The Ants of Africa

	The Ants of Africa SUBFAMILY MYRMICINAE - Genus Pyramica - subgenus Serrastruma
Genus Pyramica

Subgenus Serrastruma Brown (1948: 107)

Diagnostic Features - Mandibles elongate, triangular, and serially denticulate, with more than 20 denticulae, the basal 4-8 possibly much bigger than the others. Antennae 6-segmented, second and third funicular segments reduced. Antennal scrobes present. Promesonotal suture may be present as a weak impression. Pronotum may be differently sculptured to the mesonotum. Metanotal groove impressed, propodeum armed with a pair of teeth, which may be reduced. Spongiform appendage of pedicel usually reduced. All species golden yellow.

An early key to African and Madagascar dacetines is that of Santschi (1913b); that, with modern annotation, is .

Genus first separated by Brown (1948e), as a subgenus of Smithistruma, and raised to full genus by Brown (1949d). Subsequently Brown (1952e) reviewed many of the then known specimens, but Bolton (1983) completely revised the genus with a number of synonymies and several new species being defined. Bolton (1999) has made a radical revision and now has Serrastruma as a junior synonym of Pyramica Roger.

For convenience, I have retained Serrastruma as a subgenus of Pyramica and, so, have kept the key.

All members of the subgenus are from sub-Saharan Africa, with ludovici and simoni having spread to Madagascar and Mauritius.

Key to workers of African species (adapted from Bolton, 1983):

¤	Known only from inquiline queens	Zaïe (Ruwenzori) - inquilina
1	With the head in full-face view the upper scrobe margin just behind the level of the eye without a projecting long hair	2
--	With the head in full-face view the upper scrobe margin just behind the level of the eye with a projecting long flagellate or simple fine hair	7
2	Dorsum of head and alitrunk with very conspicuous thickly spatulate to scale-like coarse ground-pilosity	3
--	Dorsum of head and alitrunk with inconspicuous slender, very narrowly spatulate ground-pilosity	4
.	Dorsum of head and alitrunk with very conspicuous dense, thickly spatulate to scale-like coarse ground-pilosity; antennal scapes relatively short SI 73-83	.
3	Dorsal alitrunk sculptured; sides of head not broadly convex posteriorly; TL 2.3-3.0 mm; dull brownish-yellow to mid-brown	.
.	Head of queen	West Africa & Congo Basin - maynei
--	Dorsal alitrunk glassy smooth; sides of head broadly convex posteriorly; TL 2.6-2.7 mm; glossy brown	Cameroun - geoterra
.	Dorsum of head and alitrunk with inconspicuous slender, very narrowly spatulate ground-pilosity	.
4	Pronotal humeri each with a long, fine flagellate hair	5
--	Pronotal humeri without a long, fine flagellate hair	6
5	Leading edges of scapes with fine simple outcurved short hairs; mandibles longer, basal 4-5 denticles not much enlarged; metanotal groove not impressed; TL 2.0 mm; pale yellow	Cameroun - sulumana
--	Leading edges of scapes with fine simple outcurved short hairs; mandibles longer, basal 4-5 denticles not much enlarged; metanotal groove not impressed; TL 1.5 mm; pale yellow	Cameroun - Pyramica nsp CASENT0414575
--	Dorsal alitrunk weakly sculptured; sides of head broadly convex posteriorly; TL ca 1.7 mm; orange yellow	West Africa & Congo Basin - Pyramica nsp Cameroon 113
.	Pronotal humeri without a long, fine flagellate hair	.
6	Pronotal humeri each with a short, stout clavate hair; leading edges of scapes with projecting short clavate hairs; mandibles shorter, basal 4-5 denticles conspicuously enlarged; metanotal groove not impressed; TL 1.9-2.3 mm; dull yellow to yellowish-brown	Ghana - miccata
--	TL 1.5 mm; pale yellow	Cameroun - Pyramica nsp Congo
	With the head in full-face view the upper scrobe margin just behind the level of the eye with a projecting long flagellate or simple fine hair	.
7	Main sculpture of dorsal pronotum dense reticulate-punctation, with or without overlaying but secondary costulate or striate sculpture	8
--	Main sculpture of dorsal pronotum of longitudinal to oblique striae or costulae, or smooth and unsculptured; secondary punctate sculpture usually absent or no more than feeble	11
8.	In full-face view, the mandibles with enlarged basal denticles, usually distinctly so; TL 1.9-3.0 mm; yellow to mid-brown	.
.		Pan-African - ludovici (part)
--	Basal series of mandibular denticles not markedly enlarged	9
9	Mesonotum with 3-4 pairs of short, erect slender hairs, posterior pair close to metanotal groove; ground pilosity of promesonotum strong and conspicuous in profile; punctate sculpture of head and alitrunk strong and sharply defined; TL 1.9-2.3 mm; dull yellow to yellowish-brown	Pan-African - serrula
--	Mesonotum usually with a single anterior pair of apically thickened to strongly clavate hairs; rarely a second pair present, if so close to first pair; ground pilosity of promesonotum feeble and inconspicuous; punctate sculpture on head and alitrunk usually fine	10
10	Dorsum of head behind highest point of vertex with 4 relatively slender simple hairs, plus a further pair forward of vertex high-point; in full-face view the upper scrobe margins are not indented at the site of the projecting hair; postpetiole with more than one pair of hairs; TL 2.2-3.3 mm; yellow to medium brown	Pan-African - lujae and bequaerti
--	Only 2-4 hairs behind highest point of vertex of head dorsum; these hairs thickened apically to clavate; in full-face view upper scrobe margins usually conspicuously indented at site of projecting hair; postpetiole with only a single pair of standing hairs; TL 2.0-2.2 mm; yellow to yellowish-brown	.
.		Pan-African - concolor
	Main sculpture of dorsal pronotum of longitudinal to oblique striae or costulae, or smooth and unsculptured; secondary punctate sculpture usually absent or no more than feeble	.
11	A pair of very long flagellate hairs on the pronotal humeri and pronotum; first gastral tergite with only a single pair of long simple hairs; TL 2.3-2.5 mm; blackish-brown to jet black
.		Cameroun & Gabon - dotaja
--	Pronotal humeri but not mesonotum with flagellate hairs; mesonotum usually with a single pair (rarely 2 pairs) of stout hairs, thickened or clavate apically; first gastral tergite with thickened or clavate hairs	12
12	Mandible with basal denticles markedly enlarged; in profile the postpetiole with the ventral spongiform lobe less than the exposed area of the postpetiole; TL 1.9-3.0 mm; yellow to mid-brown	Pan_African - ludovici (in part)
--	Mandible without enlarged denticles; in profile postpetiole with ventral spongiform lobe greater in area than the exposed area of postpetiole; TL 2.4-3.0 mm; golden yellow	.
.		Pan-African - simoni

MYRMICINAE Introduction

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