Belongs within: Myrmicinae.
Tetramorium, pavement ants, is a genus of ants characterised by the combination of a raised transverse ridge below the antennal sockets together with the presence of a dorsal appendage on the sting (Heterick 2009). The majority of species are native to the Old World though some have been introduced to southern North America. Many species in the genus are difficult to distinguish and molecular studies have identified the existence of morphologically cryptic species, for instance in the Tetramorium caespitum group of Europe (Schlick-Steiner et al. 2006).
Characters (from Heterick 2009): Area of clypeus below antennal sockets raised into sharp ridge; propodeal angle usually a pair of stout spines, sometimes flanges; postpetiole attached to front of gaster; tip of sting with a triangular or club-like appendage projecting upwards from the shaft.
<==Tetramorium Mayr 1855 (see below for synonymy)Z01 |--T. bicarinatum (Nylander 1846)S-SS06 (see below for synonymy) |--T. capitale (McAreavey 1949)S-SS06 [=Xiphomyrmex capitalisTB85] `--+--+--T. semilaeve (André 1883)S-SS06 | `--+--*T. caespitum (Linnaeus 1758)TB85, S-SS06 (see below for synonymy) | `--T. hungaricum (Röszler 1935)S-SS06 `--+--T. tsushimae (Emery 1925)S-SS06 `--+--T. impurum (Foerster 1850)S-SS06 `--+--T. moravicum (Kratochvil 1941)S-SS06 `--+--T. chefketi (Forel 1911)S-SS06 `--T. forte (Forel 1904)S-SS06 Tetramorium incertae sedis: T. andrynicum Bolton 1977TB85 T. aptumN-ZLI11 T. australe Bolton 1977TB85 T. belgaense Forel 1902 [=T. (Xiphomyrmex) belgaense]B03 T. christiei Forel 1902B03 T. confusum Bolton 1977TB85 T. coonoorense Forel 1902B03 T. curtulum Emery 1894B03 T. curvispinosum Mayr 1897B03 T. dariaeG89 ‘Triglyphothrix’ decamera Forel 1902B03 T. deceptum Bolton 1977TB85 T. fergusoni Forel 1902B03 T. fuscipes (Viehmeyer 1925) [=Xiphomyrmex turneri fuscipes]TB85 T. guangxiensis Zhou & Zheng 1997Z01 T. guineense (Fabr. 1793)B03 [=Formica guineensisB03; incl. T. guineense var. macra Emery 1914E14] T. impressum (Viehmeyer 1925) [=Xiphomyrmex impressus]TB85 T. inglebyi Forel 1902B03 T. insolens (Smith 1861)FT08 T. kraepelini Forel 1905 [incl. T. eidmanni Menozzi 1941, T. yanoi Santschi 1937]Z01 T. lanuginosum Mayr 1870FT08 (see below for synonymy) T. laticephalum Bolton 1977TB85 T. megalops Bolton 1977TB85 T. meshenaN-ZLI11 T. mixtum Forel 1902B03 T. noratumN-ZLI11 T. obesum André 1887 [=Triglyphothrix obesa]B03 T. ornatum Emery 1897TB85 T. nursei Bingham 1903B03 T. pacificum Mayr 1870FT08 |--T. p. pacificumE14 `--T. p. subscabraE14 [=T. scabrum var. subscabrumB03] T. parvumN-ZLI11 ‘Myrmecina’ pilicornis Smith 1858B03 T. pilosum Emery 1893 [=T. (Xiphomyrmex) pilosum]B03 T. salvatum Forel 1902B03 T. scabrum Mayr 1879B03 T. setuliferumBM76 T. shensiense Bolton 1977Z01 T. simillimum (Smith 1851)FT08 (see below for synonymy) T. sjostedti Forel 1915 [=T. (Xiphomyrmex) sjostedti]TB85 T. smithi Mayr 1871FT08 [incl. T. smithi var. kanariense Forel 1903Z01, T. simillimum r. laevinode Forel 1902Z01] T. spininode Bolton 1977TB85 T. splendidior (Viehmeyer 1925) [=Xiphomyrmex striolatus splendidior]TB85 T. strictum Bolton 1977TB85 T. striolatum Viehmeyer 1914S-SS06 [=T. (Xiphomyrmex) viehmeyeri striolatusTB85] T. subcoecumA61 ‘Xiphomyrmex’ tenuicrinis Emery 1914E14 T. thalidum Bolton 1977TB85 T. tortuosum Roger 1863B03 T. transversarium Roger 1863B03 T. turneri Forel 1902 [=T. (Xiphomyrmex) turneri]TB86 T. validiusculum Emery 1897 [=T. pacificum validiusculum]TB85 T. viehmeyeri Forel 1907TB85 (see below for synonymy) T. walshi (Forel 1890)FT08 (see below for synonymy) T. yerburyi Forel 1902 [=T. (Xiphomyrmex) pilosum yerburyi]B03
Tetramorium Mayr 1855 [incl. Atopula Emery 1912, Lobomyrmex Kratochvil 1941, Macromischoides Wheeler 1920, Sulcomyrmex Kratochvil 1941, Tetrogmus Roger 1857, Triglyphothrix Forel 1890, Xiphomyrmex Forel 1887]Z01
Tetramorium bicarinatum (Nylander 1846)S-SS06 [=Myrmica bicarinataTB85; incl. M. cariniceps Guerin-Meneville 1852Z01, M. kollari Mayr 1853Z01, M. modesta Smith 1860Z01, M. reticulata Smith 1862Z01]
