Lepisiota tenuipilis (Santschi)

Type location Zaïre (Acantholpeis tenuipilis, Santschi, 1935a: 275, worker), holotype and four other specimens from Banana, Bas-Congo, by Dr Schouteden, 6.viii.1920; worker only .

Santschi's (1935a) description is on .

Santschi's description is -
WORKER - TL 1.8-2.0 mm; colour black; mandibles, distal quarter of scape and articulations of legs yellow brown; remainder of antenna and tarsi yellower. Smooth and shining; but longitudinally striate (?) on meso and metasternum. Sometimes fine and inconsistent reticulation on dorsum of metanotum and propodeum. White pilosity as long and fine as canescens but generally shorter and irregular on the legs, and short, regular and raised on the scapes, where it replaces the short weak pubescence.
Head oval, around one-fifth to one-sixth longer than wide; sides rounded posterior to the eyes; posterior border feebly convex, occipitum concave. Eyes about one-third the size of face and placed around the centre to three-quarter line of the face. Ocelli very reduced. Mandibles smooth but pilous and with 4-5 teeth. Clypeus with a clear, raised median carina; anterior border less arcuate centrally than on the sides. Postclypeal notch absent or barely indicated. Frontal area large with a rounded posterior border. Scape surpassing the occiput by less than one third its length; funiculus segment 1 about one-third longer than wide; 2 & 3 together slightly longer than 1. Thorax about one-third longer than head; pronotum as wide as long, wider anteriorly, dorsum profile slightly convex. Mesonotum short and oblique; metanotum as wide as long with spiracle slightly raised. Propodeum dorsum twice as wide as long forward, feebly convex and then near rectilinear between the small tubercles at the angles; tubercles near horizontal in profile and straight in dorsal view. Petiole scale higher than its posterior peduncle, peaked in profile, oval from the front, summit near straight and only feebly impressed. gaster quite large. Femur reaching the posterior quarter of the gaster.

Related to Lepisiota curta (type locality Somalia) but that, from Emery' s description, has a shorter head, eyes more central to the sides of the face, shorter metanotum, and stronger sculpturation, giving a matt appearance. Also related to Lepisiota crinita Mayr (see above, given by Santschi as crinata) but that has the propodeum more sculpted and a shorter scape.