, longish, whitish pilosity.  It seems similar to what I interpret as Lepisiota curta. The historical taxonomy of "capensis" is littered with varieties, etc
11.2 Formicinae Lepisiota palpalis Type location Zaire; misidentified in list as Lepisiota guineensis but this has larger eyes, is somewhat smaller and has a more ovoid head; I have recorded a finding in Sudan
11.3 Ponerinae Leptogenys intermedia Type location South Africa; the specimen shown is a male from South Africa; Bolton (1975a) listed a record from Kenya and described the colour as vary variable; I have a Tanzania specimen that is dark brown rather than the South African yellow brown
11.4 Ponerinae Leptogenys maxillosa Type location Mauritius; the specimen shown is from Reunion; Bolton (1975a) had no records from north of Zimbabwe
12.1 Ponerinae Leptogenys pavesii Type location Somalia; the specimen shown is from Somalia; Bolton (1975a) had a record from Kenya
12.2 Ponerinae Leptogenys stuhlmanni Type location Mozambique; the specimen shown is from Tanzania; Bolton (1975a) had two records from Kenya
12.3 Myrmicinae Melissotarsus emeryi Type location Ethiopia (the specimen shown); there are older records from Kenya
12.4 Myrmicinae Melissotarsus weissi Type location Congo; the specimen shown is from Kenya
13.1 Myrmicinae Microdaceton exornatum Type location South Africa; the specimen shown is from Zimbabwe; Patrizi (1947) described a queen (as M. leakeyi) from Kenya
13.2 Myrmicinae Microdaceton viriosum Type location Uganda, type location and sole record; misidentified as M. tibialis
13.3 Myrmicinae Monomorium modestum Type location South Africa, it is known essentially from southern and eastern Africa; misidentified specimen shown and labelled M. cryptobium is from Madagascar; it has a longer head and relatively shorter scapes than cryptobium
13.4 Myrmicinae Monomorium destructor Type location India and although it is a pan-tropical tramp; I have a specimen from Egypt; the specimen shown is from Madagascar
14.1 Myrmicinae Monomorium exiguum Type location Ethiopia; it is a pan-tropical tramp and quite variable in colour; the specimen shown is from Madagascar
14.2 Myrmicinae Monomorium hanneli Type location Kenya; the specimen shown is from Madagascar and differs from the type shown on Antweb which is a darker brown
14.3 Myrmicinae Monomorium madecassum Type location Madagascar; reported from Kenya by Bolton (1987); the specimen shown is from Madagascar
14.4 Myrmicinae Monomorium modestum Type location South Africa; reported from Kenya by Bolton (1987); the specimen shown is from Madagascar
15.1 Myrmicinae Monomorium robustior Type location Somalia; reported from Kenya by Bolton (1987); the specimen shown is from Madagascar and is not robustior having scapes that are too short and a much squarer head (it seems that the description by Heterick, 2006: 99, may be unrepresentative)
15.2 Myrmicinae Monomorium rosae Type location Zaire; the list lacks a photograph;  reported from Kenya by Bolton (1987)
15.3 Myrmicinae Nesomyrmex angulatus Type location Egypt; reported from Kenya by Bolton (1987), from where the list specimen; it seems possible to me that some of the sub-Saharan forms are N. latinodis
15.4 Myrmicinae Nesomyrmex cataulacoides Type location Cameroun; on the face of it the diagnosis seems highly unlikely as the type was described as found only in the internodes of a Cameroun myrmecophyte that is unknown outside a narrow area of that country; the specimen shown on the list is a Cameroun paratype but Antweb also has two specimens from Kenya collected by Snelling.  These differ somewhat from the Cameroun type, notably having a relatively longer head, shorter scapes, possibly smaller eyes, and generally much sharper coarse puncturation on the head.  The diagnosis requires further checking.
16.1 Ponerinae Odontomachus troglodytes Type location Kenya 
16.2 Ponerinae Pachycondyla (Brachyponera) sennaarensis Type location Sudan; pan-African tramp
16.3 Ponerinae Pachycondyla (Trachymesopus) aenigmatica Type location South Africa, sole published record; specimen shown is from South Africa and is misidentified as P. sharpi; I have a specimen from Gabon;  P. sharpi was described as black by Forel (1901e) this is red-brown.
16.4 Ponerinae Pachycondyla (Bothroponera) sjostedti Type location Cameroun, recorded only from Zaire westwards; the specimen shown is from Gabon; possibly this is P. fugax type location Tanzania.
17.1 Ponerinae Pachycondyla (Bothroponera) talpa Type location Sierra Leone, recorded only from Zaire westwards; the specimen shown is from the Kenya-Uganda border and I have one from Tanzania.
