SUBFAMILY MYRMICINAE - Genus Pyramica - subgenus Glamyromyrmex
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The Ants of
Africa SUBFAMILY MYRMICINAE - Genus Pyramica - subgenus Glamyromyrmex |
| Genus Pyramica |
In Tribe DACETINI.
Diagnostic Features - Head elongate, with simple hairs. Antennae 6-segmented, the second and third funicular segments reduced. Mandibles short and subtriangular, with less than 10 teeth. Antennal scrobes present above the eyes. Propodeum armed with a pair of teeth and a lamella running the length of the declivity. Petiole and postpetiole with spongiform appendages.
Wheeler's (1915e) genus description is at 
. His description of the type species, Glamyrmomyrmex
beebei, from Brazil is at 
, with the illustrations on 
.
Bolton (1973a) describes them as minute (TL 2.00 or less) brown-black ants found in West Africa only by Berlese funnel sampling of leaf litter. Bolton (1983) revised the genus and included species (such as the Room, 1971, species, see below) formerly ascribed to Codiomyrmex Wheeler; which according to Hölldobler & Wilson (1990) is a solely neotropical genus, although their illustrations showed a species from Australia.
Bolton (2000: 269-271) separated these into the following species
groups:
dagon-group (Bolton
2000: 297): dagon, shaura
loveridgei-group (Bolton 2000: 308): cryptura, loveridgei, sistrura
tetragnatha-group (Bolton
2000: 328): africana,
fisheri (sp.n.), tetragnatha
thuvida-group (Bolton
2000: 331): belial (sp.n.), nimravida (sp.n.; Bolton's 2000 key,
couplets 73-74, place this with the loveridgei-group),
ravidura, thuvida, trymala, tukulta
Previously in Smithistruma - change not explained - oxysma-group: anarta, mira (sp.n.),
ogyga, oxysma (sp.n.), sardonica (sp.n.) - I key them out with Smithistruma
Key to workers of African species (adapted from Bolton, 1983, and Bolton, 2000, page 272 ff, key couplets 9 -> 23 -> 48 -> 62 (mandibles with fewer than 12 teeth and denticles) -> 63 ff
| 1 | Appressed hairs on clypeal dorsum simple, fine and minute | 2 |
| -- | Appressed hairs on clypeal dorsum flattened, spatulate or scale-like | 5 |
| 2 | Posterior margin of occiput broadly raised and bounded by lateral flat areas raised; pronotum laterally with a sharp margin; postpetiole disc with fine longitudinal striations | 4 |
| -- | Posterior margin of occiput not broadly raised; pronotum laterally without a sharp margin; postpetiole disc smooth or with lateral shagreening | 6 |
| . | Posterior margin
of occiput broadly raised and bounded by lateral flat areas raised;
pronotum laterally with a sharp margin; postpetiole disc with fine
longitudinal striations - tetragnatha-group
- tetragnatha-group |
. |
| 3 |  In full face view
sides with projecting flagellate hairs; such hairs also numerous on
postpetiole and first gastral tergite |
4 |
| -- |  In full face view
sides without projecting flagellate hairs; postpetiole and first
gastral tergite with only sparse short straight hairs; TL 2.4-2.8 mm;
blackish-brown to black |
. |
| . |  |
Western Africa - Angola north to Ghana, east to Kenya - tetragnatha |
| 4 | In
full face view head with 3 or more laterally projecting fine, very long
hairs; TL 3.0 mm, HL 0.82, HW 0.70, SL 0.30, PW 0.36; black. |
|
| . |  |
Cameroun & Gabon - africana |
| -- |  In full face view
head with 3 or more laterally projecting fine, very long hairs; with
denser sculpture
on head and alitrunk dorsum;
blackish-brown to black; TL 2.6-2.7 mm, HL 0.70-0.74, HW 0.55-0.56, SL
0.28-0.30, PW 0.32-0.34 |
Gabon - fisheri |
| . | Appressed hairs on
clypeal dorsum flattened, spatulate or scale-like - dagon-group |
. |
| 5 |  In profile head with
very thick lobes to the clypeus; anterior clypeal margin with a
