Tetramorium andrei

Hita Garcia, F. & B. L. Fisher, 2012, The ant genus Tetramorium Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Malagasy region - taxonomic revision of the T. kelleri and T. tortuosum species groups., Zootaxa 3592, pp. 1-85 : 20

Tetramorium andrei species complex

This species complex is the largest within the T. tortuosum group with the nine species T. ala, T. andohahela, T. andrei, T. elf, T. isectum, T. isoelectrum, T. electrum, T. nify, and T. voasary. The forecoxae are usually completely or mostly unsculptured, smooth, and shining, although sculpture is sometimes present. What sculpture is present is mostly superficial and generally does not consist of strongly longitudinally arranged rugae. Instead, it is reticulate-punctate with few superimposed rugulae or traces of rugulae. In a few species (e.g. T. elf, T. voasary) the forecoxae are partly rugulose, but the sculpture is comparatively weak, and never covers the whole coxa as in the T. smaug species complex. The sculpture may appear longitudinal at first glance, but this is due to sections of linearly arranged reticulate-punctate sculpture, not true rugae/rugulae (e.g. T. isoelectrum). The first gastral tergite is always completely devoid of any sculpture, and fairly smooth and shining.