Key to Myrmecia of the southwestern Australian Botanical Province

This worker key is based on: Heterick, B. E. 2009a. A guide to the ants of South-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 76: 1-206. Part 2.

This key adapted from Ogata and Taylor (1991): readers are also referred to illustrations in that key. Note: The workerless parasite Myrmecia inquilina Douglas and Brown is not included in this key, which treats workers only.

1

Occipital carina present (indicated by broken lines) (Figure 441) . . . . . 2

Figure 441.

Occipital carina lacking (curvature of occiput indicated by dotted lines) (Figure 442) . . . . . 19

Figure 442.

2

return to couplet #1

Subapical portion of mandible with a supplementary ventral tooth (Figure 443) . . . . . 3

Figure 443.

Subapical portion of mandible without a supplementary ventral tooth (Figure 444) . . . . . 17

Figure 444.

3

return to couplet #2

Mandibles each with 3 enlarged teeth apart from the apical tooth (Figure 445) . . . . . Myrmecia forceps

Figure 445.

Mandibles each with 4 or more enlarged teeth apart from the apical tooth (Figure 446) . . . . . 4

Figure 446.

4

return to couplet #3

Mandibles medium reddish-brown to dark brown, approximately concolorous with head capsule . . . . . 5

Mandibles light yellowish- to reddish-brown, distinctly lighter in colour than head capsule . . . . . 6

5

return to couplet #4

Apex of gaster reddish to yellowish . . . . . Myrmecia regularis

Apex of gaster dark brown to blackish-brown . . . . . Myrmecia erecta

6

return to couplet #4

Apex of gaster yellowish; scapes darker than head . . . . . 7

Apex of gaster blackish; scapes concolorous with, or lighter than head . . . . . 8

7

return to couplet #6

Basal portion of gaster dark blackish-brown . . . . . Myrmecia analis

Basal portion of gaster reddish-brown . . . . . Myrmecia nigriscapa

8

return to couplet #6

Mandibular shaft generally even in width, not narrowed basally (Figure 447) . . . . . 9

Figure 447.

Mandibular shaft narrow at extreme base, broadened over basal quarter to fifth of its length (Figure 448) . . . . . 11

Figure 448.

9

return to couplet #8

Petiolar peduncle short, at most as long as node, and not reaching the apices of the hind coxae when they are extended posteriad (Figure 449) . . . . . Myrmecia picticeps

Figure 449.

Petiolar peduncle longer than petiolar node; reaching or exceeding the apices of the hind coxae when they are extended posteriad (Figure 450) . . . . . 10

Figure 450.

10

return to couplet #9

Pronotum with erect setae shorter than those of first funicular segment . . . . . Myrmecia rubripes

Pronotum with erect setae longer than those of first funicular segment . . . . . Myrmecia arnoldi

11

return to couplet #8

Clypeus dark brown, concolorous with head. . . . . Myrmecia pavida

Clypeus yellowish, concolorous with mandibles . . . . . 12

12

return to couplet #11

Setae on head and mesosoma long and thick, those on sides near posterior corners of head extending beyond outer margins of eyes . . . . . Myrmecia fulgida

Setae on head and mesosoma short and thin, those on sides near posterior corners of head not extending beyond outer margins of eyes . . . . . 13

13

return to couplet #12

Head blackish, concolorous with gaster; mesosoma and nodes pale yellow, concolorous with mandibles . . . . . 14

Head dark reddish-brown to yellowish-brown, lighter than gaster; mesosoma and nodes light reddish-brown to dark brown, darker than mandibles . . . . . 15

14

return to couplet #13

Legs blackish-brown, much darker than mesosoma . . . . . Myrmecia fuscipes

Legs yellowish, concolorous with mesosoma . . . . . Myrmecia desertorum

15

return to couplet #13

Scape with numerous erect or suberect setae (Note: this character may be hard to see on abraded specimens) . . . . . Myrmecia nigriceps

Scape almost lacking erect or suberect setae . . . . . 16

16

return to couplet #15

Mesosoma light reddish-brown; head concolorous with mesosoma; petiolar spiracle usually situated somewhat dorsally on peduncle . . . . . Myrmecia gratiosa

Mesosoma yellowish-brown to dark brown; petiolar spiracle usually situated laterally on Peduncle . . . . . Myrmecia vindex

17

return to couplet #2

Coxae orange; femora predominantly orange tending to brown near attachment of tibiae . . . . . Myrmecia urens complex sp. JDM 728 (there are two named species from this group previously reported from the SWBP: Myrmecia nigra and Myrmecia infima but they cannot be assigned to this or the other two species from this species group [see couplet 18 just below], see discussion under the identification section of either of these species for other details)

Coxae dark brown; femora predominantly dark brown tending to orange near attachment of tibiae . . . . . 18

18

return to couplet #17

Viewed dorsally, mesosoma and node rugose and punctate (Figure 451); length of ocular setae usually < diameter of one facet . . . . . Myrmecia urens complex sp. JDM 1

Figure 451.