17.2 Ponerinae Pachycondyla (Paltothyreus) tarsata Type location Senegal, pan-African; the specimen shown is from Ghana
17.3 Ponerinae Pachycondyla (Mesoponera) wroughtoni Type location South Africa, one prior report from Kenya; the specimen shown is from South Africa
17.4 Formicinae Paratrechina bourbonica Type location Reunion I., tramp species with one prior report from Pemba I., Tanzania (not Kenya); the specimen shown is from Mauritius
18.1 Myrmicinae Pheidole megacephala Type location may be Mauritius, tramp species with one prior report from Kenya; records often unreliable; specimen shown is from Mauritius
18.2 Myrmicinae Pheidole punctulata Type location South Africa, pan-African; specimen shown is from Cameroun and seems incorrect (more likely to be P. impressifrons, my designation)
18.3 Myrmicinae Pheidole speculifera Type location Eritrea, pan-African; specimen shown is from Gabon and is misidentified (more likely to be P. mayri) - a true speculifera is shown at http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0003237&shot=p1&project=kenyaants
18.4 Myrmicinae Pheidole fervens Type location Canary Islands, a basically south Asian species, tramp into North Africa and East African ports; specimen shown is from California and is labelled P. teneriffana which I believe to be a junior synonym of P. fervens
19.1 Ponerinae Phrynoponera gabonensis Type location Gabon, a primarily Congo Basin species; specimens listed by Bolton & Fisher (2008)
* Ponerinae Phrynoponera pulchella Type location Kenya, not in list but described by Bolton & Fisher (2008)
19.2 Formicinae Plagiolepis alluaudi Type location Seychelles; tramp species but apparently not often found; specimen shown is from Madagascar
19.3 Ponerinae Platythyrea modesta Type location Cameroun; specimen shown is from South Africa and is red-brown not black as seems to be the case for the type
19.4 Ponerinae Plectroctena cristata Type location Cameroun; specimen shown is from Central African Republic
20.1 Ponerinae Plectroctena mandibularis Type location South Africa; specimen shown is from South Africa
20.2 Ponerinae Plectroctena strigosa Type location South Africa; specimen shown is from Kenya
20.3 Ponerinae Plectroctena subterranea Type location Zimbabwe; specimen shown is the holotype; a Kenya specimen is shown at http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0178265&shot=p1&project=kenyaants
20.4 Formicinae Polyrhachis latispina Type location Zaire; specimen shown is from Kenya but appears to be a close relative rather than the type form
21.1 Formicinae Polyrhachis lestoni Type location Ghana; specimen shown is from Kenya but appears to be a close relative rather than the type form
21.2 Formicinae Polyrhachis militaris Type location "Tropical Africa"; specimen shown is from Central African Republic; a Kenya specimen is shown at http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0178253&shot=p1&project=kenyaants; this seems a close match to my Polyrhachis n.sp. CAR from the Central African Republic, with its ovoid head, large pronotal and propodeal spines and coarse golden pilosity
21.3 Proceratiinae Probolomyrmex guineensis Type location Guinea; specimen shown is from Ivory Coast; seems to be a Congo Basin/West Africa species but a Kenya specimen is shown at http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0178270&shot=p1&project=kenyaants
21.4 Ponerinae Psalidomyrmex procerus Type location Cameroun; specimen shown is from Gabon; seems to be a Congo Basin/West Africa species but a Kenya specimen is shown at http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0178267&shot=p1&project=kenyaants; Bolton (1975b) wrote of possible extra species within his broad description; the Kenya specimen is right at the bottom end of the size range and has much stronger and more speced out puncturation that the type form
22.1 Formicinae Pseudolasius weissi Type location Congo; specimen shown is from Gabon; seems to be a Congo Basin/West Africa species
22.2 Myrmicinae Strumigenys (Pyramica) bellatrix Type location ? Burundi; on list as Pyramica bellatrix Bolton (2000); specimen shown is from Kenya
22.3 Myrmicinae Strumigenys (Smithistruma) cavinasis Type location Zaire; it seems to be a Congo Basin/West Africa species; but specimen shown is from Kenya and matches the type description
22.4 Myrmicinae Strumigenys (Serrastruma) geoterra Type location Cameroun; on list as Pyramica geoterra; specimen shown is from Kenya
23.1 Myrmicinae Strumigenys (Smithistruma) hensekta Type location Ghana; on list as Pyramica hensekta; widespread western Africa from Angola to Ivory Coast; specimen shown is from Kenya
23.2 Myrmicinae Strumigenys (Serrastruma) ludovici Type location Madagascar; on list as Pyramica ludovici; pan-African; specimen shown is from Kenya
23.3 Myrmicinae Strumigenys (Serrastruma) lujae Type location Mozambique; on list as Pyramica lujae; pan-African; specimen shown is from Kenya
