Pyramica (Serrastruma) ludovici (Forel)

Type location Madagascar (Strumigenys ludovici, Forel, 1904b: 369, worker); junior synonyms alluaudi (Santschi, 1911c: 360, worker & queen) from Tanzania; and its junior synonym rothkirchi (Wassmann, 1918b: 142, illustrated) from Cameroun, collected at Soppo, by N. von Rothkirch, 1912); lotti (as Strumigenys escherichi subspecies lotti, Weber, 1943c: 378, illustrated, worker & queen) from Sudan, and nigeriensis (Strumigenys alluaudi strain nigeriensis (Santschi, 1914d: 376) from Nigeria, collected at Olokemeji, F. Silvestri, 1913; (see Bolton, 1983, 1995) .

Forel's (1904b) description is at . Santschi's (1911c) description of alluaudi is at . Santschi's (1914d) description of nigeriensis is at . Wasmann's (1918b) description of rothkirchi is at . Weber's (1943c) description of lotti is at . Bolton's modern description (1983) is at .

WORKER (drawn specimen) - TL 1.90 mm, HL 0.48, HW 0.39, SL 0.34, PW 0.28 (in my guide as Serrastruma lotti)
Head with reticulate sculpture. Erect hairs generally rather sparse, moderately long and clavate, there is a pair of long slender sinuate hairs at the humeral angles of the pronotum and on the dorsum of the head above the eyes. Pronotum smooth except for a distinct longitudinal mid-dorsal carina. Mesonotum and propodeum spiculate, as is the pedicel. Gaster shiny, base of first gastral tergite with longitudinal striae.
TL 1.9-3.0 mm; the enlarged basal denticles on the mandible are strongly diagnostic, but note the variability of pronotal sculpturation, ranging from almost smooth to strongly sculptured and/or punctate (Bolton, 1983: 343, illustrated).

Found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, plus Madagascar and Mauritius. Pictured in Hölldobler & Wilson (1990, page 121), titled from "tropical Africa" (Bolton, 1983).

In Ghana listed by Bolton (1983) from Mampong (D. Leston), CRIG (D. Leston; B. Bolton), Mt. Atewa (C.A. Collingwood) and Kade (W.H. Gotwald & R. Schaefer). As S. lotti, found in leaf litter, on the ground and nesting in dead wood on the ground at the Mampong Cemetery farm in Ghana (Room, 1971). Collected from leaf litter in the semi-deciduous forest zone, a total of 20 workers, under cocoa at Nankasi, primary or secondary forest at Jachie, Kade and Atewa Forest Reserve, by Belshaw & Bolton (1994b).

Nigeria records include the Silvestri collection, at Olokemeji, and CRIN (B. Bolton). I collected it from rotten wood on the ground and from a dead tree branch at CRIN (Onipe Block), also nesting under dead wood bark on cocoa at Itamerin (neither record was noted by Bolton, 1983).

From Ivory Coast, at Agboville, Yapo Forest (I. Löbl), Anguédédou Forest (W.L. Brown), Banco Forest (I. Löbl; W.L. Brown), Divo (L. Brader), Issoneu (V. Mahnert & J.-L. Perret), Lamto (W.H. Gotwald & R. Schaefer), Man (I. Löbl; V. Mahnert & J.-L. Perret), Yapo Forest, and Sangrobo (W.L. & D.E. Brown) and Sassandra (I. Löbl).

Other West African records are from Guinea-Bissau, at Rio Cassine (L. Fea, perhaps in 1901); Togo, at Palimé, Klouto Forest (Vit); and Cameroun, at Korup and Nko'emvon (D.A. Jackson), and near Yaoundé (G. Terron).

Bernard (1952) reported an alate queen from Guinea, Mt. Nimba, Crest of Nion, 1300 m; which he felt was close to alluaudi Santschi, from Niger and Kilimanjaro, but, as the queens were badly known in the group, he thought description would be premature.

The photomontage is collated from - http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0005889
Collection details - Madagascar: Toliara; Mandena, 8.4 km NNE 30° Tolagnaro; 24°57'06"S 047°00'06"E, 20m. Collection Information: Collection codes: BLF2040. Date: 20 Nov 1998. Collected by: B.L.Fisher. Method: EG10 sifted litter. Habitat: littoral rainforest Transect Type: MW 50 sample transect, 5m. Transect Sample No.: 47.

The photomontage is of a specimen from Gabon, Pongara National Park; 27.vi-10.vii.2006; Winkler Funnel of leaf litter; collected by Yves Braet.. Other images can be seen in the folder at -