The Ants of Africa
Genus Cataulacus
Cataulacus egenus Santschi
{Cataulacus egenus}

Cataulacus egenus Santschi

return to key {link to the Hymenoptera Name Server}Type location Congo (Santschi, 1911c: 359, illustrated, worker) collected at Madingu, by P. Zimmermann; junior synonym simplex (Santschi, 1914b: 111, illustrated, worker) from Uganda (see Bolton 1995) .

Santschi's (1911c) description is at {original description}. Santschi's (1914b) description of simplex is at {original description}. Bolton's modern description (1974a) is at {original description}


{Cataulacus egenus} Nigeria specimens (Taylor, 1979: 11). WORKER. TL 4.2-6.1 mm, HL 1.10-1.48, HW 1.22-1.74, SL 0.62-0.80, PW 1.14-1.60
The occipital crest is variously developed, but even when well developed it is little more than an acute angle separating the vertex from the occiput. The occipital corners have a dentiform angle or a simple acute angle. The sculpturation of the head is finely rugo-reticulate and the dorsum of the alitrunk is similar on the pronotum but more obviously longitudinally rugose on the remainder. There are no erect hairs on any dorsal surface. Similarly there are no denticles on the head or alitrunk. The alitrunk is marginate only on the pronotum, and has faintly marked sutures. The propodeal spines are long and acute. The petiole and postpetiole are strongly transversely rugose, with the postpetiole expanded laterally. The first gastral tergite is marginate basally and antero-laterally, with a parallel ridge on the sternite.

Uncommon in my Nigeria findings, they nest in rotten branches on trees, including cocoa, foraging over the trunk and leaves. I collected it also on low vegetation fringing the northern edge of the Onipe block. Also collected at CRIN (B. Bolton) and at Owena (J.T. Medler) (Bolton, 1974a: 18).

From Ghana, it was collected at Bunso (D. Leston) and CRIG (D. Gibbs) (Bolton, 1974a). Later by Room (1971) (as Cataulacus species G, defined by Bolton, 1974a) from cocoa mistletoe at the Mamfe-Mampong cocoa farm, and listed from cocoa mistletoe by Room (1975).

Bolton (1974a) also lists many findings from Zaïre.

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© 2007, 2008 - Brian Taylor CBiol FIBiol FRES
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