Anochetus
Creators: name: Brown, WL Jr.,
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 1978
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Formicidae
Anochetus

description: KEY TO NEOTROPICAL SPECIES OF ANOCHETUS - WORKERS
1. Large species with long mandibles, combined L of head and closed mandibles (HL + ML)> 2.2. mm; medial borders of mandibles with 2 or more prominent, serially arranged teeth (in addition to the 3 teeth at apex, fig. 9) 2
- Species either with HL + ML <2.2. mm, or else medial borders of mandibles without prominent teeth proximal to the single preapical tooth or angle (fig. 8) 10
2. Mandibles with> 10 preapical teeth and denticles 3
- Mandibles with <10 preapical teeth and denticles 6
3. Petiolar node low, the anterior slope as seen from side view rising at an angle of only about 30° to the main axis of the petiole; petiolar apex forming a blunt double point that strongly overhangs the receding posterior face of the node; first gastric segment (postpetiole) bell-shaped as seen from the side or from above, both dorsal and ventral faces concave in outline for much of their lengths, but the segment abruptly and strongly constricted just before its caudal margin (N Peru; Marañon Valley, ca. 1500 m) inca [38]
- Petiolar node high, main anterior slope rising at an angle of ca. 45°; petiolar apex more or less acutely double-pointed, the points directed dorsad, and not overhanging posterior face of node, which is vertical and usually convex as seen from the side; first gastric segment evenly convex above and laterally as seen from the side or from above, ventral surface straight or nearly so; caudal margin only slightly and gradually constricted 4
4. Smaller species (HL + ML <2.80 mm); pronotum very finely and densely punctate, opaque, without striation (SE Brasil: N Espirito Santo) oriens [39]
- Larger species (HL + ML> 2.80 mm); pronotum with fine or coarse striation, or its disc sometimes partly or largely smooth and shining (emarginatus superspecies) 5
5. Yellow, trunk ferruginous yellow; most of vertex, disc of pronotum and upper front half of petiolar node smooth and shining; petiolar teeth short and not very sharp (aedeagus of male genitalia as in fig. 76; W. Indies: St. Vincent, Grenada) testaceus [36]
- Trunk, petiole and node ferruginous to piceous, head and legs paler, yellowish; pronotum varying from transversely rugose or striate to largely smooth and shining, but upper front face of petiolar node usually rugulose and opaque; petiolar teeth short (male genitalia as in fig. 74; Amazon Basin N to N. Colombia & Trinidad) emarginatus [36]
- Body dark reddish-brown, including head (corners of head slightly paler), legs brownish-yellow; frontal area, front and sides of pronotal disc, and upper front face of petiolar node finely striolate, sericeous; posterior center of pronotal disc smooth and shining; petiolar teeth long (L 0.1 mm or more) and sharp (Costa Rica: Atlantic lowlands) striatulus [36]
- Body light ferruginous; pronotum striate at least over front half; sculpture and petiolar teeth varying with locality (locally in C. America, Bahamas, see discussion) micans [36]
6. Mesial borders of mandibles each with 7-9 teeth and denticles (excluding apical trio; W. Indies) (haytianus superspecies) 7
- Mesial borders of mandibles each with 3-5 teeth and denticles (excluding apical trio; Amazon-Orinoco Basins) 9
7. Propodeal teeth small but well developed, acute, erect (fig. 52; Puerto Rico, including Culebra I.) kempfi [37]
- Propodeal teeth absent, or at most low, inconspicuous and obtuse (Hispaniola) 8
8. Mandibles longer, MI> 61; paired teeth of petiolar apex very long (L> 0.2 mm) and slender (Haiti: La Hotte Massif, 1000+ m) longispina [37]
- Mandibles shorter, MI <61; petiolar teeth shorter, L not over 0.15 mm (E Central Haiti) haytianus [37]
9. Mandibles nearly as long as head, Ml> 85 (fig. 9); 3 of the teeth on each inner preapical mandibular border large and spiniform when unbroken (Brasil: Pará, Amazonas) horridus [38]
- Mandibles shorter, MI <80; 2 of the teeth on each inner preapical mandibular border large and spiniform when unbroken (Brasil: NE Mato Grosso); vexator [39]
