Axinidris, Weber, 1941

Snelling, R. R., 2007, A review of the arboreal Afrotropical ant genus Axinidris., Advances in ant systematics (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Homage to E. O. Wilson - 50 years of contributions. (Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 80), pp. 551-579 : 554-556

KEY TO AXINIDRIS WORKERS

1 Propodeal ridge cariniform or absent; pronotal dorsum evenly rounded at sides ............ 2

-- Propodeal ridge compressed and strongly elevated, axiniform (Fig. 11); pronotal dorsum submarginate at side (Sudan; Kenya) .......................................................... acholli Weber

2 (1) Pronotum and antennal scape shaft without erect hairs; gastral terga usually without erect hairs ................................................................................................................................. 3

-- Pronotum with at least two erect hairs (caution: one or both, if only two are normally present, may be broken off or lying on the surface); antennal scape shaft and gastral terga with or without erect hairs ............................................................................................. 10

3 (2) Medial carina present at least on posterior half of dorsal face & at least slightly elevated at summit of declivity; propodeal spines various, but often more elongate and with surface between them concave in dorsal view ............................................................................. 4

-- Medial carina absent from entire length of dorsal face; propodeal spines triangular in dorsal view and surface between them straight ........................................ bidens Shattuck (part)

4 (3) Pronotal dorsum conspicuously imbricate and only slightly shiny; mesonotum, mesepisternum and propodeum duller, finely and contiguously punctate; dorsal surfaces with abundant prostrate pubescence; distance between outer margins of propodeal spines subequal to width of propodeum at spiracles .................................................................. 5

-- Pronotum and mesepisternum smooth and shiny, contrasting sharply with finely and contiguously punctate propodeum; pronotum with scattered prostrate pubescence; distance between outer margins of propodeal spines much less than width of propodeum at spiracles ……… .. .......................................................................................................................... 7

5 (4) Vertex without erect hairs; gastral terga without erect hairs ............................................ 6

-- Vertex with one pair of short erect hairs below dorsal margin; gastral terga 3 and 4 each with several erect hairs (Liberia) ..................................................... occidentalis Shattuck

6 (5) Head longer than broad; head and body dark brown, lower half of clypeus, mandibles, most of scape yellowish red; meso- and metatarsi whitish (Kenya) .............. icipe , new species

-- Head broader than long; head and body black, hypostomal area, head below, mandibles and legs reddish black; tarsi dark yellowish red (Kenya) .................... kakamegensis Shattuck

7 (4) Propodeal carina low and right-angular to obtuse in profile (Figs. 17, 18) ...................... 8

-- Propodeal carina elevated and acute in profile (Malawi; South Africa) .. tridens (Arnold)

8 (7) At least fourth gastral tergum with at least 2 erect hairs; head and body light to dark brown. ……… ............................................................................................................................. 9

-- Third and fourth gastral terga without erect hairs; head and mesosoma light reddish, petiole and first gastral segment yellowish (Central African Republic) .......... mlalu , new species

9 (8) Hypostomal area without erect or suberect hairs; longest hair on fourth tergum about 0.10 mm long and vertex hair about 0.66 x length of that on frontal lobe (Kenya; Cameroun) ……………………………………………………………… okekai , new species

-- Hypostomal area with several short erect and suberect hairs; longest hair on fourth tergum about 0.06 mm long and longest vertexal hairs about 0.60 x length of that on frontal lobe (Namibia) ............................................................................................ namib , new species

10 (2) Propodeum without medial carina and lateral spines virtually absent in dorsal view; pronotum with one pair of long erect hairs and propodeal spines each with similar hair; clypeal notch broad and shallow (CNI less than 75) ...................................................... 11

-- Propodeum with distinct medial carinae which, at summit of declivity, is usually a low obtuse lobe, less often sharply elevated or dentiform; pilosity various, but usually not as above; clypeal notch relatively narrow, CNI usually over 100, but if as little as 80, then medial carina sharply defined ........................................................................................ 12

