The Ants of Africa

The Ants of Africa
Nigeria - ant species found in modern collecting other than on cocoa

The findings are from general searches and studies rather than from any systematic surveys. For instance, B Critchley and A Russell-Smith were involved in studies of the impact of insecticide use on soil fauna at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) north of Ibadan. C Longhurst was a member of a termite biology and ecology study at Mokwa, north of the River Niger. Professor J T Medler led a general study of the insects of Nigeria based at the University of Ile-Ife. The collections of myself and B Bolton at CRIN were ancillary to studies of ants in cocoa plantations. Collections and/or observations were made by me unless indicated.

The species are listed in alphabetical order and all are linked to the appropriate species page.

Forest zone arboreal species (many of the species found on cocoa obviously fall into this category)

Axinidris kinoin - near ground level on vegetation at the edge of a CRIN plantation road.
Cataulacus boltoni - from low vegetation at CRIN
Cataulacus huberi - from Ile-Ife, no details but forest species (J T Medler).
Cataulacus lujae - from ?CRIN, no details (B Bolton).
Cataulacus taylori - from CRIN, edge vegetation.
Cataulacus traegaordhi - from CRIN, edge vegetation.
Cataulacus weissi - from CRIN, edge vegetation.
Crematogaster (Atopogyne) kohli (Cr. (A.) species 4) - (listed by Bolton).
Crematogaster (Crematogaster) sp. F970 - once on okra (Hibiscus esculentus) plants in a garden.
Crematogaster (Oxygyne) margaritae (subgenus undetermined species 5) - on a tree (B Bolton).
Crematogaster subgenus undetermined species T² - reared from queen found indoors.
Monomorium egens - from herbaceous vegetation.
Monomorium exiguum - from herbaceous vegetation under forest shade.
Phasmomyrmex aberrans - nesting in dead wood on an indigenous tree at CRIN.
Polyrhachis concava - from shrub vegetation
Polyrhachis otleti - collected at CRIN, from a nest in a deep, narrow rot hole in a shade tree in cocoa (B Bolton).
Polyrhachis phidias - at CRIN on low shrub vegetation around a cocoa plot.
Polyrhachis rufipalpis - at CRIN on low shrub vegetation around a cocoa plot.
Terataner piceus - arboreal (B Bolton).