Viewed dorsally, mesosoma and node with reduced sculpture (node may be virtually smooth and shining) (Figure 452); length of ocular setae > width of one facet . . . . . Myrmecia urens complex sp. JDM 71

Figure 452.

19

return to couplet #1

Posterior tibial spur of hind leg a simple spine-like process (Figure 453) . . . . . Myrmecia callima

Figure 453.

Posterior tibial spur of hind leg distinctly pectinate (Figure 454) . . . . . 20

Figure 454.

20

return to couplet #19

Subapical portion of mandible with a single row of teeth (Figure 443); head bicoloured with anterior section yellow, posterior section brown to black . . . . . Myrmecia picta

Figure 443.

Subapical portion of mandible with a supplementary ventral tooth (Figure 444); head uniformly coloured . . . . . 21

Figure 444.

21

return to couplet #20

Dentition strongly developed along entire inner margin of mandible (Figure 455) . . . . . 22

Figure 455.

Dentition reduced or vestigial in the sub-basal portion of mandible (Figure 456) . . . . . 30

Figure 456.

22

return to couplet #21

Clypeal setae long, reaching at least to the basal quarter of mandibles (Figure 457) . . . . . 23

Figure 457.

Clypeal setae short, at most only slightly exceeding anterior clypeal margin (Figure 458) . . . . . 25

Figure 458.

23

return to couplet #22

Postpetiole distinctly sculptured (Figure 459); pubescence on gaster yellow . . . . . Myrmecia rugosa

Figure 459.

Postpetiole with at most vestigial sculpture (Figure 460); in doubtful cases, pubescence on gaster bright orange . . . . . 24

Figure 460.

24

return to couplet #23

Standing setae on pronotum mostly longer than first funicular segment; clypeus without yellow pubescence; mandible of more-or-less the same width throughout its length; (bright orange pubescence on gaster distinctive) . . . . . Myrmecia michaelseni

Standing setae on pronotum mostly shorter than first funicular segment; clypeus may have yellowish pubescence; mandible noticeably tapered along its length (gastral pubescence off white to yellowish in specimens seen) . . . . . Myrmecia varians

25

return to couplet #22

Erect setae on hind tibia abundant and long, some as long or longer than maximum width of tibia (Figure 461) . . . . . 26

Figure 461.

Erect setae on hind tibia sparse and short, shorter than maximum width of tibia (Figure 462) . . . . . 27

Figure 462.

26

return to couplet #25

Mandibles yellowish, lighter than head . . . . . Myrmecia chasei

Mandibles dark brown, concolorous with head . . . . . Myrmecia ludlowi

27

return to couplet #25

Mesosoma essentially uniformly black; petiole black . . . . . Myrmecia sp. near Myrmecia pilosula

Mesosoma more-or-less uniformly light reddish to yellowish or bicoloured black-and-red; petiole yellowish to reddish brown . . . . . 28

28

return to couplet #27

With combination of mandibles dark brown, concolorous with head, and pubescence on clypeus whitish . . . . . Myrmecia dispar

Either mandibles lighter in colour, or pubescence on clypeus yellowish . . . . . 29

29

return to couplet #28

Pubescence of clypeus yellowish; scape not exceeding posterior border of head (and see Species Description) . . . . . Myrmecia elegans

Pubescence of clypeus whitish; scape exceeding posterior border of head by about half the length of first funicular segment (and see Species Description) . . . . . Myrmecia occidentalis

30

return to couplet #21

Clypeus with distinctly long, forwardly directed setae, reaching to about half the length of the mandibles, or further . . . . . Myrmecia mandibularis

Clypeus with shorter setae . . . . . 31

31

return to couplet #30

Body more-or-less uniformly blackish brown . . . . . 32

Body bicoloured: head and gaster blackish-brown, mesosoma and petiole reddish . . . . . 33

32

return to couplet #31

Mandibles dark brown; dorsal surface of second and following gastral segments with gold pubescence . . . . . Myrmecia tepperi

Mandibles yellowish; dorsal surface of second and following gastral segments with sparse white pubescence . . . . . Myrmecia clarki

33

return to couplet #31

Legs reddish-brown, approximately concolorous with mesosoma (often a little lighter); postpetiole usually lighter in colour than gaster . . . . . Myrmecia testaceipes