Anochetus katonae Forel

Type location Tanzania (Forel, 1907a: 1, worker) collected at Moshi, by Katona; junior synonyms concinnus (Santschi, 1920b: 9, queen) from Zaïre, durbanensis (Arnold, 1926: 215, worker) and punctatus (Santschi, 1914e: 13, worker) from South Africa, gnomulus and lamottei (both in Bernard, 1952: 212-214, illustrated, workers) from Guinea, longiceps and occidentalis (Santschi, 1914d: 330-331, worker & queen) both from Cameroun, Victoria, by F. Silvestri, in 1913, and parvus (Santschi, 1914d: 330, worker) from Nigeria, Olokemeji, F. Silvestri, in 1913; worker and queen described (see Bolton, 1995) .

Forel's (1907a) brief description is at , his comparisons were with An. grandidieri, from Madagascar (Forel 1891b). Santschi's (1914d) descriptions of occidentalis, parvus and longiceps are at . Santschi's (1914e) description of punctatus is at . Arnold (1915) provided a translation of Santschi's (1914e) description of punctatus and notes on durbanensis; these are at . Santschi's (1920b) description of concinnus is at . Brown's (1978c: 557) illustrated description is at .

Nigeria specimens (as Anochetus punctatus, Taylor, 1976: 15). WORKER. TL 3.30 mm, HL 0.75, HW 0.68, SL 0.59 and PW 0.44
Colour castaneous, head lighter, legs and mandibles yellow, shiny. Head sparsely punctate. Alitrunk smooth except for faint rugae on the propodeum, all over with a faint pubescence. Petiolar node a scale with an ovoid apex. Eyes small, length 0.08 mm.
Collected from leaf litter at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Idi Ayunre, by B. Bolton.

Differentiated but poorly described, except for illustrations, by Brown (1978, Figs. 12 and 18). Apparently a quite variable form, hence the several synonyms. Variations (following notes by Bernard, 1952) include the size and acuteness of the epinotal teeth, variation in the petiole from somewhat rounded to shallowly bifid dorsally, degree and strength of the pilosity.

Bernard (1952) recorded it from Guinea, as Anochetus gnomulus - workers from "Nimba (Lamotte)"; one worker from station B2 41, ravine of Mount Tô, forest (Lamotte, 21.ii.1942); plus as Anochetus lamottei - 2 workers and 1 head, from savanna at Kéoulenta (22.iii.1942, Lamotte).

Found in Ghana cocoa leaf litter and nesting in dead wood on the ground at the Mampong Cemetery farm (Room, 1971). Collected by Belshaw & Bolton (1994b), who described it as widespread (568 workers from 17 sites) in their leaf litter samples (plus 70 workers from soil samples) from the semi-deciduous forest zone.

The photomontage is of a syntype of Anochetus katonae (Anochetus lamottei Bernard, 1952). The original photographs, together with enlarged images, are from the MCZ, Harvard University, website at - MCZ link.

The photomontage is of a specimen from the Usambara Mts, Tanzania, Amani NR, Zigi Lodge, S 5°05' E 38°38'; 2200 m, collector Vasily Grebennikov, 9-11.x.2002. Other images can be seen in the folder at - .

The photomontage is of a specimen from Gabon, collector Yves Braet, 2006. Other images can be seen in the folders at - , and

The photomontage is of a queen from Gabon, collector Yves Braet, 2006. Other images can be seen in the folders at - , and