Genus Lepisiota key to Sub-Saharan species
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The Ants of
Africa Genus Lepisiota key to Sub-Saharan species |
| Genus Introduction |
Notes on sub-Saharan Africa species
Strickland (1951a) described Acantholepis as small black ants, more likely to be found on seedling cocoa than on mature trees and essentially soil nesting. He regarded them as of little economic importance as far as cocoa was concerned.
Bernard (1952) described genus members (as Acantholepis) as more common than their relatives Plagiolepis and Anoplolepis in the Guinea, Mt. Nimba surveys; adding that the nests often are very resistant to inundation, which leads to their being abundant among the ants known from close to the River Niger (according to Monod). Under one of the species, he added that the Acantholepis are individually very variable, and refrained from describing new species as it would be better to await more examples. Bernard also referred to species in the subgenus Pseudacantholepis Santschi, being very small and poorly collected forms; and, other than A. laevis [see below as a subspecies of capensis], previously unknown from French West Africa. Bolton (1995) noting that he found no record of type species for the subgenus and (apparently) no Santschi reference, regarded the subgenus name as "unavailable".
Type location South
Africa (Mayr, 1862: 699, worker; Mayr, 1862: 770, male; also Mayr,
1866: 57, male; Emery, 1877b: 366, queen)
subspecies
acholli
(Acantholepis
capensis Mayr, acholli
subsp. nov., Weber, 1943c: 382, illustrated, worker
& queen) from South Sudan
anceps
(Acantholepis capensis Mayr v.
anceps n. var., Forel,
1916: 438, worker) from Zaïre
guineensis
(Acantholepis capensis Mayr
var. guineensis nov. var.,
Mayr, 1902: 296,
worker) from Ghana, Accra, by R. Buchholz
issore
(Acantholepis capensis Mayr, issore subsp. nov., Weber, 1943c:
383, illustrated, worker & queen) from South Sudan; variety thoth (Weber, 1943c:
383, illustrated, worker & queen) from South Sudan
junodi (Acantholepis
capensis Mayr r. Junodi
n. stirps, Forel, 1916: 438, worker) from South
Africa
laevis
(Acantholepis laevis n. sp.,
Santschi, 1913c: 312, illustrated, worker)
from Senegal, St. Louis by Claveau,
lunaris
(Acantholepis
lunaris n. sp., Emery, 1893f: 250, illustrated, worker)
from Sri Lanka - South Asian key
minuta
(Acantholepis simplex For. v. minuta n. var., Forel, 1916: 438,
worker) from South
Africa
simplex
(Acantholepis simplex Forel, 1892a: 43, in key,
worker; Forel,
1892e: 350, queen & male) from Somalia
simplicoides (Acantholepis
capensis Mayr var. simplicoides
n. var., Forel, 1907g: 86, footnote, worker)
from South Africa - variety of simplex
specularis
(Acantholepis laevior Santschi
stirps specularis n. st.,
Santschi, 1935a: 278, worker) from Zaïre - variety of laevis.
subopaciceps (Acantholepis
capensis Mayr v. subopaciceps
n. v., Santschi,
1937d: 235, worker) from Angola
validiuscula
(Acantholepis capensis Mayr
var. validiuscula n. var.,
Emery, 1897e: 602, worker) from Somalia
(see Bolton, 1995).
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Key to Lepisiota species-groups
Key to workers (2010)
I have given scape index (SI) figures based in several instances from the original drawings - these are in brackets (SI xx), as SI seems to be one of the more useful diagnostic features.
