Tapinoma lugubre (Santschi)
Type
location, Zimbabwe (Tapinoma gracile For. var.
lugubre, n. var., Santschi, 1917b: 288, worker &
male); worker and male known (see Bolton, 1995)
.
Santschi's (1917b) description is at
.
Raised to species and described by Arnold (1926: 222), whose
description follows -
WORKER - TL l.6-1.8 mm. Sepia-brown, the legs and antennae smoky
yellow, the tarsi very pale straw-yellow. Slightly shining.
Microscopically reticulate-rugulose. Pubescence greyish,
decumbent, microscopic and fairly abundant all over. Pilose hairs
absent, except a few on the gaster and anterior margin of the
clypeus.
Head a little less than one-third longer than wide, slightly
narrowed in front, the sides feebly convex, the posterior margin
very slightly convex. The middle of the anterior margin of the
clypeus shallowly concave. Mandibles 6-dentate, shining,
punctured. Eyes large, placed in front of the middle of the sides.
The scapes extend beyond the hind margin of the head by nearly
one-fourth of their length; all the joints of the funiculus at
least twice as long as wide. Pronotum wider than long, and as long
as the mesonotum. The latter is slightly longer than wide in
front, much narrower and with a higher convexity transversely than
in gracilis [demissum] also narrower behind (in
gracilis is as wide in front as behind and nearly flat
above). The dorsum of the propodeum is a little wider than long,
and is as convex as the mesonotum; it rises gently towards the
declivity. The declivity is nearly vertical, almost twice as long
as the dorsum, and separated from it by a fine raised line, the
junction of the two faces sharply angular. Petiole scale
parallel-sided, oblong.
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Quite distinct from gracilis, a
narrower and smaller insect, with the dorsum of the thorax not in
the least flattened as in that species, and with the two faces of
the propodeum sharply delimited. (R.M., G.A. colls.)".
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Nigeria specimens (as Tapinoma detorquens, Taylor, 1978: 51). WORKER. TL 1.87 mm, HL 0.51, HW 0.39, SL 0.47, PW 0.25
Colour medium dark yellow-brown, shiny. Eyes set well forward of
the midline of the sides of the head. Erect seta at the gastral
apex and on the clypeus and mandibles. Dense fine flat pubescence.
Propodeum with an acute apex.
Cameroun specimen notes - mandibles and appendages pale
yellowish-brown. Ground nesting, in dead wood and in the soil. It was fairly abundant on cocoa at
the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Idi Ayunre, on
up to 5% of trees in some blocks, but usually not so common. It
can be positively associated with Crematogaster depressa
and negatively associated with Pheidole megacephala
(Taylor, 1977). Tends aphids. Also found on native herbaceous
vegetation, cashew, kola and oil palm.
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The photomontage is of specimens collected in Cameroun -
south-western tropical coastal forest area between Edéa and
Campo (McKey Wolbachia project) - Cameroon 39 from
location Nkoloboundé, 05 April 2001, on soil and surface in
the village. Other images can be seen in the folder at -
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The photomontage is of a specimen from Ghana, collected by
S Sky Stephens, 2006. Other images can be seen in the folder at -
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Specimens from Congo, Brazzaville, collected by pitfall
trapping, Yves Braet & Eric Nzassi, 19.viii.2007, are shown in
the folder at - .
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