Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) zavattarii Menozzi

Type location Nigeria (Menozzi, 1926a: 39, worker) collected at Port Harcourt, by Prof E Zavattari; subspecies edmeeae (Santschi, 1937g: 77, worker) from Congo; worker only described (see Bolton, 1995) .

Menozzi's (1926a) description is at . Numerous workers. Santschi's (1937g) description of edmeeae is at .

The photomontage of a cotype is collated from http://mcz-28168.oeb.harvard.edu/mcz/FMPro?-DB=Image.fm&-Lay=web&-Format=images.htm&Species_ID=30895&-Find

Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) species undet.

TL 4.01 mm, HL 0.90, HW 0.96, SL 0.67, PW 0.56 (in my guide as Crematogaster ? gabonensis)

Colour of entire body orange-brown, except the gaster which is very dark red-brown. Mildly striate on the mesonotum and propodeum. Moderately dense pilosity and moderately abundant erect hairs. Profile of pro- and mesonotum convex, metanotal groove impressed. Propodeal spines long, acute and slightly upturned. Subpetiolar spine minute but acute.

This seems a good match, although perhaps larger, for zavattarii; alternatively or perhaps a synonym is nigeriensis although that appears from Santschi's description to have shorter propodeal spines.

Nests in dead wood both on the ground and on living trees building carton nests around and under flaky, cankerous bark (right, clickable image).

Can be a dominant species on cocoa, found on up to 2% of trees throughout the cocoa-growing area of Nigeria (Taylor, 1977). Tends Homoptera and builds carton tents to protect them (Taylor & Griffin, 1981). Also found on native shrubs and trees, and on cashew and kola.

The photomontage is of a specimen from Ghana, collected by S Sky Stephens, 2006. Other images can be seen in the folder at - .