SUBFAMILY MYRMICINAE - Genus Meranoplus
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The Ants of Africa SUBFAMILY MYRMICINAE - Genus Meranoplus |
| Contents - Myrmicinae - MYRMICINAE Introduction |
In Tribe MERANOPLINI.
Diagnostic Features - Antennae 9-segmented with a 3-segmented club; antennal scrobes well developed and deep. Eyes situated towards the posterior of the ventral border of the scrobes. Promesonotum fused, strongly margined all around, projecting posteriorly as a shelf which overhangs the near vertical propodeum. Posterior margin of shelf with a number of teeth or spines. Propodeum unarmed or bidentate or bispinose. Petiole and postpetiole scale-like. All are brown to dark brown, with all dorsal surfaces having abundant, long, soft hairs giving the ants a furry appearance.
Arnold (1917) gave a transcription of Smith (1854 - unavailable in HNS)
and a key to South African forms; these are at
.
Botlon's (1981a) revsion is at 
.
Key to the workers of African species (adapted from Bolton, 1981a):
| 1 |  Apex
of petiole with a pair of spines |
2 |
| -- | Apex of petiole unarmed | 4 |
| 2 |  Dorsal
surfaces with no more than short appressed hairs; TL 2.5-3.4 mm; uniform
pale yellow, gaster may be darker |
southern east Africa - glaber |
| -- |  Dorsal
surfaces with conspicuous dense covering of long hairs |
3 |
| 3 |  Postpetiole
low and nodiform, with abundant soft hairs on dorsum; petiole with short
spines; TL 2.8-3.6 mm; mid-brown with darker gaster to uniform dark
brown |
southern east Africa - spininodis |
| -- |  Postpetiole
high and narrow with few erect hairs; petiole with long spines; TL
2.8-3.2 mm; yellowish-brown, gaster slightly darker |
Zimbabwe - sthenus |
| 4 |  Postpetiole
in profile broad and nodiform; long propodeal spines which project
beyond mesonotal margin in dorsal view |
5 |
| -- |  Postpetiole
in profile squamiform or very strongly antero-posteriorly compressed |
6 |
| 5 |  Mandibles
with four teeth; anterior of clypeus with a prominence or denticle on
each corner; TL 2.8-4.3 mm; medium to dark brown, gaster usually darker,
sometimes with reddish tint |
Ghana (savannah) plus east and southern Africa - magrettii |
| -- | Mandibles with five teeth; anterior of clypeus without lateral prominences; TL 3.2-4.9mm; uniform medium to blackish-brown | southern Africa - peringueyi |
| 6 |  Propodeum
without spines; TL 2.7-4.0 mm; mid to dark brown, gaster often darker |
Pan-African - inermis |
| -- |  Propodeum
armed with a pair of short spines |
7 |
| 7 |  Posterior
margin of mesonotum with 4-6 opaque cuticular projections; spaces
between with translucent lamellae; postpetiole dorsum a crest without
rugae; TL 2.8-3.8 mm; mid to dark brown, gaster often darker |
Pan-African - nanus |
| -- |  Posterior
margin of mesonotum with broad shelf-like lamella, may be projected into
2-4 triangular teeth; postpetiole dorsum narrow but flattened, with
rugae; TL 2.8-3.8 mm; uniform mid to dark brown |
Pan-African - clypeatus |
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MYRMICINAE Introduction | © 2007 - Brian Taylor CBiol
FIBiol FRES 11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K. |
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