Forest Zone soil or leaf litter species

Aenictus guineensis (Aenictus sp. 1) - collected earlier from leaf litter (by B Bolton).
Aenictus decolor (Aenictus sp. 2) - on path and in a cashew plot.
Aenictus weissi (Aenictus sp. T¹) - on bare ground in garden and in cocoa leaf litter.
Amblyopone mutica - no modern finding but type location was Ibadan, and found in forest leaf litter in Ghana.
Anochetus bequaerti - from a rotten log at CRIN (B Bolton).
Anochetus katonae - from a rotten log at CRIN (B Bolton).
Anochetus siphneus - from cocoa leaf litter and under a fallen banana stem at CRIN (B Bolton).
Asphinctopone silvestrii - from a black-rotten, very wet banana trunk near Ibadan (B Bolton).
Baracidris meketra - Ile-Ife in Nigeria (J T Medler, 21.vii.1971), probably from leaf litter.
Calyptomyrmex barak - collected at CRIN (B Bolton) from a rotten log.
Calyptomyrmex nummuliticus - collected at CRIN (B Bolton) from a rotten log.
Cardiocondyla emeryi - found in soil at CRIN (B Bolton). Also collected at Bussa (J T Medler).
Cardiocondyla shuckardi - found in soil at IITA, Ibadan (K Whitney & B R Critchley).
Centromyrmex sellaris - found by me at CRIN (details lost).
Cerapachys coxalis - collected earlier from a twig in cocoa leaf litter (B Bolton).
Cerapachys sudanensis - collected on ground at base of cocoa tree and nesting under a log on the ground.
Decamorium uelense - nests in rotten logs or twigs in leaf litter. Quite common.
Dorylus (Alaopone) aethiopicus (D. (Al) species 1) - collected from under bark (presumably of dead wood) at CRIN (B Bolton).
Dorylus (Anomma) arcens - collected foraging on ground (B Bolton). Dorylus (Dorylus) species A - leaf litter, dead wood on ground, and a possible nest on a cocoa tree crevice at CRIN.
Dorylus (Anomma) burmeisteri (nigricans) - collected foraging on ground.
Dorylus (Anomma) kohli - collected nesting in and foraging on ground.
Dorylus (Anomma) titan - collected earlier (R H Booker).
Dorylus (Anomma) victoriae (sp T¹) - collected on cocoa leaf litter.
Dorylus (Dorylus) spininodis (Dorylus (D.) species B) - nesting and foraging in dead wood on ground.
Dorylus (Rhogmus) fimbriatus - from a tree stump and outside a ground nest, perhaps migrating.
Dorylus (Typhlopone) fulvus - from soil below logs (B Bolton).
Hypoponera punctatissima - from in an old tree stump, in dead wood and in soil, some 5-7 cm deep, at CRIN.
Lepisiota ambigua (Lepisiota species Bolton collected) - from dead wood on ground (B Bolton).
Leptogenys elegans - from the stump of a rotten tree branch at CRIN (B Bolton).
Leptogenys khaura - from Ile Ife (J T Medler, no details).
Leptogenys stygia - in a small piece of wet-rotten wood under a fallen banana stem (B Bolton).
Loboponera politula - leaf litter in secondary forest at IITA (B R Critchley & A Russell-Smith).
Loboponera vigilans - from rotting wood at CRIN (B Bolton).
Monomorium cryptobium - leaf litter species.
Monomorium floricola - found in a rotten log (B Bolton) and also collected inside CRIN laboratories.
Monomorium invidium - from soil in cocoa plot.
Monomorium modestum - at CRIN, found nesting in an old cocoa pod and also on open ground (B Bolton).
Monomorium pharaonis - collected in buildings and "sweeping grass" at CRIN (B Bolton).
Monomorium rosae - collected on dead tree and soil.
Oligomyrmex angolensis (O. species B) - collected at CRIN from a dead log (B Bolton).
Oligomyrmex latro - Oligomyrmex species D - from an earth termitarium at CRIN (B Bolton).
Oligomyrmex menozzii - collected from leaf litter and from under a chip of wood at CRIN (B Bolton).
Oligomyrmex politus (O. sp in nicotiana group - Found in leaf litter at CRIN, Nigeria (B Bolton)
Oligomyrmex species E - in an old cocoa pod on the ground at CRIN (B Bolton).
Pachycondyla ambigua - nests in leaf litter and dead wood on ground, forages widely.
Pachycondyla brunoi - collected in soil and from a dead log, often found with termites (B Bolton).
Pachycondyla caffraria - nests in leaf litter and dead wood on ground, forages widely.
Pachycondyla escherichi - nests in leaf litter and dead wood on ground, forages widely.
Pachycondyla sennaarensis - primarily savannah, nests in soil, forages widely.
Pachycondyla silvestrii - from nests in a dead log, in rotting wood and in the ground under an old tree stump.
Pachycondyla sjostedti - from under a rotting log with termites.
