Tetramorium guineense (Bernard)

Type location Guinea (Xyphomyrmex weitzeckeri Em., raec guineensis n.sbsp., Bernard, 1952: 251, illustrated, worker) from Mt. Nimba, Nion Forest, at 700 m, one worker (as Xiphomyrmex weitzeckeri race guineensis, by Lamotte); also one worker from Nimba north-east forest by Villiers .

Bernard's limited note (1952) is at . Bolton's modern description (1980) is at .

Note The "Tetramorium guineense" listed by Wheeler (1922), as originally Formica guineensis Fabricius 1793, is defined as Pheidole guineensis by Bolton (1977, see, Bolton, 1995).

WORKER - TL 2.9-3.7 mm; head with very coarse reticulate-punctate ground sculpture, including in the antennal scrobe. Postpetiole rounded in profile, much thicker than the petiole. Postpetiole without a carina but with two deep concave impressions. All dorsal surfaces with numerous elongate simple hairs. Colour deep glossy brown or reddish brown, often the gaster darker, sometimes nearly black (after Bernard, 1952; and Bolton, 1980, illustrated, alitrunk and pedicel).

The photomontage of the holotype from Guinea is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0101479.

Bolton (1980) described it as only from the rain forest zones of West and Central Africa. He listed findings from Liberia, at Reputa (W.M. Mann); and Ivory Coast, at Divo (L. Brader) and Tai Forest (T. Diomande). From Nigeria, he collected it at CRIN, but no examples were in the CRIN collection.

Early Ghana findings were from CRIG (B. Bolton), Begoro and Mt. Atewa (C. A. Collingwood), Kibi (D. Leston) and Kade (J. Majer). Also as Tetramorium guineense?, in cocoa leaf litter and once from his insolated canopy survey by Room (1971). Since found in leaf litter by Belshaw & Bolton (1994b) in Ghana, where they describe it as widespread (417 workers from 10 sites). Known as a tramp species (Bolton & Collingwood, 1975).

Nests are constructed in rotten stumps or dead logs still with bark, and workers forage on the leaf litter, being predaceous and attacking any soft-bodied arthropods, including Pheidole ants (Bolton, 1980).

The photomontage is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0405831
Collection details - Central African Republic: Prefecture Sangha-Mbaéré; Parc National Dzanga-Ndoki, Mabéa Bai, 21.4 km 53° NE Bayanga; 03°02'00"N 016°24'36"E, 510m. Collection Information: Collection codes: BLF4000. Date: 1-7 May 2001. Collected by: B.L.Fisher. Method: EC19 sifted litter. Habitat: rainforest. Transect Type: MW 50 sample transect, 5m Transect Sample No.: 30.