The Ants of Africa

The Ants of Africa
SUBFAMILY FORMICINAE

Diagnostic Features - Pedicel of a single segment, usually with a narrow connection to the gaster so that the petiole has a distinct posterior face. Eyes usually present. Clypeus developed so that the antennal insertions are some distance behind the anterior margin of the head. Frontal carinae may cover antennal insertions. No sting and apex of gaster with a circular acidopore formed from the hypopigium, this structure often projecting as a nozzle and fringed with hairs. Occasionally the orifice of the acidopore is hidden by a projection of the pygidium, in which case the pronotum, petiole or both are armed with spines.

As a whole the Subfamily has been the subject of little in the way of modern revisionary studies. The sole modern generic studies are of AgraulomyrmexI (Prins, 1983), a partial revision of Cataglyphis (Agosti, 1990) and of Polyrhachis (Bolton, 1973b). The genus Camponotus has a very large number of species, a vast number of "subspecies", "varieties" and simply code-referenced "forms" and has many members which appear to be abundant, successful and of economic importance. Yet it remains a baffling enigma untackled by contemporary taxonomists.

Key to Genera known or likely to found in Africa

1	Antennae with 9 segments	2
--	Antennae with 10 or more segments	4
2	Palp formula 3,3; head heart-shaped in full-face view	Cameroun - Petalomyrmex
--	Palp formula 5,3; head near rectangular in full-face view	western Congo Basin - Aphomomyrmex
4	Antennae with 10 segments	southern Africa - Agraulomyrmex
--	Antennae with 11 or 12 segments	5
5	Antennae with 11 segments	6
--	Antennae with 12 segments	10
6	Propodeum armed with a pair of spines, teeth or tubercles; petiole usually similarly armed	Pan-African - Lepisiota
--	Propodeum with rounded variably angular transition from dorsum to declivity	7
7	Palp formula 1,3 or 2,3; eyes reduced to no more than a few facets	Pan-African - Acropyga
--	Palp formula 6,4; all with quite large eyes	8
8	Metanotum a clearly separate segment of the alitrunk	Pan-African - Plagiolepis
--	Metanotum fused with the mesonotum	9
9	Mandible with 6-9 teeth, when closed not concealed by clypeus; dorsum of head behind clypeus with erect stout setae; eye behind mid-length of head; ocelli absent (sometimes one median ocellus in largest workers); anterior face of gaster without distinct concavity	Pan-African - Anoplolepis
--	Mandible with 5 teeth, when closed mostly concealed by clypeus; dorsum of head behind clypeus without erect stout setae; eyes set variably around midlength; three ocelli distinct; anterior face of gaster with a distinct cavity, into which the petiole fits when alitrunk and gaster in horizontal alignment	eastern & southern Africa - Tapinolepis
10	Eyes enormous	Congo Basin - Santschiella
--	Eyes variable but not dominating the head	11
11	Metapleuron with a distinct wide orifice for the metapleural gland; antennal sockets close to the posterior margin of the clypeus	12
--	Without a distinct metapleural gland orifice; antennal sockets set well back from posterior margin of the clypeus	14
12	Propodeal spiracle elliptic to slit-like; ocelli present	north of the Equator (savannah) - Cataglyphis
--	Propodeal spiracle small and circular; no visible ocelli	13
13	Palp formula 6.4; eyes large and conspicuous; dorsal surfaces with paired coarse setae	Pan-African - Paratrechina
--	Palp formula 3,4; 3,3 or 3,2; eyes small or absent	Congo Basin east to Uganda and S. Sudan - Pseudolasius
14	Palp formula 5,4; mandible relatively elongated with 10 teeth; petiole reduced to a low node	West Africa, Congo Basin and East Africa - Oecophylla
--	Palp forumla 6,4; mandibles no more than triangular; petiole a domed to narrow scale	15
15	Petiole and propodeum always unarmed (latter may be angular); dimorphic to polymorphic	.
.		Pan-African - Camponotus
--	At least petiole armed with teeth of spines; monomorphic	16
16	Acidopore open and fringed with hairs; anterior margin of clypeus broadly concave	Congo Basin & Angola - Phasmomyrmex
--	Acidopore concealed when not in use; anterior margin of clypeus not concave	Pan-African - Polyrhachis

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