Pyramica (Serrastruma) bequaerti (Santschi)
Type location Zaïre (Strumigenys (Cephaloxys)
bequaerti, Santschi 1923e: 286, worker; Consani, 1951: 171,
illustrated, male; genus revision by Brown, 1952) collected at 2200 m
altitude, in humid montane forest, west side of Ruwenzori by Dr J.C.
Bequaert; revived from synonymy with S. lujae "revived
status" in Bolton (1995) but with neither details nor
justification .
Santschi's (1923e) description is at
.
Consani's (1951) description of the male is at
.
Bolton, 1983, in synonymizing this species with lujae, noted
- "S. bequaerti was treated as a rather doubtful separate
species by Brown (1952) who said 'this form may eventually prove to be
a montane subspecies or even a synonym of lujae'. He has since
informed me that he is now convinced that bequaerti and lujae
grade together....., and I fully concur with this opinion".
Brown's notes (1952) gave it as found in humid and strongly shaded
soil, at 2200 m altitude; and similar specimens also from the montane
Mau Forest in Kenya. Bernard (1952) recorded it (as Strumigenys
(Cephaloxys) bequaerti) from Guinea, Mt. Nimba, one
worker, "typical", from Ravine I of Mount Tô, also "Congo".
Bolton (1983) appears not to have sighted this Bernard specimen but I
suspect that Brown had seen the specimen, which of course is a "montane"
form. The record of S. lujae, as "Strumigenys
(Cephaloxys) glanduscula" by Bernard shows that he, at least,
was aware of the two species. [Brown, 1952, synonymised glanduscula
with lujae]. |