Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) gambiensis André

Type location Gambia (Cremastogaster gambiensis nov. sp., André, 1889: 228, worker; Forel, 1913b: 324, queen) collected by Mocquerys; subspecies krantziana (Forel, 1914d: 234, worker & male; Arnold, 1920a: 530, queen) from South Africa, sejuncta (Stitz, 1916: 387, illustrated, worker) from Zaïre collected at Koloka, near Angu, by Schubotz, and transversiruga (Santschi, 1914d: 346, worker) from Sudan; junior synonyms fulva (Donisthorpe, 1945b: 265; synonymy in Bolton, 1995: 153) from Ghana, and longiruga (Forel, 1907c: 140, all forms) from Kenya (see Bolton, 1995) .

André's (1889) description is at . Arnold (1920a) provided a translation and description of the krantziana queen, this is at . Forel's (1907c) description of longiruga is at . Forel's (1914d) description of krantziana is at . On tranversiruga, Santschi (1914d) simply noted that the variety had transverse rugae on the propodeum, not longitudinal as in the type; he also noted that longiruga was designated as a mistake by Forel (1907c) when citing the type, which André wrote of as having longitudinal rugae on the propodeum. Stitz's (1916) description of sejuncta is at . Donisthorpe's (1945b) description of fulva is at .

Nigeria specimens (Taylor, 1979: 31). WORKER. TL variable 2.64-3.80 mm. Largest HL 0.93, HW 1.09, SL 0.73, PW 0.59
Colour of body orange, cuticle transparent, except for gaster which is darker and near black apically; shiny, with a polished appearance. Sculpturation of striations on the lateral mesonotum and propodeum. Erect hairs and pilosity moderately abundant. Profile of pro- and mesonotum convex with the metanotal groove impressed. Propodeal spines coarse with rounded apices. Subpetiolar spine large and keel-shaped, pointing forward.

Wheeler (1922) had other records from Guinea (Conakry by F. Silvestri), Sierra Leone (Samlia Falls), Ghana, and probably Nigeria (Slave Coast).

Nests in dead twigs and under bark on trees in Nigeria, including cocoa, where it is an occasional finding, in some blocks on over 1% of trees (Taylor, 1977). Eguagie (1971) found it at Ilugun near Ibadan. Constructs tents of vegetable debris over Homoptera.

In Ghana, from the paper by Donisthorpe (1945b) (as Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) fulva) collected in association with coccids on Lophira tree in parkland savannah, 15 specimens taken by H.E. Box, at Ashanti, 16 km east of Nkoranza (Ejura Road, 26.xii.1944).

The photomontage is of a specimen from the Central African Republic, Dzanga-Sangha NP; Camp 5, GB; 02°53’25.9" N 16°10’26.4" E 409m; A vue 17; Camp 5; à 40m du sol dans un Kosipo (Entandrophragma candollei, Meliaceae), 9h00, sous lichens, collected by Phillipe Annoyer. Other images can be seen in the folder at -