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Subfamily Formicinae |
© 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 -
Brian
Taylor CBiol FRSB FRES 11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K. |
href="lepisiota_key.htm"
TL
2.5 mm; petiole not
described; scapes surpass occiput by 0.4 of their length; head and
alitrunk microscopically punctate, sides of
mesonotum longitudinally striate; dark castaneous brown, gaster black,
antennae, tibiae
& tarsi yellow-brown; close to 
Apparently undescribed, SI 110; probably an example of 
TL
4.3 mm (assumed major) HL 1.54 HW 1.45, CI 94, scapes reaching 2/3 back
to occiput;
petiole with acute dorsal spines about as long as interval between
their bases; head densely and finely punctate; bicoloured - head
mahogany red, rest of body black; the fine whitish erect hairs suggest
an affinity with 
TL
3.2-3.6 mm, CI 103-115, SI 79-82 ; in full
face
view eyes distant from edges of face (for minor worker see 
TL
3 mm, SI 63; occipital margin distinctly impressed; scapes just failing
to
reach occiput; propodeum with obtuse teeth; petiole emarginate but
without spines or even teeth; legs relatively short; head weakly shiny
but abundantly and grossly punctate; erect hairs
yellowish fairly oblique and with quite dense yellowish pubescence;
black, appendages reddish, femora brown
Petiole with a pair
of long,
usually sharp, spines on dorsal margin
Petiole
emarginate or with
denticles or spines that are much shorter than the width of the petiole
apex
Petiole
very long, two and a half times as long
as the node is high, petiole spines long, thin and straight 
TL
2.8-3.1 mm, CI 82, SI 166; head elongate ovoid, occiput straight; eyes
about 0.33 X length of side of head; erect hairs scanty, whitish-yellow
and fairly long; head and alitrunk
ochreous, smooth and shining
TL 3.0-3.8 mm, CI 88,
SI 150;
gaster with short, black and obtuse hairs
TL
2.4 mm; erect hairs whitish clear, gaster
more slender and shiny than 
TL
3.3 mm, scape exceeding occiput by about half its length; heavily
sculptured, with head, petiole
and gaster finely and densely reticulate-punctate, alitrunk grossly
rugose; erect hairs restricted to clypeus and apex of gaster; dark
red-brown
almost black
TL ca 3.4 mm, SI 144; sculpturation on alitrunk dense
spiculation; head and alitrunk with sparse short pale hairs
TL ca 3.4 mm, SI 144; sculpturation on alitrunk dense
spiculation; head and alitrunk with sparse short pale hairs
TL
3.2-4.0 mm, SI 140; petiole spines long; pubescence (pilosity?)
abundant and larger; black and
shiny, mid-alitrunk often dark red; mesonotum widened behind
TL 2.5
mm; CI 90, SI 125-130; head quite round; eyes ca 0.36 X length of side
of head; petiole in face view lyre-shaped,
with tips of spines wider apart than the bases; spines long and curved
backwards; head and alitrunk matt, densely and finely reticulo-punctate
TL
> 2.5 mm; petiole
in face view relatively narrow, with
long sharp spines
Body
colour nearer black; TL 2.3 mm, SI 125; head smaller and narrower,
scape
surpassing occiput by around 1/3 its own length; petiole spines
closer, with distance apart about the same as basal separation; head,
pronotum and gaster smooth and shiny brown 
Petiole
as above; TL 3.1-3.4 mm, SL 121; eyes very convex and large; scape
surpassing
occiput by
less than 1/3 of own length; head with irregular puncturation; erect
hairs blackish and thick, with obtuse apices
TL
3.0-3.2 mm, CI 87, SI 136; head near circular in full face view; eyes
unusually small, ca 0.22 X length of side of head; scapes surpassing
occiput by well over half
its own length; body with head and
gaster brown, alitrunk and appendages distinctly paler, no more than
reddish brown to ochreous 
TL ca 2.7 mm, HL
0.58, HW 0.50, SL 0.65, PW 0.49; CI 73, SI 128 EI (eye length/HL) 28;
head in full face view sub-rectangular, occiptal corners quite sharply
rounded, eyes oval;deeply incised metanotal groove, propodeum dorsum
flat, with distinct longitudinal incavation, propodeum with short sharp
spines; petiole with long back-curved apical
spines; no erect hairs on head (other than clypeus) and alitrunk; dark
orange-brown, the gaster with a relatively pale base contrasting with
the posterior half, funiculi with a contrasting dark club; head with
fine surface
sculpture giving a matt appearance, alitrunk finely but densely
spiculate 
Erect hairs, sparse,
long
black and silky, but white pubescence; TL 2.5 mm, CI 90, SI 129; scape
surpassing
occiput by about one-third its own length; body generally black,
appendages brown; overall dull matt, except gaster shiny
Erect
hairs long, black and abundant on head and
gaster; TL 3.2 mm, CI 88-94, SI 124-142; head a short oval; in full
face view eyes
not reaching sides of head; petiole scale distinctly triangular in
profile
TL
3.3 mm, CI 92, SI 133; head ovate, eyes large;
propodeum with raised cone-shaped lateral processes; petiole with short
spines each terminating in a distinct hair; head closely reticulate and
dull; lateral alitrunk fairly strongly rugulose
TL
1.7-2.0 mm, SI 160; erect
hairs short and whitish; body distinctly bicoloured, alitrunk reddish
yellow, head darker, gaster black; scapes surpass occiput by less than
two-fifths of own length; propodeal spiracles at apex of short processes
TL
3.0-3.4 mm, SI ca 120; head square, sides nearly
straight; scape surpassing occiput by about half its own length;
propodeum with distinct teeth; petiole narrow about one and a half
times as high as wide, with moderate spines; erect hairs thin, long and
dark brown; scapes with basal two-thirds ochreous
Lacking erect hairs on the scapes; TL ca 2.9 mm, HL
0.73, HW 0.58, SL
0.85, CI 78, SI 158; propodeum with short sharp teeth, petiole with
long back-curved apical spines; abundant erect hairs; dark brown,
anterior of head lighter; antennae entirely yellow-brown, tarsi and
tibia same; head with very fine surface sculpture giving a matt
appearance, alitrunk finely but densely spiculate. 
