Global:
All Antweb
> Formicidae
> Myrmicinae
> Tetramorium
> Tetramorium (simillimum) delagoense 
See all Tetramorium (simillimum) delagoense in Bolton World Catalog
See all Tetramorium (simillimum) delagoense in Bolton World Catalog
Species: Tetramorium (simillimum) delagoense
Name Status:
Taxonomic Hierarchy:
Subfamily: Myrmicinae Genus: Tetramorium
Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2013)
Taxonomic history
| Raised to species and senior synonym of Tetramorium madecassum: Bolton, 1979 PDF: 156. |
Distribution:
Distribution: Mayotte, Grande Comore: Ngasiya. Known from the Ethiopian Region. In the Malagasy Subregion recorded from Madagascar (?).Taxon Page Author History
Taxonomic Treatment (provided by Plazi)
Bolton, B., 1979:
Tetramorium simillimum st. delagoense Forel , 1894: 80. Syntype workers, queens, males, Mozambique: Delagoa (Dr Liengme) (MHN, Geneva) [examined]. Tetramorium simillimum var. madecassum Forel , 1895«: 248. Holotype worker, Madagascar: Imerina (Sikora) (MNH, Geneva) [examined]. Syn. n.
Worker. TL 2.3 - 2.8, HL 0.56 - 0.66, HW 0.49 - 0.58, CI 84 - 89, SL 0.42 - 0.52, SI 84 - 92, PW 0.33 - 0.41, AL 0.61 - 0.80 (25 measured).
Mandibles finely sculptured with dense, weak striation or dense shagreening. Anterior clypeal margin entire. Frontal carinae strongly developed, extending back almost to the occiput and distinctly more strongly developed than the remaining cephalic sculpture. Antennal scrobes broad and quite shallow, but distinct. With the head in full-face view the sides immediately behind the eyes with a single short, stout hair projecting anteriorly. Alitrunk in profile usually with a slight indentation at the metanotal groove. Propodeal spines usually short and broadly triangular, sometimes reduced and blunted but never absent, the spines shorter than the metapleural lobes which are themselves broadly triangular in shape. Petiole node in profile somewhat variable in shape but usually the same as in simillimum (Fig. 38). In dorsal view the node broader than long. Dorsum of head longitudinally rugulose, the spaces between rugulae packed with a dense, conspicuous reticulate-punctate ground-sculpture or densely granular. Dorsal alitrunk finely rugulose, with distinct punctulation between the rugulae. Dorsal surfaces of petiole and postpetiole similarly but more faintly sculptured. All dorsal surfaces of head, alitrunk and gaster with scattered short, stout, blunt hairs. Colour yellowish brown to mid-brown.
This small species is a very close sibling of simillimum and was originally described as a variety of it. However, it differs consistently from simillimum by possessing a single projecting stout hair on the side of the head just below the eye, a feature absent from simillimum . Also, the scapes of delagoense tend to be relatively slightly longer, with SI 84 - 92, as opposed to SI 74 - 80 in simillimum .
Although known from Madagascar, delagoense does not appear to be very common there. It is an African species which has spread to Madagascar and it is common in eastern and southern Africa, being known from numerous collections from South Africa, Rhodesia, Angola, Tanzania, Kenya and Sudan.
Material examined
Madagascar: Bekonazy (nr Morondava) (W. L. Brown); Imerintsiatosika (nr. Tananarivo) (W. L. Brown).
Tetramorium simillimum st. delagoense Forel , 1894: 80. Syntype workers, queens, males, Mozambique: Delagoa (Dr Liengme) (MHN, Geneva) [examined]. Tetramorium simillimum var. madecassum Forel , 1895«: 248. Holotype worker, Madagascar: Imerina (Sikora) (MNH, Geneva) [examined]. Syn. n.
Worker. TL 2.3 - 2.8, HL 0.56 - 0.66, HW 0.49 - 0.58, CI 84 - 89, SL 0.42 - 0.52, SI 84 - 92, PW 0.33 - 0.41, AL 0.61 - 0.80 (25 measured).
