Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) wellmani Forel

Type location Angola (Cremastogaster Wellmani n.sp. [in Atopogyne], Forel, 1909b: 64, worker); subspecies luciae (Forel, 1913b: 325, queen, from Cameroun, see below; note Wheeler, 1922, had the type loc. as Sierra Leone); and weissi (C. Wellmani For. var. Weissi, nov., Santschi, 1910c: 376, worker; Santschi, 1916b: 500, queen) from Congo, collected at Gomba, by A. Weiss; junior synonyms (Bolton, 1995: 165) boxi (Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) boxi sp. n., Donisthorpe, 1945a: 10, worker) from Ghana, collector H.E. Box; dewasi (Sphaerocrema dewasi, Miré, 1966: 240, illustrated, worker; unavailable on HNS) from Cameroun; and retusa (Crematogaster Welmani For. stirps retusa, n. stirps, Santschi, 1916b: 500, all forms) from Zimbabwe; all forms described (see Bolton, 1995) .

Forel's (1909b) description is at . Forel (1917: 252) noted that what he noted as the possible queen was a different species which he (1917) denoted as Crematogaster (Cr.) ancipitula. Forel (1913b: 325) simply noted - "Emery (1899e: 480) attributed a queen [from Cameroun] to concava but that was wrong. The true concava queen was found by Weiss and had the normal head shape of that species. Thus, I propose the name luciae n sp for the Emery form, which appears to belong to the subgenus Atopogyne".Santschi's (1910c) description of weissi is at . Santschi's (1916b) description of retusa and thoughts on the species is at . Arnold (1920a: 545) gave an illustrated translation of retusa, this is at and . Santschi (1926b: 218) had an illustrated summary of the species and its varieties; this is at . Donisthorpe's (1945a) description of boxi is at .

Forel's (1909b) description (my translation) is -
TL 3-4 mm; head square, slightly longer than wide, and at least as wide anteriorly as posteriorly, sides slightly convex, strongly impressed posteriorly. Mandibles striated and puncturated. Scapes reaching posterior fifth of head in majors, the posterior sixth in minors. Eyes flat, a little angular, set in the middle of the sides. Antenna 11-segmented, club three-segmented; funiculus segments 3-5 longer than wide. Pronotum with an anterior declivity passing through an abrupt curve to the short posterior dorsum, the latter near horizontal and on the same level as the mesonotum; promesonotal suture distinct. The mesonotum rises anteriorly, specially in the majors, in the form of a beak, or obtuse point, but not greatly and without forming a carina. Behind this raised portion is a feeble transverse impression. Metanotal groove, straight, abrupt and deep, a little like goeldii (from Brazil). Propodeum with two large, obtuse tubercles in the place of spines; declivity a little longer than wide, narrowing slightly posteriorly, with the anterior border mildly arcuate, sometimes angular. Postpetiole slightly wider than long, same size as the petiole, without any trace of a median impression, but scalloped or strongly impressed behind. Smooth and very shiny. Gaster partially very feebly shagreened. Clypeus and genae partially finely striated and subopaque, with some very fine reticulation. Without erect hairs. Pubescence very fine, short and sparse overall, more abundant on tibiae and scapes
Colour slightly rust-red; gaster brown black; legs and antennae brown; in some cases pedicel, thorax and even the head darker red-brown.
Collected on trees in Benguela by Creighton Wellman. Forel also briefly described a female, TL 7-7.5, but was not sure it was the same species and later (Forel, 1917) classified it somewhat hesitantly as Crematogaster (Cr.) ancipitula.

WORKER (Nigeria specimens) - Size variable TL 3.00-5.13 mm; largest HL 1.49, HW 1.40, SL 0.87, PW 0.78 (in my guide as Crematogaster boxi)
Colour orange on head darkening posteriorly to the gaster which is black, shiny. Dense pilosity, few erect hairs. Lateral propodeum striated. Alitrunk profile angular flat on mesonotum and propodeum. Metanotal groove deeply impressed. Propodeal spines reduced to low tubercles. Subpetiolar spine small and blunt.

Wheeler (1922) had the typical form (under Atopogyne) from Nigeria (Old Calabar), Angola and Congo (Brazzaville, by A. Weiss); also luciae from Cameroun (by Conradt).

Not very common in Nigeria. Builds carton nests in dead wood on forest trees and will forage on cocoa. Tends Homoptera.

The specimens from Ghana, described as Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) boxi by Donisthorpe (1945a, b) were collected by H.E. Box (5.v.1944) at N. Ashanti, 30 km north of Wenchi, 8 workers with a Pseudococcus species in pods of Sterculia tomentosa. Donisthorpe, whose description matches the illustrated specimen, wrote of it as allied to the wellmani group, thus surely thought the specimens different from the wellmani as described by Forel. Room (1971) reported it (as boxi) in 5 of his 168 canopy samples at cocoa farms; and described it as a dominant on the trees it occupied. A single worker was found on cocoa at Kade by Majer (1975, 1976b), using pkd. Strickland (1948, 1951a) reported it as in the subgenus Sphaerocrema.

In Cameroun, de Miré (1966) described its activities on Robusta coffee in the east of the country.

The photomontage is of a specimen from the Central African Republic; Dzanga-Sangha National Park; site DN; 02°48’20.5" N 16°06’14.0" E 350m; Camp 1; U.V : 18h30-8h sur bute en forêt; 25.01.2005; collected by Philippe Annoyer. Other images can be seen in the folders at - and, from Dzanga-Sangha NP; 27.01.2005; 02°48’20.5" N 16°06’14.0" E 350m; Camp 1; U.V : 20h30-2h30 sur plateforme à 45m du sol dans un Aningré (Aningeria altissima, Sapotaceae); collector Philippe Annoyer