Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) kneri Mayr

Type location Ghana (Cremastogaster Kneri n. sp., Mayr, 1862: 764, worker; Forel, 1913a: 125, queen - no description) collected in the Akwapim Mountains - see below
Junior synonyms (here) Note - Bolton (1995: 355) had them as subspecies, presumably following Santschi (1928b: 228) but Santschi did not use "subspecies" but variety for all the following except stirps for langi.
behanzini (Crematogaster pronotalis Santschi var. Behanzini n. var., Santschi, 1915c: 251, worker) from Benin collected at Cotonou - see below
funerea (Crematogaster pronotalis Santschi var. funerea n. var., Santschi, 1915c: 251, worker) from Cameroun collected at Molundu, by Reichensperger - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0912805
langi (Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) kneri Mayr. stirps langi n. st., Santschi, 1926b: 225, worker; wrongly placed with striatula by Menozzi, 1942: 169) from Zaïre, Yakuluku, H O Lang - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0912817
- see below, is larger than the kneri type or any of the junior synonyms other than atraplex
atraplex (Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) bequaerti For. variety atraplex Santschi new variety, in Wheeler, 1922: 155, worker) from Zaïre, Yakuluku, by Lang & Chapin - see below
all forms described (see Bolton, 1995) .

I have separated off Crematogaster (Cr.) dakarensis (Cremastogaster pronotalis var. dakarensis n. var., Santschi, 1914d: 349, worker) from Senegal collected at Dakar by F. Silvestri, 1913; and Crematogaster (Cr.) pronotalis (Cremastogaster pronotalis n. sp., Santschi, 1914d: 347, illustrated, worker) from Nigeria collected at Olokemeji, by F. Silvestri, 1913; placement of pronotalis as a variety (not subspecies of kneri by Santschi. 1926b)

Mayr's (1862) description is at . Arnold (1920a: 525) gave an illustrated translation, this is at . and .
Santschi's (1926b) description of langi is at .

The photomontage of a paratype from Ghana is collated from http://mcz-28168.oeb.harvard.edu/mcz/FMPro?-DB=Image.fm&-Lay=web&-Format=images.htm&Species_ID=30790&-Find

The photomontage of the holotype worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0919670.

The photomontage of the holotype worker of behanzini is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0904481.

This matches what I regard as Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) zavattarii e.g. specimen Benin RVA2991

Santschi's (1915c) description of pronotalis variety behanzini was -
WORKER - TL 2.7-3.4 mm; smaller and less sculptured than type, striae (on face) more prolonged but front still shiny. Head slightly less wide. Smaller specimens duller on head and thorax. Anterior border of petiole node less transverse, somewhat concave, angles spread in front, but a little rounded and raised while upper face is slightly concave. Variety dakarensis in contrast has a smoother head and the anterior border of the petiole is transverse as in the pronotalis type. Specimens from Benin, Cotonou, 8 workers. He added that luctans and rugosior have the pronotum less strongly bordered anteriorly; a feature he used to group rugosa-bequaerti-pronotalis.

Nigeria specimens (Taylor, 1979: 31). WORKER. TL variable 3.00-3.60 mm; largest HL 0.86, HW 0.86, SL 0.62, PW 0.50
Colour yellow-orange, gaster darker apically, shiny. Fine reticulate sculpturation on lateral alitrunk and pedicel. Pilosity sparse and difficult to see, few erect hairs. Profile of pro- and mesonotum flat, mesonotum with a slight carina. Propodeum on a lower level and with a flat dorsum. Propodeal spines long, acute and upturned. Subpetiolar tooth moderately long and acute.

Santschi's (1915c) description of pronotalis variety funerea was -
WORKER - differing from other varieties of the species by its brown black colour; the thorax and head being almost black; the appendages rust. Dorsum of head smooth, postclypeal notch weaker, reticulation on thoracic dorsum slightly stronger. Scape slightly surpassing the occiput. Pronotum less shouldered; mesonotum dropping less sharply posteriorly and median carina effaced; propodeum slightly wider between the spines. Petiole node with a longer anterior edge. Specimens from Cameroun, Molundu, by Dr. Bishmann.

Wheeler (1922) had other records from several places across sub-Saharan Africa.

In Nigeria it nests in dead wood and under bark on trees, including cocoa where it is moderately common and will nest in old dry cherelles. Constructs tents of vegetable debris over Homoptera (pseudococcids). Also found on native trees, coffee and kola. Adenuga and Adeboyeku (1987) report it as attending a homopteran on mango.

