Crematogaster (Crematogaster) excisa Mayr

Type location Congo (Cremastogaster excisa nov. spec., Mayr, 1895: 139, worker); subspecies bomaella (Santschi, 1935a: 258, see below) from Zaïre, cavinota (Stitz, 1916: 385, illustrated, worker) from Central Africa Republic, between Fort de Possel and Fort Crampel, by Schubotz (not "Congo" as given in Bolton, 1995); lacustris (Santschi, 1914b: 99, worker) from Tanzania; worker only described (see Bolton, 1995) .

Also originally described as a variety of excisa was maledicta (Forel, 1914d: 236, worker & queen) from Zimbabwe; Santschi (1920b: 15) placed it as a variety of sjostedti, which in turn he listed, without giving any justification, as a stirps of gerstaeckeri (Santschi, 1930b), which is where it remains in Bolton (1995: 157). Assuming, however, that Arnold (1920a: 502) gave a sound translation and his illustration (right) was correct, there seems good reason to place it back here as a subspecies of excisa

Mayr's (1895) description is at . Forel's (1914d) description of maledicta is at . Arnold (1920a: 501) gave a translation, this is at . Santschi's (1914b) description of lacustris is at . Stitz's (1916) description of cavinota is at . Arnold (1920a: 501) gave a translation of maledicta, this is at . Santschi's (1935a) description of bomaella is at .

Wheeler (1922) listed excisa from Sierra Leone (without details), noting that in Zaïre the specimens had been collected from nests in a tree trunk and a hollow tree.

Santschi (1935a) also saw workers from Kunungu, Matadi, Boma and Kasai (Dumbi), Zaïre; adding that as with the type (specimens from Mayr) the propodeum was feebly but clearly longitudinally rugose; those he saw from Bas Congo were less strongly sculptured. His description of bomaella, from Boma (collected by Dr R. Schouteden, 8.ix.1920) was -
WORKER - TL 2.6-3.2 mm. Overall red brown; funiculus (other than the club), joints of legs and gaster (other than darker apex) clearer yellow brown. Head shiny and smooth, except for the genae, which have fine longitudinal striations. Thorax matt, finely reticulo-punctate with irregular elongated and anastomosed striations, stronger in large specimens. Sides of thorax with fine reticulation giving the appearance of longitudinal striae; sculpturation intermediate between excisa and andrei. Gaster smooth; with some erect translucent hairs, more numerous apically. Pilosity fine and spaced out on body and appendages. Head slightly larger than excisa, sides arcuate but with more convex, larger eyes. Clypeus smooth, almost flat and without a carina; anterior border as excisa in being slightly arcuate. Post-clypeal notch shallow (very marked in euphrosyne - a variety now excluded by Bolton, 1995). Scape reaching occipitum; funiculus segments 2-7 short, no longer than wide; club thick, with last segment slightly longer than wide. Pronotum laterally bordered, dorsal face flat (as excisa).
Mesonotum as wide as long, sides bordered with a sharp declivity posteriorly and lightly carinateed anteriorly. Propodeal spines divergent, as long as the propodeal dorsum, seen from above the space between the bases is rectilinear, the points of the spines slightly farther apart than the width of the pronotum. Petiole as wide as long, anterior angles rounded, sides feebly roughened. Postpetiole deeply incised. Overall resembling impressa ssp brazai but smaller and clearer, thorax more sculptured and propodeal spines more divergent; clypeus less convex. Differs from menilekii (as satanula) by the much finer sculpturation and shorter propodeal spines.

Nigeria specimens (Crematogaster (Crematogaster) species T¹, Taylor, 1979: 27)

TL variable 2.18-2.64 mm. Largest HL 0.70, HW 0.70, SL 0.56, PW 0.40

Colour medium-dark brown, shiny. Lateral alitrunk very faintly striate. Pilosity sparse, few erect hairs. Alitrunk profile a flattened convex curve with a slight depression at the metanotal groove. Propodeal spines halfway down the declivity, no more than sharp denticles. Subpetiolar spine small, acute and triangular.

In Nigeria I found it on cocoa and once nesting in dead wood on a garden tree.