The Ants of Africa

Introduction

The Ants of Africa
Chapter 2 - Geography and History - Other West African countries

More limited information on collectors and collecting areas is given for the following countries of West Africa: Benin, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Senegal, and Togo. Many of the western collecting areas are shown on Map 9, those in Togo and Benin are on Map 2.

Benin

Summary of known collectors
H E Box (Donisthorpe), 1945b); Baumann (Stitz, 1910); Buttner (Stitz, 1910). Claveau (Santschi, 1926b); L Conradt, Buttner, Baumann (Stitz, 1910); Desanti (Santschi, 1915c, 1920d, 1920i, 1930a); Dr Ducorps (Santschi, 1924b); Le Moult ((Santschi, 1913c, 1921c); Lt Ribot (Sanstchi, 1915c); Roubaud (Santschi, 1913c, 1921c); Prof F Silvestri (Santschi, 1914d)

Professor F. Silvestri collected at Cotonou (6°20'N, 2°25'E), in Santschi (1914d); there also was a collection by Desanti (see Cataulacus difficilis, Santschi (1916), no location; also Sphinctomyrmex rufiventris, from Djougou (9°40'N, 1°45'E), Kouandé, and by Ribot at Kika (in Wheeler, 1922). Messor regalis was found, no location, by Le Moult (Santschi, 1913c). Camponotus solon was collected by Martiensen (as variety chilon in Wheeler, 1922). Crematogaster togoensis was collected at Mayondi, (in "French Togo", 3 km east of Honuta in "British Togo") by H.E. Box in 1944 (Donisthorpe, 1945b).

In 2007, I was sent a small number of ants collected by pitfall trapping in the Forêt de Gnanhouizoumè, 06°50-55 N 02°20-30'E, by Sévérin Tchibozo, of CERGET, link http://www.cerget.org/index.htm The ants are listed on Tchibozo ants.

Gambia

Summary of known collectors
M W Adam (Santschi, 1939f); C Alluaud (Emery, 1892d); A Mocquerys (André, 1889); W E Shuckard (Shuckard, 1840c); E Zavattari ((Menozzi, 1926a).

Dorylus affinis was described by W.E. Shuckard (1840c). Santschi (1939f) reported collections made by M. W. Adam, while on the exploration cruise of the Belgian vessel Mercator whilst off West Africa in late 1935. A location was given as between Gambia and Conakry, on 16 November.

Guinea-Bissau

Summary of known collectors
L Fea (Bolton, 1983); Knipping (Forel, 1907e); Landana (Wheeler, 1922 list); Lucas (Forel, 1909b), Le Moult (Santschi, 1926b).

The former Portugese Guinea. There are records of collections by Leonardo Fea at Bolama (11°30'N, 15°35'W) and Rio Cassine, possibly in around 1901 (see Serrastruma maynei and ludovici, Bolton, 1983). Also Dorylus affinis from Bambaya, by Lucas (Wheeler, 1922).

Liberia

Summary of known collectors
Liberia - J Bequaert (Shattuck, 1991); C Blickenstaff (Bolton, 1974a); H Brauns (Emery, 1895j; Mayr, 1895); C R Carroll (Carroll, 1979); O F Cook (Bolton, 1974a); Delafosse (Santschi, 1915c); Duke (Forel, 1901h); Goheen (Haldeman, 1849a); Guerin-Meneville (Roger, 1861a); Hadler (Forel, 1901h); G A Hardy (Bolton, 1980); Kieselbach (Forel, 1907e); W M Mann (Bolton, 1974a, 1978c, 1980, 1981b); J Morris (Wheeler, 1922 list); T S Savage (Westwood, 1842); Scherer (Forel, 1911e); J O Westwood (Savage, 1849c).

The main collections are those of William M. Mann at Belleyella, Bendija, Cape Mount, Degain, Gibi, Harbel and Reputa - Smithsonian Firestone Expedition, 1940 (Bolton, 1974a, Cataulacus species; and Bolton, 1981b, Cyphoidris parissa), Mann was a student of W.M. Wheeler and became the Director of the US. National Zoo, retiring in 1958. Other Cataulacus species records include collections at Imi (C. Blickenstaff) and Monrovia (O.F. Cook) (in Bolton, 1974a). The Dorylus collections by Savage were at Cape Palmas (4°30'N, 7°35'W); a Dr Goheen also collected Dorylus (Anomma) burmeisteri rubellus from Monrovia (Haldeman, 1849a). The Camponotus maculatus junior synonym schereri denoted its collection by Scherer at Nebena (in Wheeler, 1922).

The modern paper by Shattuck (1991) on Axinidris species names two species, Axinidris occidentalis and Axinidris parvus as having been collected by J. Bequaert at Paiata (or Payeta) and Du River. Shattuck gives no dates for the collections but J. Bequaert was in Zaïre in 1910-1915 (Wheeler, 1922).

