Species groups and identification key to Chinese Temnothorax ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) with descriptions of four new species from Shennongjia National Park

The myrmicine ant genus Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 is highly diverse in China; however, its fauna remained inadequately studied until recently. During the 2023 Background Resources Survey Project in Shennongjia National Park, four new species of this genus were discovered and are herein described as Temnothorax shennongi sp. nov ., T. hubeiensis sp. nov ., T. zhaojunae sp. nov ., and T. wangweii sp. nov . To date, a total of 66 species of Temnothorax have been documented in China. To facilitate precise identification and differentiation of these species, a checklist of all known Chinese species of the genus was compiled, sorted into 20 species groups, and a diagnosis for each group is provided. Additionally, a revised identification key for the worker caste of the 66 species based on the species groups is presented. This study not only increases the number of known Temnothorax species in China but also systematizes the taxonomic knowledge of the genus.