10. Petiolar node as seen from front or rear with apical margin rounded, slightly flattened, or very weakly emarginate in the middle,, but in this case, the free corners are always broadly rounded altisquamis group 11
- Petiolar node as seen from front or rear with apical margin distinctly concave, the 2 free corners forming angles or produced as teeth (figs. 43, 44) 12
11. Pronotum smooth only in the middle of the disc, its sides striolate and scarcely shining; size larger, HW> 1.3 mm; vertex mostly striolate and vaguely roughened, with inconspicuous punctulae in the narrow posterior smoother zone (S Brasil, N Argentina) altisquamis [42]
- Pronotum smooth and shining on disc and sides, with spaced punctures; HW <1.3 mm; vertex mostly smooth and shining, thickly sown with separate, conspicuous punctures (SE Mexico) orchidicola [43]
12. Small species, combineä length of Head' and closed mandibles (HL + ML) <1.75 mm; second segment of antennal funiculus less than twice as long as broad mayri complex; see discussion [41] 13
- Larger species, HL + ML> 1.75 mm; second segment of antennal funiculus at least twice as long as broad 14
- Some specimens in the intermediate size range, HL + ML 1.60-1.75 mm, may possibly belong in couplet 14. (coastal mts, of SE Brasil) ........ problem specimens, inermis group
13. Head and -trunk very finely striolate, sericeous-opaque (pronotum sometimes densely punctulate rather than striolate but still opaque), mesopleura completely sculptured; eyes usually 0.13-0.16 mm in greatest diameter; color usually uniform reddish- or yellowish-brown, rarely somewhat infuscated (SE and C Brasil S to N Central Argentina) neglectus
- Sculpture and color variable; head striate for varying distances; pronotum striate or smooth, in part or entirely; eyes usually 0.09-0.13 mm in greatest diameter; male terminalia as in figs. 70 and 71 (S Mexico and W. Indies S through Amazon Basin to Bolivia; W of Andes to S Ecuador) mayri
14. Modest-sized species, HW <1.20 mm; pronotum smooth or variously sculptured, but not coarsely rugose; petiolar teeth undeveloped or shorter, rarely longer than as shown in fig. 44 15
- Larger species, HW> 1.2 mm; pronotum coarsely reticulate-rugose; petiolar teeth long, acute and strongly diverging (hylean S. America) .... bispinosus [39]
15. Compound eyes <0.08 mm greatest diameter (Central America) minans [43]
- Eyes> 0.08 mm greatest diameter inermis group; see discussion [40] 16
16. Dorsum of head and most or all of trunk finely and densely punctulate and matt; pronotum with a single pair of long standing hairs (one or both of which may be missing); color uniform light brownish-yellow (fig. 43) 17
- Head and trunk with varied sculpture: striate, costulate or rugulose, and partly smooth; pronotum with more than 4 standing hairs; color variable, often variegated (fig. 44) 18
17. Inner mandibular borders each with a single margin bearing a series of coarse teeth (fig. 5); teeth at apex of petiolar node strong and acute, like those shown in fig. 44 (N Venezuela, SW to Ecuador, in forest) .... simoni
- Inner mandibular borders each with 2 margins; dorsal margin unarmed except for the preapical angle; ventral margin with variably distinct denticles, or unarmed (fig. 6); corners of apical margin of petiole not acutely dentiform (fig. 43; N S. America, Trinidad, sporadic in Lesser Antilles, mainly in savanna or thin woodlands) inermis
18. Mesonotum and propodeum with several to many standing (mostly inclined) hairs; mandibles (fig. 8) only slightly broadened apicad, their ventral inner margins usually unarmed (Hylea to Bolivia) targionii
- Mesonotum and propodeum with at most 1 or 2 standing hairs; mandibles broadened apicad, their inner margins with or without low teeth or denticles (N S. America, Panama) diegensis
description: Published as part of Brown, WL Jr.,, 1978, Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. Part VI. Ponerinae, tribe Ponerini, subtribe Odontomachiti. Section B. Genus Anochetus and bibliography., pp. 549-638 in Studia Entomologica 20 on pages 571-574