Crematogaster (Crematogaster) painei Donisthorpe

Type location Ghana (Donisthorpe, 1945b: 267, worker); three workers associated with coccids, collected by J. Paine, on Ceiba pentandra at Koransang (6.i.1945) ; worker only described (see Bolton, 1995) .

WORKER - TL 2.8 mm; generally as other members of the subgenus; scape narrow reaching posterior border of head, eyes large, oval and moderately prominent; pronotum smooth and shining, convex, margined anteriorly and laterally, anterior angles and sides rounded; metanotal groove deep and well marked; mesonotum with striae on dorsal surface; lateral mesonotum finely punctate; propodeal spines short, sharp and projecting outwards and slightly downwards, marked angle at junction of dorsum and declivity of propodeum; clothed with fine, short, decumbent hairs; colour smooth and shining yellowish-brown (Donisthorpe, 1945b: 267, worker).

Crematogaster (Crematogaster) species A¹ Nigeria specimens

Size variable, TL 2.80-3.20 mm, but usually fairly consistent within any one colony.

WORKERS - Largest dimensions were TL 3.20 mm, HL 0.76, HW 0.81, SL 0.59, PW 0.47
Colour light to dark brown, shiny. Few erect hairs and sparse pilosity. Sculpturation of spiculation on the lateral mesonotum and on the propodeum and pedicel. Promesonotum flat in profile, mesonotum sometimes with a slight carina, metanotal groove not impressed, posterior declivity of mesonotum variable and often rounded. Propodeal spines set one-third to halfway down the propodeal declivity, usually the spines are moderately long and acute. Subpetiolar spine variable usually short and acute. Postpetiole divided into two lateral hemispheres.

In Nigeria it nests in dead branch ends and crevices or rot holes on living trees. Probably the commonest member of the subgenus, found on up to 1% of cocoa trees, often in association with Oecophylla longinoda (Taylor, 1977). It tends stictococcids and constructs discrete carton tents. Also found on native shrubs and trees, and on cashew, coffee and kola.