11 (10) Head and body medium to dark brown; gena distinctly finely imbricate; larger species, HW consistently over 0.50 mm (Ghana; Cameroun; Kenya) .................. bidens Shattuck (part)

-- Head and body light reddish yellow, gaster sometimes slightly darker; gena smooth and shiny, sometimes weakly imbricate; smaller species, HW usually less than 0.50 mm, but may range up to 0.52 mm (Liberia; Democratic Republic of Congo; Kenya) …………. .................................................................................................... hypoclinoides (Santschi)

12 (10) Distance between outer margins of propodeal spines, in dorsal view, equal to or exceeding width of propodeum at spiracles; pronotum dull and closely pubescent, surface coarsely imbricate or punctate ..................................................................................................... 13

-- Distance between outer margins of propodeal spines, in dorsal view, distinctly less than width of propodeum at spiracles and / or pronotum shiny and sparsely pubescent, surface weakly imbricate ............................................................................................................ 14

13 (12) Erect hairs of head and mesosoma brown, coarse and seta-like; propodeal spines short, no longer than thick in profile (Ghana) ....................................................... nigripes Shattuck

-- Erect hairs of head and mesosoma yellowish and fine, not seta-like; propodeal spines distinctly longer than thick in profile (Kenya) ..................................... luhya , new species

14 (12) Mesonotum either smooth and shiny between several short longitudinal rugae or slightly shiny and coarsely rugulose .......................................................................................... 15

-- Mesonotum moderately shiny, anteriorly finely imbricate, posteriorly duller and densely punctulate ..................................................................................................................... 16

15 (14) Mesonotum smooth and shiny between short longitudinal rugae; head and body light reddish brown (Tanzania) .................................................................. stageri , new species

-- Mesonotum slightly shiny and coarsely rugulose; head and body dark brown (South Africa) ……………………………………………………………………… lignicola , new species

16 (14) Scape shaft with fine prostrate pubescence, but no suberect to erect hairs; front of head, exclusive of clypeus, with six hairs (two along each frontal carina and two on upper frons) ....................................................................................................................................... 17

-- Scape shaft with at least one or two short erect hairs in addition to appressed pubescence; front of head, exclusive of clypeus, with two hairs along each frontal carina and four or more on frons ................................................................................................................. 19

17 (16) Distance between outer margins of propodeal spine apices distinctly less than width of propodeum at level of spiracles; frons and vertex moderately shiny, weakly imbricate and with scattered weak punctures; gaster concolorous with mesosoma .............................. 18

-- Distance between outer margins of propodeal spine apices at least equal to width of propodeum at level of spiracles; frons and vertex weakly shiny, contiguously finely punctate and strigulate; mesosoma brown, gaster yellowish red (Ghana) ............................................................................................

........................................................................................................ palligastrion Shattuck

18 (17) Medial carina broadly rounded in profile; second gastral tergum moderately shiny and densely punctate (Republic of Congo) ............................................ denticulata (Wheeler)

-- Medial carina subacute in profile; second gastral tergum shiny between sparse punctures (Ghana) ............................................................................................... ghanensis Shattuck

19 (16) Pronotum with at least two fully erect hairs in addition to humeral pair; frons slightly shiny to shiny, varying from finely colliculate to weakly coriarious and scabriculous ........... 20

-- Pronotum with only two long fully erect hairs, one at each humerus; frons shiny, varying from smooth to obscurely coriarious (Gabon) ............................... gabonica , new species

20 (19) Scape shaft distinctly with six or more short erect hairs; frons slightly shiny, finely colliculate to imbricate ................................................................................................... 21

-- Scape shaft with only one or two very short erect hairs; frons shiny, weakly coriarious (Nigeria) ................................................................................................... kinoin Shattuck

21 (20) Body color reddish yellow; gaster yellow, similar in color to posterior portion of petiole (Ghana) ............................................................................................... hylekoites Shattuck

-- Entire head and body reddish brown, gaster darker than posterior portion of petiole (Cameroun; Ghana; Kenya) .................................................................. murielae Shattuck