Cataulacus guineensis F.Smith

Type location "Tropical West Africa" (F. Smith, 1853: 225, illustrated, worker); junior synonyms alenensis (Stitz, 1910: 137, worker) from Equatorial Guinea, fernandensis (Stitz, 1910: 137, worker) from Fernando Po I., parallelus (F. Smith, 1853: 226, illustrated, queen) from South Africa (probably wrong), sulcatus from Cameroun (Jaundestation, by Zenker, in Stitz, 1910: 136, illustrated, all forms), and sulcinodis from Ivory Coast (Assinie, Ch. Alluaud, 1886, in Emery, 1892d: illustrated, worker) (Bolton, 1974, 1995); all forms known .

Smith's (1853) description of guineensis and the queen of parallelus is at . Bolton (1974) commented that the female described by Smith as parallelus is a "perfectly ordinary female of guineensis". As Bolton said he had examined the specimen, one has to presume what he says is true but it is easy to see from the drawing by Smith (on the "card") why he felt it was a separate species.

Emery's (1892d) description of sulcinodis is at Stitz's (1910) description of sulcatus is at and his descriptions of fernandensis and alenensis are at . Arnold (1917) provided a transcript of Smith's parallelus and comments, this is at . Bolton's modern description (1974a) is at

WORKER (Nigeria specimens) - TL 4.5-6.1 mm, HL 1.14-2.04, HW 1.30-2.40, SL 0.74-1.22, PW 1.04-1.94
Occipital corners with a single acute tooth, and sides of the head denticulate. Sculpturation very variable, mostly dominated by a longitudinal rugulation, but often sulcate. Stout erect hairs are usually present on all dorsal surfaces. Alitrunk usually has faintly visible sutures. Pronotum marginate laterally, the margins usually with 2-4 denticles and terminating postero-laterally in a large spine or tooth. The sides of the mesonotum and propodeum are rounded and usually without denticles. The propodeal spines are very long and divergent.

Probably the most common member of the genus, very widely distributed throughout forested areas of West and Central Africa. Nests in dead branches on standing trees.

In Nigeria it was found on up to 3.5% of cocoa trees, both at CRIN and in the 76-farm survey (Taylor, 1977; Taylor & Adedoyin, 1978). It tends aphids, and can often be found on trees dominated by Oecophylla longinoda. Also found foraging on native trees, coffee and kola. Booker (1968) recorded it (as Cataulacus parallelus) from some 2-5% of cocoa at CRIN. Bolton (1974a) also listed CRIN (B. Bolton; L.A. Oyatobo), Ibadan and Evin-Odo (J.T. Medler), Old Calabar (Bates, in Forel, 1911, type form and sulcatus), and Olokemeji (Bridwell).

From Ghana, it was described (as Cataulacus parallelus) by Strickland (1951a) as not uncommon on cocoa, attending mealybugs, and also on kola. Records include CRIG (B. Bolton; C.A. Collingwood), Bunso, Kibi, Adeiso and Sajimasi (D. Leston), and several others Pimpimso (A.H. Strickland), Ankasa Forest Reserve (O.W. Richards) (Bolton, 1974a). It was collected by Room (1971) from cocoa trees, and on the ground around such trees at the Mamfe-Mampong cocoa farm in Ghana, his report includes reference to it nesting in cocoa canopy. It also occurred in 39 of his 168 canopy samples at other farms; with a positive association with Oecophylla longinoda and a negative association with Crematogaster africana and Crematogaster striatula. From cocoa mistletoe (Room, 1975); and found on cocoa at Kade by Majer (1975), using pkd, with 56-71 workers per sample. Found in moderate numbers by canopy pkd from both Crematogaster clariventris and Oecophylla longinoda dominated areas, and on the ground, in a block of mature Amelonado cocoa at CRIG by Bigger (1981a). Also found at Mankrang Forest Reserve, a single specimen regarded as a 'tourist' on leaf litter by Belshaw & Bolton (1994).

Other West African findings (in Bolton, 1974a) are - Liberia, at Belleyella, Bendija, Cape Mount, Gibi and Reuta (W.M. Mann), Imi (C. Blickenstaff) and Monrovia (O.F. Cook); Ivory Coast, at Divo (C.A. Collingwood) and ORSTOM (W.L. Brown); Cameroun, at Mbale Mayo to Ekingli (G. Schwab).

Bernard (1952) reported it, variety alenensis, from Guinea, Mount Nimba, N'Zo, one worker.

In Cameroun, it was among the non-dominant species recorded in the Cameroun forest canopy studies at Campo by Dejean and colleagues. They noted it as nesting in the middle stratum only (hollowed branches) with 25 findings on 30 trees examined (12 findings were on the tree Dialium pachyphyllum, of which 15 were examined).

The photomontage is of specimens collected in Cameroun - south-western tropical coastal forest area between Edéa and Campo (McKey Wolbachia project) - Cameroon 8 from location TM, 24 March 2001, on soil and surface in forest understorey; and Cameroon 72 from location BOU, 18 April 2001; on many different plants. Other images can be seen in the folder at - .

The photomontage of the variant shows specimens collected in Cameroun - south-western tropical coastal forest area between Edéa and Campo (McKey Wolbachia project) - Cameroon 83 from location BOU, 18 April 2001, on Alchornea species in the edge vegetation. These are of a variety without dorsal hairs except on the lateral border rearwards of the eyes and lateral pronotum; similarly the sculpturation is much finer giving a smoother appearance than the common form. Other images can be seen in the folder at - .

The photomontage is of a worker from Gabon; Pongara National Park; pitfall under forest cover; 0°19.336’ N 9°19.102’; 20.vii.2006; collector Yves Braet. other images can be seen in the folder at - .

The photomontage is of a queen from the Central African Republic; Dzanga-Sangha National Park; 04°17’54.9" N 17°22’16.7" E 537m; 20.i.2005, Après Boda direction N’goto; collector Philippe Annoyer. Other images can be seen at and .

F. Smith's Cataulacus paralellus queen