Tetraponera emacerata (Santschi)

Type location Kenya (Sima mocquerysi str. emacerata, Santschi, 1911c: 352, illustrated, worker; Santschi, 1914b: 70, queen; raised to species Santschi, 1920b: 9, but cited as subspecies again by Santschi, 1933b: 100?); subspecies oberbecki (Forel, 1911f: 275, worker & queen) and odiosa from Zaïre (as a variety of prelli, by Kohl, in Forel, 1916: 403, worker); worker and queen described (see Bolton, 1995) .

Santschi's (1911c) description is at . Santschi's (1914b) description of the queen is at . Forel's (1911f) description of oberbecki is at . Santschi (1928d) gave a review of the species; this is at .

WORKER - TL 5.0-6.0 mm; with a narrow head (after Wheeler, 1922).

Wheeler (1922) listed a number of findings (as a ssp of mocquerysi) from Kenya, Uganda and from Zaïre.

Forel (1911f) described Sima oberbecki, as a "new species", comparing it to prelli Forel (type location Tanzania), as follows -
TL 6 mm; head longer, about a quarter longer than wide, parallel sided; posterior border more strongly impressed (prelli, mocquerysi and anthracina being enlarged in the posterior one-third and with convex sides). Only two ocelli. Eyes occupying two-fifths of the sides of the head, slightly flatter and more elongated. Funiculus segments 3-10 as long as wide, segment 2 longer than wide. Pronotum similar in form, straight sided, but longer than wide. Mesonotum a straight half-moon, but the metanotal groove strongly impressed; More anteriorly, there is a faint transverse line on the metanotum. Petiole with distinct pedicel, about one-third overall node length; otherwise as in prelli but higher and wider anteriorly; postpetiole similar to prelli but with a larger attachment to the gaster.
Colour brown black; mandibles, anterior of head, antennae, frontal lobes, tarsi and joints testaceous.
Specimens from Zaïre, Congo da Lemba, by Mayné.

Forel (1916) noted Kohl found an oberbecki female in the same plant as T. aethiops at Leopoldville; odiosa which he again separated as a variety of prelli, but with an entirely black body and rust-brown appendages, was taken with T. mocquerysi on Barteria fistulosa.

Bernard (1952) noted that, in Guinea, 4 workers were found from N'Zo, Nion and Camp IV (1000 m); the form being widely spread in central and eastern Africa.