Pyramica (Serrastruma) ludovici (Forel)
Type location Madagascar (Strumigenys ludovici,
Forel, 1904b: 369, worker); junior synonyms alluaudi (Santschi,
1911c: 360, worker & queen) from Tanzania; and its
junior synonym rothkirchi (Wassmann, 1918b: 142,
illustrated) from Cameroun, collected at Soppo, by N. von
Rothkirch, 1912); lotti (as Strumigenys escherichi
subspecies lotti, Weber, 1943c: 378, illustrated, worker &
queen) from Sudan, and nigeriensis (Strumigenys
alluaudi strain nigeriensis (Santschi, 1914d: 376)
from Nigeria, collected at Olokemeji, F. Silvestri,
1913; (see Bolton, 1983, 1995)
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Forel's (1904b) description is at
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Santschi's (1911c) description of alluaudi is at
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Santschi's (1914d) description of nigeriensis is at
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Wasmann's (1918b) description of rothkirchi is at
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Weber's (1943c) description of lotti is at
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Bolton's modern description (1983: 343, illustrated) is at
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Nigeria specimen (as Serrastruma lotti, Taylor, 1979: 45). WORKER. TL 1.90 mm, HL 0.48, HW 0.39, SL 0.34, PW 0.28
Head with reticulate sculpture. Erect hairs generally rather
sparse, moderately long and clavate, there is a pair of long
slender sinuate hairs at the humeral angles of the pronotum and on
the dorsum of the head above the eyes. Pronotum smooth except for
a distinct longitudinal mid-dorsal carina. Mesonotum and propodeum
spiculate, as is the pedicel. Gaster shiny, base of first gastral
tergite with longitudinal striae.
TL 1.9-3.0 mm; the enlarged basal denticles on the mandible are
strongly diagnostic, but note the variability of pronotal
sculpturation, ranging from almost smooth to strongly sculptured
and/or punctate.
I collected it from rotten wood
on the ground and from a dead tree branch at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Idi Ayunre, Onipe Block;
also nesting under dead wood bark on cocoa at Itamerin (neither
record was noted by Bolton, 1983).
Found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, plus Madagascar and
Mauritius. Pictured in Hölldobler & Wilson (1990, page
121), titled from "tropical Africa" (Bolton, 1983).
In Ghana listed by Bolton (1983) from Mampong (D.
Leston), CRIG (D. Leston; B. Bolton), Mt. Atewa (C.A. Collingwood)
and Kade (W.H. Gotwald & R. Schaefer). As S. lotti,
found in leaf litter, on the ground and nesting in dead wood on
the ground at the Mampong Cemetery farm in Ghana (Room, 1971).
Collected from leaf litter in the semi-deciduous forest zone, a
total of 20 workers, under cocoa at Nankasi, primary or secondary
forest at Jachie, Kade and Atewa Forest Reserve, by Belshaw &
Bolton (1994b).
Nigeria other records include the Silvestri collection, at
Olokemeji, and CRIN (B. Bolton).
From Ivory Coast, at Agboville, Yapo Forest (I. Löbl),
Anguédédou Forest (W.L. Brown), Banco Forest (I. Löbl;
W.L. Brown), Divo (L. Brader), Issoneu (V. Mahnert & J.-L.
Perret), Lamto (W.H. Gotwald & R. Schaefer), Man (I. Löbl;
V. Mahnert & J.-L. Perret), Yapo Forest, and Sangrobo (W.L. &
D.E. Brown) and Sassandra (I. Löbl).
Other West African records are from Guinea-Bissau, at
Rio Cassine (L. Fea, perhaps in 1901); Togo, at Palimé,
Klouto Forest (Vit); and Cameroun, at Korup and Nko'emvon
(D.A. Jackson), and near Yaoundé (G. Terron).
Bernard (1952) reported an alate queen from Guinea, Mt.
Nimba, Crest of Nion, 1300 m; which he felt was close to alluaudi
Santschi, from Niger and Kilimanjaro, but, as the queens were
badly known in the group, he thought description would be
premature.
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The photomontage is collated from -
The
photomontage is of a specimen from Gabon, Pongara National
Park; 27.vi-10.vii.2006; Winkler Funnel of leaf litter; collected
by Yves Braet.. Other images can be seen in the folder at -