Pachycondyla tarsata - primarily a savannah species, but in insolated areas in forest zone.
Paedalgus distinctus - workers and males collected with termites in a log at CRIN (B Bolton).
Pheidole dea (Pheidole species D) - collected from dead wood on the ground and from the base of a cocoa tree at CRIN.
Pheidole excellens (Pheidole sp F995) - nests directly into soil, workers also collected in a mummified cocoa pod on the ground.
Pheidole mayri (Pheidole species T²) - nests in hard packed soil.
Pheidole schoutedeni (Pheidole species T⁴ - found foraging on the ground at CRIN. Also Pheidole species T⁵ - a nest was found in insolated bare earth, no soldiers seen. Found foraging on the ground and tending aphids.
Plectroctena macgeei - collected from soil under a log on the ground at CRIN (B Bolton).
Plectroctena minor - collected from nest in a rotting log on the ground at CRIN (B Bolton).
Pristomyrmex orbiceps - from leaf litter and from a nest in what appeared to be an old mason wasp brood pot lying on the leaf litter.
Psalidomyrmex foveolatus - collected by me from soil at the base of a cocoa tree at CRIN. Soil nesting and foraging under the surface.
Pyramica (Serrastruma) ludovici - I collected it from rotten wood on the ground and from a dead tree branch.
Pyramica (Serrastruma) lujae - no details possibly arboreal (B Bolton).
Pyramica (Serrastruma) maynei - collected from a rotten log (B Bolton).
Pyramica (Serrastruma) serrula - collected from a tree stump and from under bark of a dead log (B Bolton).
Pyramica (Serrastruma) simoni - collected from soil and leaf litter at the base of a cocoa tree.
Pyramica (Smithistruma) malaplax - collected at IITA, Ibadan (B R Critchley).
Rhoptromyrmex critchleyi - from IITA, Ibadan (B Critchley).
Solenopsis geminata - introduced, nests in soil forages on vegetation; known from southeastern Nigeria (Warri Delta).
Solenopsis orbuloides (Solenopsis species 1) - from soil at CRIN (B Bolton).
Strumigenys hastyla - found under a fallen banana stem at CRIN (B Bolton).
Strumigenys vazerka - collected at CRIN from leaf litter and from a rotten log (B Bolton).
Tapinoma melanocephalum - from domestic buildings.
Technomyrmex parviflavus (Technomyrmex sp T⁴) - nocturnal in a house.
Tetramorium angulinode - ground nesting.
Tetramorium bellicosum - leaf litter and nest in ground.
Tetramorium brevispinosum - nesting in hard packed soil and foraging on the ground.
Tetramorium calinum - leaf litter (B Bolton & C Longhurst).
Tetramorium dysderke - from a rotten stump at CRIN (B Bolton).
Tetramorium eminii - from the base of a tree in a garden at CRIN (B Bolton).
Tetramorium flavithorax - from leaf litter (probably) at IITA (B R Critchley) and Ile Ife (J T Medler).
Tetramorium granulatum - Found nesting in soil at the base of a cocoa tree, in the CRIN E5/1 block.
Tetramorium guineense - probably in leaf litter ( B Bolton, no details).
Tetramorium intonsum - found in a dry dead log in a kola plot at CRIN (B Bolton).
Tetramorium jugatum - found in a wet, rotten pawpaw (Carica papaya) stump at CRIN (B Bolton, 1980), and a second finding, at IITA (B R Critchley).
Tetramorium sericeiventre - basically a savannah species but found nesting in insolated ground in the forest zone and foraging below the soil surface.
Tetramorium zapyrum - found on open ground, with a nest in dead wood on the ground.

Savannah species

Cardiocondyla zoserka - queens collected near Abuja (E W Classey).
Messor galla - savannah ground species.
Messor regalis - savannah ground species.
Monomorium abyssinicum - savannah ground species.
Pachycondyla analis - nests in soil in savannah, termite predator.
Pachycondyla soror - savannah species, studied at Mokwa by C Longhurst.
Polyrhachis schistacea - soil nesting savannah species (J T Medler and W Eguagie).
Polyrhachis viscosa - soil nesting savannah species (J T Medler and W Eguagie).
Pyramica (Epitritus) laticeps - at base of tree in northern savannah (W A Sands).
Tetramorium asetyum - savannah species (Mokwa, C Longhurst).
Tetramorium khyarum - savannah species from Zaria, in northern Nigeria (D Simpson).
Tetramorium legone - savannah species from Mokwa, in northern Nigeria (C Longhurst).
Tetramorium longicorne - savannah species from Damaturu, in northern Nigeria (E S Ross & K Lorenzen).

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