Apomyrma stygia Brown, Gotwald & Lévieux

Type location Ivory Coast (Brown et al., 1971: 264, illustrated, all forms); pictured in Hölldobler & Wilson (1990, page 83), discussed also by Bolton (1990c, comprehensively illustrated) .

The authors felt that it was related to Amblyopone (Ponerinae), although the separation of petiole and postpetiole, and the very small postpetiole, were quite distinct.

WORKERS - Two sizes, apparently nest-specific. Small form TL 2.0-2.2 mm, HL 0.46-0.50, HW 0.32-0.34, SL 0.20-0.22. Large form TL 3.0-3.1 mm, HL 0.62-0.65, HW 0.47-0.50, SL 0.29-0.30.

Individuals from four nests were collected by J. Lévieux in the vicinity of Lamto (April-June 1968). All the findings were made by digging in the soil of the gallery forest or unburned savannah, with dense soil cover. It was felt, therefore, to be a rain forest species, living some 10 cm below the surface in the rainy season but moving deeper in dry periods. Cut-up remains of a centipede (geophilomorph chilopod) found in the type nest suggested that it is a specialist feeder on such prey. Colony size ranged from 13-92 adults (Lévieux, 1976b).

Bolton (1990c) noted that it had been discovered in Nigeria and Benin (specimens in the BMNH) but gave no details.

A single worker from the Ghana semi-deciduous forest zone was collected from damp leaf litter, deep in primary forest at Esukawkaw Forest Reserve (27.x.1992) (Belshaw & Bolton, 1994b).

The photomontage is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0000077.
Collection details - Locality: Cameroon: Prov. Sud; Res. de Faune de Campo, Massif des Mamelles, 15.1 km 84° E Ébodjé; 02°35'39"N 009°57'34"E 180m Collection Information: Collection codes: BLF2296. Date: 4 Apr 2000. Collected by: B.L.Fisher. Method: EC19 sifted litter, rotten wood. Habitat: rainforest. Transect Type: MW 50 sample transect, 5m. Transect Sample No.: 34.
Other images of Ivory Coast specimens can be seen at www.discoverlife.org.