23.4 Myrmicinae Strumigenys (Smithistruma) mandibularis Type location Tanzania; on list as Pyramica mandibularis; east & southern Africa; specimen shown is from Madagascar
24.1 Myrmicinae Strumigenys (Smithistruma) marginata Type location Kenya; on list as Pyramica marginata; pan-African; specimen shown is from Kenya
24.2 Myrmicinae Strumigenys (Smithistruma) nykara Type location Zimbabwe; misidentified on list as Pyramica minkara; prior records Zimbabwe (Bolton, 1983) and I have a Tanzania specimen; specimen shown is from Kenya
24.3 Myrmicinae Strumigenys (Serrastruma) serrula Type location Congo; pan-African; on list as Pyramica serrula; specimen shown is from Kenya
24.4 Myrmicinae Strumigenys (Serrastruma) simoni Type location South Africa; pan-African; on list as Pyramica simoni; specimen shown is from Mauritius
25.1 Myrmicinae Strumigenys (Serrastruma) sulumana Type location Cameroun; type collection sole record; on list as Pyramica sulumana; specimen shown is from Kenya and if not sulumana is a very close relative
25.2 Myrmicinae Strumigenys (Glamyromyrmex) thuvida Type location Kenya; on list as Pyramica thuvida; specimen shown is from Kenya
25.3 Myrmicinae Rhoptromyrmex transversinodis Type location South Africa; only recorded from South Africa; specimen shown is from South Africa
25.4 Cerapachyinae Simopone grandis Type location Zaire; only recorded from Zaire; specimen shown is from Zaire
26.1 Cerapachyinae Simopone schoutedeni Type location Zaire; only recorded from Zaire; specimen shown is a queen from Kenya, a worker from Kenya is shown on the Antweb page; on list as "Simopone cf schoutedeni" but seems a good match to the original description
26.2 Myrmicinae Strumigenys cacaoensis Type location Nigeria; sole records are from Nigeria and Ghana; specimen shown is from Kenya
26.3 Myrmicinae Strumigenys omalyx Type location Kenya; specimen shown is from Kenya
26.4 Myrmicinae Strumigenys rukha Type location Kenya; specimen shown is from Kenya
27.1 Myrmicinae Strumigenys tetraphanes Type location Uganda; specimen shown is from Kenya
27.2 Dolichoderinae Tapinoma luteum Type location South Africa; eastern & southern Africa; specimen shown is from Kenya
27.3 Dolichoderinae Tapinoma schultzei Type location Botswana; eastern & southern Africa; specimens shown are from Kenya, including the bizarre queen
27.4 Dolichoderinae Technomyrmex andrei Type location Gabon; pan-African; specimen shown is from Kenya (listed by Bolton, 2007)
28.1 Dolichoderinae Technomyrmex camerunensis Type location Cameroun; Gabon and east to Uganda and Kenya; specimen shown is from Kenya (listed by Bolton, 2007)
28.2 Dolichoderinae Technomyrmex ilgi Type location Ethiopia; eastern Africa; specimen shown is from Kenya (listed by Bolton, 2007)
28.3 Dolichoderinae Technomyrmex moerens Type location Congo; pan-African; specimen shown is from Kenya (listed by Bolton, 2007)
28.4 Dolichoderinae Technomyrmex pallipes Type location Mauritius; pan-African; specimen shown is from Kenya (listed by Bolton, 2007)
29.1 Dolichoderinae Technomyrmex voeltzkowi Type location Kenya; eastern Africa; specimen shown is from Madagascar (Snelling specimen not listed by Bolton, 2007)
29.2 Myrmicinae Terataner bottegoi Type location Somalia; eastern Africa; specimen shown is from Tanzania
29.3 Myrmicinae Tetramorium metatactum Type location Kenya; specimen shown is from Kenya but is mislabelled in the list as T. aculeatum.
29.4 Myrmicinae Tetramorium caldarium Type location Germany (hothouse); specimen shown is from Zaire 
30.1 Myrmicinae Tetramorium eminii Type location Ethiopia; pan-African; specimen shown is from Kenya 
30.2 Myrmicinae Tetramorium humbloti Type location Comoro Is.; eastern Africa; specimen shown is from Mauritius 
30.3 Myrmicinae Tetramorium sericeiventre Type location Eritrea; pan-African; specimen shown is from Madagascar ("T. blochmanni"); mainland Africa (type) specimens commonly have a darker gaster and a more obviously silky gaster
30.4 Myrmicinae Tetramorium simillimum Type location Great Britain (hothouse); pan-African; specimen shown is from Moorea; mainland Africa specimens show much variability but I have a Tanzania specimen
31.1 Myrmicinae Tetramorium viticolum Type location Sudan; sole record; specimen shown is from Kenya (listed as T. viticola)
31.2 Myrmicinae Tetramorium weitzeckeri Type location South Africa; Congo Basin eastwards; specimen shown is from Zimbabwe
31.3 Pseudomyrmicinae Tetraponera mocquerysi Type location Sierra Leone; pan-African; specimen shown is from Kenya and matches the Karavaiev (1931d) description and illustration of biozellata
31.4 Pseudomyrmicinae Tetraponera ophthalmica Type location Cameroun; West Africa & Congo Basin; specimen shown is from Gabon (Ward, Tetraponera sp 3) but is misidentified as T. ophthalmica which is a yellow species; sp.3 seems likely to be the form described by Santschi (1928d) as Tetraponera ophthalmica Em. v. tenebrosa n. var.
© 2009, 2012 - Brian Taylor CBiol FSB FRES
11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K.

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