Crematogaster (Crematogaster) menilekii Forel

Type location Ethiopia (Cremastogaster Menilekii, n. spec., Forel, 1894b: 97, worker), collected by Ilg; subspecies completa (Santschi, 1928d: 63, worker) from Zimbabwe, occidentalis (Crematogaster Menileki For. subspec. occidentalis nov. subspec., Mayr, 1902: 293, worker) from Fernando Po, proserpina (in Santschi, 1919h: 87, worker; Bolton has this wrong; the description is in Wheeler, 1922: 154) from Malela, by Lang & Chapin; satan (Crematogaster Menileki For. r. Satan n. st., Forel, 1916: 407, worker) collected by H Kohl; and spuria (Cremastogaster gallicola For. r. spuria n. st., Forel, 1913b: 323, worker), from Lumbumbashi [Elizabethville], by J. Bequaert - all from Zaïre, suddensis (Crematogaster (C.) menileki Forel, suddensis subsp.nov., Weber, 1943c: 356, worker & queen) from Sudan and viehmeyeri (Crematogaster (Acrocoelia) Viehmeyeri nov. sp., Santschi, 1921c: 117, worker; stirps of menilekii, Santschi, 1926b: 217) from Tanzania; unavailable names pluton (Santschi, 1919h: 87, worker) from Zaïre, Zambi, by J. Bequaert; satanula (Crematogaster Menileki For. r. Satan For. v. satanula n. var., Forel, 1916: 407, worker) from Zaïre, St. Gabriel, by H Kohl; atrigaster (Crematogaster Menileki For. r. occidentalis v. atrigaster n. v., Forel, 1913h: 353, worker) from Zaïre, Congo da Lemba by R Mayné worker and queen described (see Bolton, 1995) .

Forel's (1894b) description is at . His (1913b) description of spuria is at ; and his (1916) descriptions of satan and satanula are at . Mayr's (1902) description of occidentalis is at ; the variety atrigaster (Forel, 1913h) was described as primarily red with the pedicel, and gaster black, overall more slender . Santschi's (1919h) description of pluton is at . Santschi's (1921c) description of viehmeyeri is at . Santschi's (1928d) description of completa is at . Weber's (1943c) description of suddensis is at .

Wheeler (1922) listed occidentalis from Ghana and Benin (at Kouandé, by Desanti). He described the subspecies proserpina - TL 3.2-4 mm; pale, brownish yellow, shining, thorax and petiole near opaque, anterior border of head and corners obliquely truncated, postpetiole of two distinct ovoidal eminences. The ants were living in the stalks of Papyrus and making carton nests in their crowns, biting fiercely if disturbed.

Bequaert (1922, p 370) described finding it (as ssp spuria of Crem. gallicola), with larvae and pupae, in an old twig galls of a tree, Monotes katangensis, at Lumbumbashi (Elizabethville).

From Guinea, Bernard (1952) reported several findings of this ant common across much of the continent. The typical, brown, form was collected at Ziéla, Kéoulenta, sample areas B, F and E; variety spuria from savanna at Kéoulenta; variety satanula (yellow, Congo) from site B, Ziéla A3; an alate queen from Ravine I of Mount Tô seemed to be of this species.

The photomontage of proserpina is collated from http://mcz-28168.oeb.harvard.edu/mcz/FMPro?-DB=Image.fm&-Lay=web&-Format=images.htm&Species_ID=9243&-Find