semicircular median impression; TL 2.0-2.1 mm; yellowish-brown |
. |
| . |  |
Rwanda - dagon |
| -- |  In profile head with
narrow edges to the clypeus; anterior clypeal margin evenly and
shallowly concave; TL 2.1-2.3 mm; brown |
. |
| . |  |
Rwanda - sahura |
| . | Posterior margin of occiput not broadly raised; pronotum laterally without a sharp margin; postpetiole disc smooth or with lateral shagreening | . |
| 6 | Entire dorsum of head densely clothed with appressed scale-like hairs, no other pilosity | 7 |
| -- | Dorsum of head without appressed scale-like hairs, sides of head with projecting flagellate hairs | 9 |
| 7 |  First gastral tergite
with erect fine simple hairs; TL 1.6 mm; glossy dull yellow |
. |
| . |  |
Ivory Coast - tukulta |
| -- | Dorsal surfaces entirely lacking erect hairs |
8 |
| 8 |  Dorsum of head entirely covered
with flat, appressed, scale-like hairs, each wider than they are apart;
TL 1.7 mm, HL 0.50, HW 0.35, SL 0.20, PW 0.21 |
Gabon - belial |
| -- |  In full face view
clypeus laterally with elevated and thickened margin; dorsum of clypeus
distinctly concave; TL 2.0-2.1 mm, HL 0.52-0.56, HW 0.40-0.43, SL
0.22-0.23, PW 0.24-0.25; dark brown |
. |
| . |  |
Cameroun - ravidura |
| . | Posterior margin of occiput not broadly raised; pronotum laterally without a sharp margin; postpetiole disc smooth or with lateral shagreening | . |
| 9 | Cephalic dorsum with
widely spaced fovea giving a cratered appearance; mandible with 11
teeth and denticles |
10 |
| -- | Cephalic dorsum reticulate-punctate, without fovea; mandible with 7-10 teeth and denticles | 11 |
| 10 |  Cephalic dorsum with
widely spaced fovea giving a cratered appearance; TL 2.2 mm;
castaneous, head darker blackish-brown except for ferruginous clypeus
and mandibles |
. |
| . |  |
Kenya - thuvida |
| -- |
Clypeal dorsum with elevated hairs and no appressed small hairs; dorsum of head with scattered, conspicuous broad foveae; TL 1.7 mm; glossy dull yellow (no illustrations available at August 2013); close to thuvida | Cameroun - trymala |
| . | Cephalic dorsum reticulate-punctate, without fovea; mandible with 7-10 teeth and denticles | . |
| 11 | Postpetiole with spongiform tissue
restricted to posterodorsal angles; petiole node with smooth shiny
dorsum; basal lamellate band on gaster interrupted medially; TL 2.2 mm;
brown (no available illustrations) |
Malawi - loveridgei |
| -- | Postpetiole with spongiform tissue over all of sides; dorsum of petiole node sculptured (at least in part); basal lamellate band on gaster not wholly interrupted medially | 12 |
| 12 |  All erect hairs on dorsum and
sides of head, pronotal humeri and mesonotal dorsum short and stiff;
clypeus and mandibles covered with broad, flat, hairs; TL 1.9 mm, HL
0.50, HW
0.34-0.35, SL 0.20-0.21, PW 0.23 |
Cameroun - nimravida |
| -- | All erect hairs on dorsum and sides of head, pronotal humeri
and mesonotal dorsum long, fine and flagellate; clypeus and mandibles
not covered in broad, flat hairs |
13 |
| 13 |  Mandible with 6
enlarged teeth, without medially-projecting broad spatulate hairs
between the basal tooth and the basal lamella; TL 1.9-2.0 mm; black to
blackish-brown |
. |
| . |  |
Cameroun - sistrura |
| -- |  Mandible with 5
enlarged teeth, plus medially-projecting broad spatulate hairs between
the basal tooth and the basal lamella; TL 2.0 mm HL 0.53, HW 0.37, SL
0.21, PW 0.24; blackish-brown |
. |
| . |  |
Ghana & Liberia - cryptura |
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MYRMICINAE Introduction |
© 2007, 2008, 2013, 2015 - Brian Taylor CBiol FSB FRES 11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K. |
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