Mandibles finely sculptured with dense, weak striation or dense shagreening. Anterior clypeal margin entire. Frontal carinae strongly developed, extending back almost to the occiput and distinctly more strongly developed than the remaining cephalic sculpture. Antennal scrobes broad and quite shallow, but distinct. With the head in full-face view the sides immediately behind the eyes with a single short, stout hair projecting anteriorly. Alitrunk in profile usually with a slight indentation at the metanotal groove. Propodeal spines usually short and broadly triangular, sometimes reduced and blunted but never absent, the spines shorter than the metapleural lobes which are themselves broadly triangular in shape. Petiole node in profile somewhat variable in shape but usually the same as in simillimum (Fig. 38). In dorsal view the node broader than long. Dorsum of head longitudinally rugulose, the spaces between rugulae packed with a dense, conspicuous reticulate-punctate ground-sculpture or densely granular. Dorsal alitrunk finely rugulose, with distinct punctulation between the rugulae. Dorsal surfaces of petiole and postpetiole similarly but more faintly sculptured. All dorsal surfaces of head, alitrunk and gaster with scattered short, stout, blunt hairs. Colour yellowish brown to mid-brown.
This small species is a very close sibling of simillimum and was originally described as a variety of it. However, it differs consistently from simillimum by possessing a single projecting stout hair on the side of the head just below the eye, a feature absent from simillimum . Also, the scapes of delagoense tend to be relatively slightly longer, with SI 84 - 92, as opposed to SI 74 - 80 in simillimum .
Although known from Madagascar, delagoense does not appear to be very common there. It is an African species which has spread to Madagascar and it is common in eastern and southern Africa, being known from numerous collections from South Africa, Rhodesia, Angola, Tanzania, Kenya and Sudan.
Material examined
Madagascar: Bekonazy (nr Morondava) (W. L. Brown); Imerintsiatosika (nr. Tananarivo) (W. L. Brown).
Specimen Data Summary
Found most commonly in these habitats: 209 times found in tropical dry forest, 86 times found in spiny forest/thicket, 74 times found in gallery forest, 31 times found in tropical dry forest on Tsingy, 18 times found in rainforest, 29 times found in urban/garden, 7 times found in dry forest, 13 times found in littoral rainforest, 5 times found in littoral vegetation, 5 times found in old settlement, ...
Collected most commonly using these methods or in the following microhabitats: 45 times MW 50 sample transect, 5m, 36 times pitfall trap, PF 50 traps, 11 cm dbh with water, soap, formalin, nonlinear placement, 11 times MW 25 sample transect, 5m, 6 times 9 MaxiWinks, mixed samples, 23 times Malaise trap, 22 times MW 20 sample transect, 5m, 9 times yellow pan trap, YP 25 trap transect, 3 times 9 maxi winks, 3 times Malaise, 4 times Beat 25 sample transect, 10m, beating low vegetation, 2 times pitfall trap, PF 20 tube sample transect, 10m, ...
Elevations: collected from 5 - 1732 meters, 262 meters average
14 Specimens Imaged | View All 796 Specimens for this species
CASENT0101721
CASENT0102389
CASENT0133116
CASENT0133331
CASENT0133416
CASENT0133479
CASENT0133518
CASENT0134755
CASENT0144851
CASENT0249017
CASENT0280856
CASENT0906129
CASENT0906130
CASENT0906131
Enlarge Map
TOOLS:
View:
- Browse
Specimens for this species
(796
examples)
- No Map Specimens within this species (too many - 796)
- View Tetramorium (simillimum) delagoense in Google Earth
Comparison Tool:
- Compare images of the Specimens within this speciesCatalog:
- See Hymenoptera Name ServerDownload:
Copyright © 2002-2013.
Use of this web site and information available from it is subject to our Attribution-Share Alike Creative Commons License. We encourage non-commercial use of ant web images. Each image must be attributed to its photographer and to www.antweb.org.
Antweb is funded from private donations and from grants from the National Science Foundation, DEB-0344731 and EF-0431330.
Use of this web site and information available from it is subject to our Attribution-Share Alike Creative Commons License. We encourage non-commercial use of ant web images. Each image must be attributed to its photographer and to www.antweb.org.
Antweb is funded from private donations and from grants from the National Science Foundation, DEB-0344731 and EF-0431330.
AntWeb is hosted by The California Academy of Sciences.