The Ants of Africa
Genus Strumigenys
Strumigenys rufobrunea Santschi

Strumigenys rufobrunea Santschi

return to key {link to the Hymenoptera Name Server} Type location Guinea (Santschi, 1914d: 373, worker & queen; Bolton, 1983: 389 and see Bolton, 1995) collected at Conakry by collector F. Silvestri, 1913 .

Santschi's (1914d) description is at {original description}. Brown's (1954k: 17ff) notes (giving synonymies later reversed by Bolton) are at {original description} and {original description}. Bolton's modern description (1983) is at {original description}.

{Strumigenys rufobrunea} WORKER - (drawn specimen from Nigeria) TL 1.74 mm, HL 0.51, HW 0.36, SL 0.26, PW 0.22 (in my guide as small variant, previously Strumigenys rogeri)
Others TL 1.8-2.0 mm (Bolton, 1983: 389, not illustrated).
Poorly developed preocular notch on ventrolateral edge only. Mandibles with minute first preapical tooth very close to the apical pair, second preapical tooth as long as the ventral apical tooth. Numerous fine hairs on the mandibles, including between the teeth. Mandibular shafts straight. Head including scapes, dorsal mesonotum and propodeum and petiole reticulopunctate. Dorsal pronotum faintly but fairly densely longitudinally rugose; lateral pronotum dull; lateral mesonotum and propodeum shiny, polished. Erect hairs moderately long and clavate; a pair of short sinuous hairs at humeral angles. Decumbent hairs on the head curved and moderately clavate; fringe hairs clavate-spatulate. Colour usually with head and alitrunk medium brown, gaster darker, sometimes uniformly dark brown.

{Strumigenys rufobrunea}In Nigeria Wheeler (1922) listed it from Olokemeji (F. Silvestri, in Santschi, 1914d). I found two workers in dead wood on ground and a queen at the base of a cocoa tree at CRIN (listed by Bolton, 1983). Ghana records at Legon (D. Leston) and Mampong (P.M. Room) (Bolton, 1983). Collected by Room (1971) from soil under Euphorbia at the Mampong Cemetery farm in Ghana. Described as widespread (1059 workers at 15 sites) from their leaf litter samples in the semi-deciduous forest zone by Belshaw & Bolton (1994b). Ivory Coast records from Adiopodoumé and Man (V. Mahnert & J.-L. Perret), Lamto (W.H. Gotwald) (Bolton, 1983). Togo record from Palimé, Kpime Forest (Vit) (Bolton, 1983).

The photomontage is of a specimen from Ghana, collected by Sky Stephens, 2006. Other images can be seen in the folders at - {original description}

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© 2007, 2008 - Brian Taylor CBiol FIBiol FRES
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