Anochetus traegaordhi Mayr
Type
locality Sudan (Mayr, 1904b: 2, worker); junior synonyms
angusticornis (Arnold, 1946: 56, worker & queen) from
Zimbabwe, gracilicornis (Viehmeyer, 1923: 87,
illustrated, worker) and sudanicus (Weber, 1942a: 47,
illustrated, worker) from Sudan, and silvaticus
(Bernard, 1952: 212, illustrated, worker & queen) from Guinea,
Mt. Nimba collections; worker and queen described (see Bolton,
1995) .
Mayr's (1904b) description is at
.
Viehmeyer's (1923) description of gracilicornis, with
illustration of funiculus, is at
.
Weber's (1942a) description of sudanicus is at
.
Arnold's (1946) description of angusticornis is at
.
Brown's (1978) notes, under the ghilianii complex, are is
at .
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WORKER
- No more than a summary description was given by Brown (1978:
559, illustrated), who places it in the very variable
ghilianii group. Main features as in key, especially the
shortness of the frontal striation on the head. A medium-sized
species with medium-sized eyes (0.20-0.35 mm).
Bernard (1952: 212), describing the now synonymised silvaticus,
gave - TL 5.3-6.4 mm; colour yellow-orange, slightly browner on
the mid-gaster. Integument with minute but very dense striations
on the anterior third of the head, the mandibles, and all the
thorax, except for areas on the sides of the pronotum and
mesopleuron; rest of mesopleuron and propodeum flanks matt.
Petiole, gaster, tarsi and posterior of head shiny, almost smooth
save for reticulation on the posterior angles of the head. Sparse
white pubescence all over. Head rather short, analogous to that of
africanus in size, but less indented, and with less
prominent supraantennal lobes. Propodeum long, matt, and very flat
dorsally. Petiole scale conical, not indented on the summit,
yellow and shiny. Described related species as having the sides of
the thorax very smooth and the petiole scale bifid.
Collingwood (1985) noted - eye about 0.16 X HW, mesonotum not
striate, petiole tapering to a dorsal crest. The specimens were
from Saudi Arabia, foraging on the surface under bushy scrub.
The illustrations given here suggest that the synonymy of the
pale silvaticus and the darker traegaordhi is
questionable. It is outside the scope of this website to comment
further.
Distribution of specimens recorded by Brown (1978c) was
sub-Saharan, south to Angola and Zimbabwe. From West
Africa there were three workers from Ghana, at CRIG, in a
rotten log (B. Bolton), notable as having relatively narrow heads
(CI 84, eye length 0.20 mm).
Brown did not report Bernard's (1952) records. One worker (as
holotype of silvaticus) and one queen from Ivory Coast;
station H 5 (13.vii.1945, Delamare-Debouteville). One worker from
Guinea, station B 8.10, Zouépo, forest, 1215 m
(Lamotte), slightly larger and darker than Ivory Coast form.
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