SUBFAMILY MYRMICINAE - Genus Pyramica - subgenus Epitritus
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The Ants of Africa SUBFAMILY MYRMICINAE - Genus Pyramica - subgenus Epitritus |
| Genus Pyramica |
In Tribe DACETINI.
Diagnostic Features - Head elongated with numerous large orbicular hairs. Antennae 4- or 6-segmented, the scape lobiform basally. Mandibles elongate with no more than a single preapical tooth; apical armament of a long dorsal spiniform tooth subtended by a vertical series of denticulae or the denticulae alone. Labrum projecting anteriorly between the mandibles as a biconical structure; clypeus with spatulate or strap-like projecting hairs.
Haliday's (1869a) genus description is at
.
Arnold (1917: 384) gave a translation of the expanded description given by
André (1883b: 402), based upon the European species Epitritus
argiolus (the genotype); this is at
.
Bolton (1971b, 1973a) mentions that three species of these minute (TL 1.2-2.2) ants had been found in West Africa. One species from the northern savannah of Nigeria (Brown, 1962), and two from the forest zone of eastern Ghana, found from Berlese funnel samples of leaf litter. A further species was described in the later revision by Bolton (1983).
Key to African species (adapted from Bolton, 1983):
| 1 |  Antennae
with 4 segments |
West Africa - minima |
| -- | Antennae with 6 segments | 2 |
| 2 |  Tooth
at dorsal apex of mandible long and spine-like; crossing over opposite
mandible when blades closed |
3 |
| -- | Tooth at dorsal apex of mandible short, not spine-like | 4 |
| 3 | Scape
with downcurved spatulate hairs on outer margin |
West Africa - roomi |
| -- |  Scape
with erect narrow hairs on outer margin |
Gabon - anorbicula |
| 4 | Dorsal surface of each mandibular blade with 2 large flattened hairs on the distal half | West Africa - tiglath |
| -- | Dorsal surface of each mandibular blade without flattened hairs; | 5 |
| 5 |  Posterior
half of mesonotum humped in profile; mandibles with truncated teeth on
apex |
West Africa - laticeps |
| -- |  Mandibles
with elongated apical teeth |
Gabon - marchosias |
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MYRMICINAE Introduction | © 2007 - Brian Taylor CBiol
FIBiol FRES 11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K. |
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