Tetramorium angulinode Santschi

Type location Congo (Tetramorium (Xyphomyrmex) angulinode, Santschi, 1910c: 385, illustrated, all forms) collected at Brazzaville, by A. Weiss; junior synonyms daphnis (Xiphomyrmex angulinode Sants v Daphnis n. var, Santschi, 1920b: 16, illustrated, worker & queen) from Zimbabwe, humerosum (Tetramorium humerosum, Emery, in litteris, Bernard, 1952: 13, illustrated, worker & queen) from Cameroun, collector L. Conradt, 1895, and papyri (Xiphomyrmex papyri, Weber, 1943c: 374, illustrated, queen) from Sudan (see Bolton, 1995) .

Santschi's (1910c) description is at and . Santschi's (1920b) description of daphnis is at . Arnold (1926: 279) gave a fuller description of daphnis, this is at . Weber's (1943c) description of the papyri queen is at . Bernard's (1952) description of humerosum is at - Bolton pointed out that this largely describes a specimen of ataxium, whereas the type specimens were what Bolton decided was angulinode. Bolton's modern description (1980) is at .

The form named as nullispinum from Nigeria (Bolton, 1980: 241, worker) appears in Bolton's Catalogue, without any supporting details, as synonymised under angulinode (Bolton, 1995: 412, "new synonymy"). From Bolton's original description this appears to be incorrect and I have kept Tetramorium nullispinum separate.

The definitive angulinode, according to Bolton (1980) is a widespread but seemingly uncommon species usually inhabiting savannah or grassland, usually nesting amongst the roots of grasses and low plants. Interestingly, in view of the foregoing, Bernard (1952) listed the finding of a queen of "Xyphomyrmex angulinodis" from the Kéoulenta savanna; this seems to have passed unnoticed by Bolton (1980).

From Nigeria Bolton listed findings at CRIN (himself), and also from Mokwa (C. Longhurst) and IITA (B.R. Critchley), but he did not list my specimens, which I found at CRIN nesting in the ground and the drive area of a domestic garden (my 1980 CRIN Research Bulletin report as Xiphomyrmex T¹, deposited in the British Museum in 1976). Ghana records from Bolgatanga (P.M. Room) and Polcoase (W. Belfield). Otherwise known from scattered locations throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Forel (1911f) reported angulinode from Zaïre, Kinshasa [Leopoldville] by Dr Dubois.

Bolton's (1980) list included Cameroun and he explained that the specimens were those discovered among the Forel collection in Geneva and bearing a label "humerosum Em." by Bernard (1952). Bernard himself decribed how he had specimens collected from Mt. Nimba which he could not identify. Then he came across the "humerosum" with the label by Emery but which Emery had not published and he (Bernard) did not know if there were others in the collection in Bologna. As Bolton related, the description, with illustration, given by Bernard is clear but does not match the Emery-labelled specimen. The Mt. Nimba material was determined by Bolton as being angulinode but the Emery specimens were workers of Tetramorium ataxium.

There is a clear discrepancy between the drawings, both in the first publication and later, given by Santschi (1910c, 1920b) and that given by Bolton (1980).

Bolton, in common with all his works, gave no source for the depicted specimen. In this instance, he did not refer specifically to Santschi's description or figure. The Bolton drawing matched my earlier drawing of specimens I saw in Nigeria, and the illustration given by Weber (1943c) of the pedicel of the queen of his new species Xiphomyrmex papyri.

The answer may lie in Santschi's style of designating varieties and "stirps" rather than new species for forms with somewhat similar overall morphology. The illustration from Santschi (1920b) is a good example. Both Santschi's own description of the type and Arnold's description of daphnis, are matched by the specimens I have from the Central African Republic.

More detailed photomontages of these can be seen on the linked page - "T. angulinode type form. TL ca 3.30 mm, HL 0.75, HW 0.65, CI 87, SL 0.42, SI 65, PW 0.58

Tetramorium papyri Weber ?

Type location Sudan (Xiphomyrmex papyri, Weber, 1943c: 374, illustrated, queen) from on a ship in the Sudd, Upper White Nile, 8.vii.1939.

Weber's (1943c) description of the papyri queen is at . Bolton's modern description (1980) is at .

Nigeria specimens (as Xiphomyrmex species T¹, Taylor, 1980a: 63). WORKER. TL 2.24 mm, HL 0.56, HW 0.50, CI = 89, SL 0.34, SI = 68, PW 0.40. This has the quite narrow petiole profile, much finer sculpturation and a generally pale yellow-brown colour with the gaster darker. Head, dorsal alitrunk and pedicel rugoreticulate; lateral alitrunk punctate. Erect hairs moderately abundant and long. Antennal scrobes defined only as extensions of the frontal carinae. Propodeal spines moderately long and broad; metapleural lobes short, triangular. Petiole with vertical anterior and posterior faces; dorsum short, slightly convex; subpetiolar tooth acutely triangular.
Found at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Idi Ayunre, nesting in the ground and the drive area of a domestic garden, collector B Taylor, 1976. Not listed by Bolton (1980), although deposited with him by me in 1976.

Photomontages of this form can be seen on the linked page - "T. angulinode Santschi papyri Weber (Gabon 187 form).