Contents Contents The Ants of Egypt
SUBFAMILY MYRMICINAE - Genus Tetramorium - Tetramorium semilaeve (André)
caespitum-group

Tetramorium semilaeve (André)

return to key Type location Mediterranean Region (Tetramorium caespitum var semilaeve, André, 1883a: 286, worker; Emery, 1891b: 2, queen; Forel, 1902a: 148, male; raised to species first by Dalla Torre, 1893: 134; also Bondroit, 1918: 109) - no type images on Antweb (February, 2019).

Bolton (1995: 414) lists numerous subspecies but the whole situation appears in great need of clear resolution.


{Tetramorium semilaeve}André's (1883a) description is among the "Tetramorium caespitum" varieties at {original description} Bondroit's (1918) note is at {original description}.

Egypt records - Mohamed et al (2001, illustrated);
Sharaf list - Material examined: Wadi El-Talaa, St.Catherine (South Sinai), 15.xi.1998 (2); Wadi El-Talaa, St.Catherine (South Sinai), 19.ii.1998 (2); Wadi El-Arbaein, St.Catherine (South Sinai), 3.iv.1998 (8) (SHC); Sahab (South Sinai), 14.xi.1998 (1) Leg.M.R.Sharaf (ASUC).

This is somewhat similar to the Sinai specimens collected by M James and diagnosed by BT as Tetramorium schmidti but that clearly has more numerous erect hairs on the alitrunk dorsum and is yellow.


{Tetramorium brevicorne pedicel} This was earlier diagnosed as Tetramorium brevicorne by Mohamed et al (2001, illustrated) but the paper by Sanetra, Güsten & Schulz (1999) shows that to have been an error. Sanetra et al. found that the scape length is not a reliable distinction for separating workers from caespitum and the sculpturation of the petiole nodes was a better characteristic. On brevicorne the postpetiole has more or less evenly distributed reticulate microsculpture; on caespitum this is restricted to, at the most, the more basal part of the node; also the occiput on brevicorne often has rugosity developed into a conspicuous arched pattern.

References:

Borowiec, L., Galkowski, C. & Salata, S. 2015. What is Tetramorium semilaeve André, 1883? (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys, 512: 39–62 (2015). doi: 10.3897/zookeys.512.10006

Sanetra, M., Güsten, R., Schulz, A. 1999. On the taxonomy and distribution of Italian Tetramorium species and their social parasites (Hymenoptera Formicidae). Memorie della Societa Entomologica Italiana 77: 317–357.

Tetramorium semilaeveBorowiec et al. (2015) had:
Diagnosis. Tetramorium semilaeve belongs to the group of Mediterranean species with workers pale-coloured, from yellow to yellowish-brown but never dark brown or black, head sculpture partly reduced, at least with postocular area and sides of frons without distinct striation but with at least half of the surface of the anterior part of head striate, striae on top of head not diverging laterally, pronotum mostly striate, sides of mesosoma only microreticulate and microgranulate without carinae, short propodeal spines, petiole and postpetiole dorsally with polished area, and first abdominal tergite smooth and shiny, without microreticulation or striation.
Gyne with flat mesonotal plate, without a distinct striation or the striation is indistinct, short not extending behind half length of the plate, scutellum without striation or only on sides with short, indistinct striae, postpetiole not enlarged; male genitalia stout, in lateral view only slightly constricted before apex, ventral and dorsal margins of parameres shallowly incised, top of inner margin of paramere before apical denticle straight with dentiform plate distinctly clearly extending beyond the sharp edge of paramere (Fig. 19, arrow indices this plate, [male genitalia]). The presence of dentiform plate on top of the inner margin of paramere is the best character distinguishing T. semilaeve from all other species related to this taxon.
Their illustration (collected here) is of an unnamed specimen.
They cite also a "Lectotype worker (here designated, no. ANTWEB1008880): Pyrénées Orientales, Type, MUSEUM PARIS  COLLECTION; ERNEST ANDRÉ, 1914, MNHN. There are no images of that on CASENT (March 2019).

Oxford University Museum specimens

Tetramorium semilaeve
B Taylor det.
Egypt
M Sharaf

8.iv.1998
Sinai
28°33' N
33°56' E
Wadi Arbaein

1
{album}

{Tetramorium semilaeve}The photomontage is of a worker from among those listed above as collected by Mostafa Sharaf. Note the wholly smooth petiole and postpetiole, whereas the head and dorsal alitrunk are finely but weakly striate.


{Tetramorium punctatum}The photomontage of the punctatum type worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0915050.

Borowiec et al. (2015) note that "Sanetra et al. (1999) studied syntypes of this name, designated lectotype and raised this taxon to species rank based on the morphology of workers, gynes and electyrophoretic study. We agree with them, both taxa differ also in structure of male genitalia", and, "We agree with them, in Sicily occur two species from T. semilaeve complex (the second one is T. punctatum Santschi).


{Tetramorium semilaeve jugurtha}The photomontage of the jugurtha type worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0915050.

Described as Tetramorium caespitum L. stirps semilaeve Andre var. jugurtha n.v. by Santschi 1921b: 430; as Tetramorium semilaeve var. jugurtha Sants. by Menozzi, 1934: 162; type location Tunisia. Menozzi noted it as found all along the Mediterranean coast of Africa.

Borowiec et al. (2015) had "We have examined two syntypes from Tunisia available on AntWeb (Available from: https://www.antweb.org/specimen/CASENT0904819 and https://www.antweb.org/specimen/CASENT0915050) and their characters
agree more with T. punctatum than with T. semilaeve. At this moment, we do not have any samples of T. semilaeve from North Africa and Dalmatia. Both T. semilaeve and T. punctatum occur in Sicily and thus the conspecificity of “jugurtha” with the true T. semilaeve is not certain.

We agree that punctatum and jugurtha are conspecific. Our specimen as shown above is different, however. When images are overlaid and adjusted so that the eye sizes match, our individual has a distinctly longer alitrunk and a wider, longer head.

©2005, 2006, 2008, 2015, 2019 - Brian Taylor CBiol FRSB FRES
11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K.

href="tetramorium_semilaeve.htm"