The Ants of Africa
Genus Crematogaster
Crematogaster (Crematogaster) coelestis Santschi

Crematogaster (Crematogaster) coelestis Santschi

return to key {link to the Hymenoptera Name Server} Type location Senegal (Cremastogaster coelestis n. sp., Santschi, 1911c: 353, worker) collected at Casamance, by Claveau - see below
junior synonyms (here)
mercatori (Crematogaster (Acrocoelia) coelestis Santschi stirps mercatori n. st., Santschi, 1939f: 162, worker) from Guinea - see below
dirce (Cremastogaster excisa Mayr r. coelestis Sant. v. Dirce, Forel, 1915c: 342, worker) from Zaïre, collected at St Gabriel, by Kohl - see below
worker only described (see Bolton, 1995) .


Santschi's (1911c) description is at {original description}. Santschi's (1939f) description of mercatori is at {original description}.

Forel's (1915c) description of (as C. excisa r. coelestis v. dirce) was -
WORKER - TL 2.3-2.5 mm. Colour like type of coelestis, head a little darker. Metanotal groove very deep, as type. Posterior of mesonotum also deeply impressed as with typical excisa, distinctly concave. In that respect rather like solenopsides v. gallarum, but antennal club more distinctly two-segmented. Closely related to excisa with the same excavation or at least truncation of the posterior mesonotum.
Kohl, the collector, at St. Gabriel, found it cultivating coccids, over which it made carton tents, on a citrus tree. Forel prefaced his note with the comment that he felt Cr. coelestis Sant. was no more than a race of Cr. excisa Mayr.  The excisa I show is brownish-yellow and quite different from the pitch brown coelestis.

Wheeler (1922) also had it from Guinea (at Camayenne, by F. Silvestri).


{Crematogaster coelestis} The photomontage of the type worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0912662.
The almost identical but slightly larger mercatori is shown on http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0912633.


{Crematogaster coelestis} The photomontage of the dirce type worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0908530.


Oxford University Museum specimens

Crematogaster (Cr.) coelestis
B Taylor det.
Senegal
Lamine Diamé
13
2012
Thies

Ensa (s. saiche)
tube 03

1
{album}

{Crematogaster coelestis}The photomontage is of a worker from Senegal, Tanquieta; collector Lamine Diame (13). Apart from the shorter propodeal spines, this appears to be an exact match to the Santschi type (above).

Contents
© 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 - Brian Taylor CBiol FRSB FRES
11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K.

href="crematogaster_coelestis.htm"