Tetramorium Mayr 1855
Creators: name: Mbanyana, Nokuthula
name: Garcia, Francisco Hita
name: Robertson, Hamish Gibson
name: Roux, Johannes Jacobus Le
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Formicidae
Tetramorium

description: Genus Tetramorium Mayr, 1855
Diagnosis of T. solidum species-group workers
The following diagnosis, which is based on Bolton (1980), distinguishes the group from all other groups in the Afrotropical region: relatively large Tetramorium (HW 0.875 –1.279 mm, WL 0.915 –1.498 mm) with very well-developed, massively constructed heads (HW> 0.80 mm and in most cases exceeding 1.00 mm) equipped with strong mandibles; 12-segmented antennae; anterior clypeal margin with deep and wide median indentation, sometimes occupying half of the anterior clypeal margin, except for T. barbigerum Bolton, 1980, in which it is more shallowly impressed; large eyes (OI 24–26); frontal carinae absent or very short, if present ending before anterior eye level; frontal scrobes absent; ventral face of head (usually) with J-shaped ammocheate hairs; base of first gastral tergite always sculptured, even if weakly so.
Overview of species of Tetramorium solidum group
The species of the Tetramorium solidum group can be distinguished from other groups of Tetramorium by the presence of a median notch or impression on the anterior clypeal margin, which is often broad and deeply indented, combined with the presence of ammocheate hairs on the ventral side of the head (Bolton 1980). Bolton (1980, 1985) grouped species of the T. solidum group into three complexes based on the form of their pilosity. The first complex comprises T. dichroum Santschi, 1932, T. peringueyi Arnold, 1926 and T. rothschildi (Forel, 1907). These three species are characterized by the presence of abundant hairs on the dorsal surfaces of the head and body; these hairs are branched in T. rothschildi and simple in the other two species. The second complex includes T. clunum Forel, 1913, T. galoasanum Santschi, 1910 and T. setuliferum Emery, 1895; they all lack erect hairs on the dorsal surface of the antennae, mesosoma, petiole, postpetiole and first gastral tergite. They have a bizarre pilosity, which consists of short, broad, blunted, flattened and strongly appressed glittering silvery hairs. The third complex consists of T. barbigerum, T. glabratum Stitz, 1923, T. grandinode Santschi, 1913, T. jordani Santschi, 1937, T. pogonion Bolton, 1980, T. rufescens Stitz, 1923, T. signatum Emery, 1895 and T. solidum Emery, 1886, in which the body is hairless, or nearly so. Only T. solidum has a few hairs on the mesosoma (Bolton 1980).
Synopsis of species of the Afrotropical region
Tetramorium aisha Mbanyana, Robertson & Hita Garcia sp. nov.
Tetramorium barbigerum Bolton, 1980
Tetramorium brigitteae Mbanyana, Robertson & Hita Garcia sp. nov.
Tetramorium clunum Forel, 1913
Tetramorium dichroum Santschi, 1932
Tetramorium duncani Mbanyana, Robertson & Hita Garcia sp. nov.
Tetramorium galoasanum Santschi, 1910
Tetramorium glabratum Stitz, 1923
= Tetramorium solidum st. glabratum Stitz, 1923
= Tetramorium solidum race glabratum var. aciculatum Stitz, 1923 [name unavailable]
= Tetramorium rutilum Prins, 1973
Tetramorium grandinode Santschi, 1913
= Tetramorium grandinode var. hopensis Forel, 1914
Tetramorium jordani Santschi, 1937
= Tetramorium aspinatum Prins, 1973
Tetramorium lerouxi Mbanyana, Robertson & Hita Garcia sp. nov.
Tetramorium margueriteae Mbanyana, Robertson & Hita Garcia sp. nov.
Tetramorium peringueyi Arnold, 1926
Tetramorium pogonion Bolton, 1980
Tetramorium rothschildi (Forel, 1907)
Tetramorium rufescens Stitz, 1923
= Tetramorium solidum st. rufescens Stitz, 1923
Tetramorium setuliferum Emery, 1895
= Tetramorium squamiferum Forel, 1894 [name unavailable]
= Tetramorium setuliferum var. cucalense Santschi, 1910
= Tetramorium setuliferum var. triptolemus Arnold, 1917
Tetramorium signatum Emery, 1895
= Tetramorium solidum var. signatum Emery, 1895
= Tetramorium solidum subsp. lugubre Forel, 1910
= Tetramorium solidum var. grootensis Forel, 1913
= Tetramorium solidum var. tuckeri Arnold, 1926
Tetramorium solidum Emery, 1886
description: Published as part of Mbanyana, Nokuthula, Garcia, Francisco Hita, Robertson, Hamish Gibson & Roux, Johannes Jacobus Le, 2018, A taxonomic revision of seed harvester ants of the Tetramorium solidum group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in southern Africa, pp. 1-59 in European Journal of Taxonomy 454 on pages 5-6, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2018.454, http://zenodo.org/record/3817358