*Tetramorium caespitum (Linnaeus 1758)TB85, S-SS06 [=Formica caespitumZ01; incl. F. fusca Leach 1825 non Linnaeus 1758S-SS06, Myrmica fuscula Nulander 1846Z01, Tetramorium fusculaS-SS06, T. caespitum var. hammi Donisthorpe 1915Z01, T. caespitum himalayanum Viehmeyer 1914Z01, T. caespitum var. immigans Santschi 1927Z01, T. caespitum var. indocile Santschi 1927Z01, T. semilaeve transbaicalense Ruzschy 1936Z01, Myrmica brevinodis var. transversinodis Enzmann 1946Z01]
Tetramorium lanuginosum Mayr 1870FT08 [=Triglyphothrix lanuginosaTB85; incl. Tr. (Xiphomyrmex) striatidens australis Forel 1902TB85, Tr. ceramensis Stitz 1912Z01, Tr. striatidens var. felix Forel 1912Z01, Tr. striatidens var. flavescens Wheeler 1929Z01, Tr. striatidens var. laevidens Forel 1900Z01, Tr. mauricei Donisthorpe 1946Z01, Tr. striatidens var. orissana Forel 1902Z01, Tetramorium obesum r. striatidens Emery 1889Z01, Tr. striatidensB03, Tr. tricolor Donosthorpe 1948Z01]
Tetramorium simillimum (Smith 1851)FT08 [=Myrmica simillimaTB85; incl. T. antipodum Wheeler 1927TB85, T. pusillum var. bantouana Santschi 1910Z01, T. pusillum st. bantuala var. breve Santschi 1924Z01, Wasmannia auropunctata brevispinosa Borgmeier 1928Z01, T. simillimum r. denticulatum Forel 1902Z01, T. pusillum var. exoleta Santschi 1914Z01, T. simillimum var. insulare Santschi 1928Z01, T. simillimum var. opacior Forel 1913Z01, Myrmica parallela Smith 1859Z01, T. pygmaeum Emery 1877Z01]
Tetramorium viehmeyeri Forel 1907TB85 [=T. (Xiphomyrmex) viehmeyeriTB85; incl. Xiphomyrmex viehmeyeri venustus Wheeler 1934TB85, T. viehmeyeri venustusH09]
Tetramorium walshi (Forel 1890)FT08 [=*Triglyphothrix walshiTB85; incl. Tr. musculus Forel 1902Z01, Tr. walshi var. spuria Forel 1912Z01]
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[A61] Andreae, H. 1961. Coleoptera: Cossyphodidae. In: Hanström, B., P. Brinck & G. Rudebeck (eds) South African Animal Life: Results of the Lund University Expedition in 1950–1951 vol. 8 pp. 198–216. Almqvist & Wiksell: Uppsala.
[B03] Bingham, C. T. 1903. The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Hymenoptera vol. 2. Ants and Cuckoo-Wasps. Taylor and Francis: London.
[BM76] Bohart, R. M., & A. S. Menke. 1976. Sphecid Wasps of the World. University of California Press: Berkeley.
[E14] Emery, C. 1914. Les fourmis de la Nouvelle-Calédonie & des îles Loyalty. In: Sarasin, F., & J. Roux (eds) Nova Caledonia: Forschungen in Neu-Caledonian und auf den Loyalty-Inseln. A. Zoologie vol. 1 pt 4 pp. 393–436, pl. 12. C. W. Kreidels Verlag: Wiesbaden.
[FT08] Framenau, V. W., & M. L. Thomas. 2008. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Christmas Island (Indian Ocean): identification and distribution. Records of the Western Australian Museum 25 (1): 45–85.
[G89] Gestro, R. 1889. Viaggio ab Assab nel Mar Rosso dei signori G. Doria ed O. Beccari con il R. Avviso “Esploratore” dal 16 Novembre 1879 al 26 Febbraio 1880.—IV. Coleotteri. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, Serie 2a, 7: 5–72.
[H09] Heterick, B. E. 2009. A guide to the ants of south-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 76: 1–206.
[N-ZLI11] Nur-Zati A. M., G. T. Lim & A. B. Idris. 2011. Checklist of ants of selected hill dipterocarp forests of peninsular Malaysia. Serangga 16 (1): 91–105.
[S-SS06] Schlick-Steiner, B. C., F. M. Steiner, K. Moder, B. Seifert, M. Sanetra, E. Dyreson, C. Stauffer & E. Christian. 2006. A multidisciplinary approach reveals cryptic diversity in western Palearctic Tetramorium ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40 (1): 259–273.
[TB85] Taylor, R. W., & D. R. Brown. 1985. Formicoidea. In: Walton, D. W. (ed.) Zoological Catalogue of Australia vol. 2. Hymenoptera: Formicoidea, Vespoidea and Sphecoidea pp. 1–149. Australian Government Publishing Service: Canberra.
[Z01] Zhou, S. 2001. Ants of Guangxi. Guangxi Normal University Press: Guilin (China).