Cataulacus egenus Santschi
Type
location Congo (Santschi, 1911c: 359, illustrated, worker)
collected at Madingu, by P. Zimmermann; junior synonym simplex
(Santschi, 1914b: 111, illustrated, worker) from Uganda
(see Bolton 1995) .
Santschi's (1911c) description is at
.
Santschi's (1914b) description of simplex is at
.
Bolton's modern description (1974a) is at
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WORKER (Nigeria specimens) - TL 4.2-6.1 mm, HL 1.10-1.48, HW
1.22-1.74, SL 0.62-0.80, PW 1.14-1.60
The occipital crest is variously developed, but even when well
developed it is little more than an acute angle separating the
vertex from the occiput. The occipital corners have a dentiform
angle or a simple acute angle. The sculpturation of the head is
finely rugo-reticulate and the dorsum of the alitrunk is similar
on the pronotum but more obviously longitudinally rugose on the
remainder. There are no erect hairs on any dorsal surface.
Similarly there are no denticles on the head or alitrunk. The
alitrunk is marginate only on the pronotum, and has faintly marked
sutures. The propodeal spines are long and acute. The petiole and
postpetiole are strongly transversely rugose, with the postpetiole
expanded laterally. The first gastral tergite is marginate basally
and antero-laterally, with a parallel ridge on the sternite.
Uncommon in my Nigeria findings, they nest in rotten
branches on trees, including cocoa, foraging over the trunk and
leaves. I collected it also on low vegetation fringing the
northern edge of the Onipe block. Also collected at CRIN (B.
Bolton) and at Owena (J.T. Medler) (Bolton, 1974a: 18).
From Ghana, it was collected at Bunso (D. Leston) and
CRIG (D. Gibbs) (Bolton, 1974a). Later by Room (1971) (as Cataulacus
species G, defined by Bolton, 1974a) from cocoa mistletoe at the
Mamfe-Mampong cocoa farm, and listed from cocoa mistletoe by Room
(1975).
Bolton (1974a) also lists many findings from Zaïre.
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