Found in Ghana, where Majer found it in 6.3% of his 144 pkd samples at Kade, with around 30 workers per sample (1975, 1976a, b, c), also earlier listed by Strickland (1948, 1951a).

Strickland (1951a) mentions it being found attending aphids on a shrub in Togo, the only time he (possibly W.J. Hall) found any member of the subgenus attending aphids.

The photomontage of the atraplex type worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0912794.

Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) bequaerti For. variety atraplex Santschi new variety; in Wheeler (1922: 155). Described as: "Length 4 mm. Rather dull yellow; gaster, postpetiole and femora yellowish brown; tips of the epinotal spines brownish black. In other respects like the type of the species and the var. mutabilis (Santschi), but the median impression of the pronotum is feebler. The dark tips of the spines contrast with the pale color of the thorax.” (Santschi). A dozen workers from Yakuluku (Lang and Chapin).

There is an enigma over the geographically distant population in South Africa. The report by Arnold (1920a) is unclear. He lists a finding at Bothaville, O.F.S., by Brauns, but that appears under what has to be his (Arnold's) own description of a queen, TL 10.1 mm. He gave TL 4-5 mm for the workers and a drawing. This probably is irresolvable without sighting the Arnold specimens. However, major and minor workers, with a queen, from South Africa are on the linked page. Those have the very narrow propodeal spines shown in the Arnold drawing

Oxford University Museum specimens

Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) kneri B Taylor det.	Senegal Lamine Diamé 09	2012 Thiés 14°58'N 17°00'W	Noto saiche tube 01	2
Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) kneri B Taylor det.	Liberia E Poirier Liabala SLAM 3	2.iv.2013 Nimba County 07°31’06" N 08°35’34" E	SLAM trap Secondary forest 473 m asl	2
Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) kneri B Taylor det.	Liberia E Poirier Yekepa PF 20	29.iii.2013 Nimba County 07°33’38" N 08°32’33" E	Pitfall trap Degraded secondary forest 518 m asl	1
Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) kneri B Taylor det.	Ivory Coast Erena Dupont ii.2014	Taï National Park 5˚45'00" N 7˚07'00" W	09	3
Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) kneri B Taylor det. Queen	Ivory Coast Erena Dupont ii.2014	Taï National Park 5˚45'00" N 7˚07'00" W	09a	1
Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) kneri B Taylor det.	Ivory Coast Erena Dupont iii.2014	Taï National Park 5˚45'00" N 7˚07'00" W	24	4
Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) kneri B Taylor det.	Benin J-F Vayssieres RVA 3098.13	9.xi.2011 Kika-Beterou 09°14'07'' N 02°11'52'' E	Terminalia laxiflora minor	3
Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) kneri B Taylor det.	Benin J-F Vayssieres RVA 3094.4	10.xi.2011 Tanquiéta 10°40'05'' N 01°18'14'' E	Acacia dudgeoni beating 234 m asl	2
Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) kneri B Taylor det.	Tanzania G McGavin tree 2-26	9.iv.1995 Mkomazi 3°54.75' S 37°48.50' E	pkd collection from Combretum molle	2
Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) kneri B Taylor det.	Tanzania G McGavin tree 2-27	9.iv.1995 Mkomazi 3°54.75' S 37°48.50' E	pkd collection from Combretum molle	1
Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) kneri B Taylor det.	Tanzania G McGavin tree 5-55	12.i.1997 Mkomazi 3°54.75' S 37°48.50' E	pkd collection from Acacia nilotica	1
Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) kneri B Taylor det.	South Africa S Danflous	2.xii.2007 Sterkfontein Caves 26°00'56" S 27°44'03" E	Gaufeng Province; 175 m	4

The photomontage is of a worker from Liberia, Yekepa; collector E Poiriet (Yekepa PF 20).

The photomontage is of a worker from Benin, Tanquiéta; collector J-F Vayssieres (RVA 3094).

The photomontage is of a worker from Tanzania, Mkomazi Game Reserve; collector G McGavin (Tree 2-26). Apart from a slightly smaller size (5-10%) this and the second, shown below,  seems near identical to the Ghana paratype and my Nigeria specimen.

The photomontage is of a worker from Tanzania, Mkomazi Game Reserve; collector G McGavin (Tree 2-27).

The photomontage is of a worker from Ivory Coast, Tai NP; collector Erena Dupont, ii.2014.

The photomontage is of a likely queen from Ivory Coast, Tai NP; collector Erena Dupont, ii.2014.