C.R. Carroll described work on stem-nesting ants at three areas - Cuttington College, near the town of Gbarnga in Bong County, elevation < 100 m; Nimba I, at 500 m elevation, sited at the edge of an airstrip near the base of the Mount Nimba massif; and the nearby Nimba II site (Carroll, 1979). Unfortunately, the ants studied were not identified to species level, other than Oecophylla longinoda (as O. longinodis) and Tetramorium aculeatum (as aculeatus).

Senegal

Summary of known collectors
C Abogba (Bolton, 1987); M W Adams (Santschi, 1939f); Emil Aeberli (Forel, 1910e); C Alluaud (Emery, 1892d); Museum dom Bosc (Fabricius, 1798; Latreille, 1802c); H Brauns (Mayr, 1895); W L Brown (Bolton, 1980, 1982); A Chevalier (Santschi, 1910g, 1929b); Claveau (Santschi, 1910g, 1911c, 1912b, 1913c, 1918b, 1919b, 1920g, 1921c, 1926b); J de Gaulle (Santschi, 1915c); Kunckel (Forel, 1894b); A Mocquerys (André, 1889, 1890); Riggenbach (Stitz, 1910); Roubaud (Santschi, 1914d); Saussure (Forel, 1879a); H Sichel (Mayr, 1862; Roger, 1863a); Prof F Silvestri (Santschi, 1914d, 1918b); Soller (Forel, 1910e).

The earliest record is the collection of Camponotus sericeus, by Bosc (Fabricius, 1798). A. Mocquerys collected at Dakar (André, 1889; in Bolton 1981b, 1995), as did C. Alluaud (Camponotus sericeus). Professor F. Silvestri collected at Dakar and Thiès 14°45'N 16°15'W) in 1913 (see Leptogenys longiceps and Monomorium dakarense, in Santschi, 1914d; see Bolton, 1995). Syntype workers of Monomorium dakarense came from Longa (?Louga, 13°58'N, 16°7'W), collected by E. Roubaud. W.L. Brown also collected near Dakar, probably in early-1963. Clavaux collected Messor galla at Casamance (no details). A modern worker is C. Agbogba, who collected Monomorium rosae at Noto. Santschi (1939f) reported collections made by M. W. Adam, while on the exploration cruise of the Belgian vessel Mercator whilst off West Africa in late 1935. The main location was between Dakar and Hann (?Fann), on 13 November.

Sierra Leone

Summary of known collectors
C Alluaud (Emery, 1892d); Banks collection (Fabricius, 1781); H Brauns (Mayr, 1895); Buxton (Bolotn, 1980); W G Clements (Wheeler, 1922 list); E Hargreaves (Bolton, 1973b, 1983, 1987; Santschi, 1930d, 1933b); A Mocquerys (André, 1889, 1890; Forel, 1909b); D F Morgan (F Smith, 1858b); Novara Expedition (Mayr, 1862); F A Squire (Bolton, 1987).

A. Mocquerys collected at 'Riv.N' Gamie, Chûtes de Samlia (Atopomyrmex cryptoceroides, in Mayr 1895; Cataulacus huberi, in André, 1890); also D.F. Morgan, locality unknown (Polyrhachis laboriosa, Smith, 1858b). Professor F. Silvestri collected Hypoponera lea in 1913 (Santschi, 1914d) at an unknown location. F.A. Squire, visited Njala (Monomorium occidentale, in Bolton, 1987) and reported on capsids in the Guinean region in 1947 (see Entwistle, 1972). Polyrhachis decemdentata was collected by H. Brauns from Sherbro Islands (7°25'N, 12°45'W) (Wheeler, 1922).

Togo

Summary of known collectors
H E Box (Donisthorpe, 1945b); Hans Brauns (Mayr, 1895); R Buttner (Emery, 1895j; Wheeler, 1922 list); B Dufour (Bolton, 1987); Gribodo (Emery, 1892d); L Conradt (Emery, 1895j; Stitz, 1910); Y Schach (Bolton, 1973b); Schroder (Stitz, 1910); A H Strickland (Strickland, 1951a); Vit (Bolton, 1983, 1987, 2000).

There have been collections at Palimé, Klouto Forest (7°N, 0°59'E) and Kpime Forest (Vit) (Serrastruma ludovici and Smithistruma emarginata, Bolton, 1983). L. Conradt, in 188?, collected at Bismarckburg (8°5'N, 1°20'E) (Tetramorium cristatum, Bolton, 1980). Y. Schach collected Polyrhachis schistacea at Agou (or Agouogon, 8°N, 2°20'E, ?a position in Benin?) (Bolton, 1973b). Smend collected Camponotus sericeus at Misahöhe (6°55'N, 0°35'E) (in Wheeler, 1922). H.E. Box reported on a visit to sight the cocoa pest situation in West Africa; travelling to Togo (see Crematogaster togoensis), Dahomey, Nigeria (including Owena, see Oecophylla longinoda) and the Cameroun, in December 1943 to March 1944. He also was the collector of Camponotus acvapimensis (as flavosetosus, in Donisthorpe, 1945b), at a location near Flabo Falls in November 1944. Monomorium bicolor and M. floricola were collected at Tové by B. Dufour (Bolton, 1987).

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