TL
2.8-3.3 mm, CI 90, SI 126; jet black, except tibiae brown,
tarsi yellowish-brown, base of scape ochreous; shiny, even propodeum
which has longitudinal rugae; erect hairs abundant.
TL 2.5-2.8 mm, SI 105; head
ovoid (capensis shape); shorter scapes, surpassing
occiput by about 1/4 of own length; body fairly stocky; propodeum with
conical apices; all except metanotum and propodeum shiny; erect hairs
long and whitish, no obvious pubescence; black, except apices of
mandibles, most of antennae and tarsi reddish-brown to yellow
TL 2.4 mm, SL 110; head
ovoid (capensis shape); shorter scapes, surpassing
occiput by about 1/4 of own length; body fairly stocky; propodeum with
conical apices; all except metanotum and propodeum shiny; erect hairs
long and whitish, no obvious pubescence; black, except apices of
mandibles, most of antennae and tarsi reddish-brown to yellow - very
densely hairy, including on scapes
Erect hairs dark; TL
2.86-3.08 mm, CI 91, SI 130; colour black or dark red-brown, with
yellow
tarsi. Sculpturation of fine striations on the pronotum, of rugae on
the mesonotum and propodeum. Erect hairs stout, dark, moderately
abundant on body and head. Propodeal prominences dentate but not
spinose. Petiole spines moderately developed and straight.
TL
2.0-2.2 mm, CI 91, SI 130; erect hairs few but
long, and yellow; head a distinct oval; with large eyes in full face
view protruding beyond the sides; long maxillary palps; apex of petiole
with moderately long posteriorly curved spines [NOTE head shape of guineensis
is ovoid if viewed titled backwards, so mandibles more exposed]
TL 2.5-2.7 mm, CI 91,
SI 129-137; erect
hairs pale, moderately long and fairly abundant; sole sculpturation
long rugae on lateral mesonotum; petiole scale with distinct spines;
colour variable brown to black-brown
Median
ocellus set at about
the posterior level of the eyes; TL ca 3.7 mm (range 2.5-5); HW 0.7 HL
0.7 PW 0.5 AL 1.5 Hind tibia 1.6; CI 85 SI 194-200 EL/HW 0.32; dark
brown-black, except for brownish-yellow appendages, overall appearance
dull; almost hairless 
Median
ocellus set well back from posterior
level of the eyes; TL ca 3.0 mm; HW 0.6 HL 0.82 PW 0.42 AL 1.3; hind
tibia 1.5; CI 82 SI 192 EL/HW 0.37; shiny chestnut brown, head slightly
darker; almost without pubescence 
Propodeum with sharp spines;
median
ocellus set just forward
the posterior level of the eyes; TL ca 3.5 mm (range 2.5-3.5); HW 0.6
HL
0.7 PW 0.4 AL 1.4 Hind tibia 1.6; CI 85 SI 215 EL/HW 0.40; dark
brown-black, except for brownish-yellow appendages; overall appearance
shiny; almost hairless 
TL
1.6-1.9 mm, CI ca 90, SI 100; scapes just reach occiput; whole
body dull; head and thorax bright red, gaster dark brown
TL 1.8
mm, CI 93, SI 92; quite dark reddish brown
TL 1.5 mm, SI 100;
scapes just surpassing occiput; jet black
TL
1.7-1.9 mm, SI 100; head subquadrate; scapes longer than 
TL 1.7-2.0 mm, SI 100; head about 1/6
longer than wide;
entirely shining; dark-reddish ochreous (deep orange-yellow), apex of
gaster blackish 
Small, occiput near straight; eyes almost flat and
slightly inset into surface of head, narrow ovoid ca 1.7 longer than
wide (0.37 X length of side of head); pronotum shallowly convex, in
dorsal view alitrunk short and relatively wide (pronotum wider than
length of promesonotum); petiole emarginate, moderately thick; legs
unusually short with wide, seemingly flattened femora; sparse short
yellow pilosity on gaster only (ca 0.05 mm); shiny unsculptured,
alitrunk yellow brown, head and gaster darker; 
TL 1.7
mm, CI 90, SI 100; head rectangular,
as wide in front as behind; scape surpasses occiput by 1/3 its own
length; quite deep promesonotal suture; shiny black, basal third of
scape and tarsi clear yellow, rest of appendages brown
TL 2
mm, CI 85, SI 110; scape surpasses occiput by 1/3 its own
length; altrunk convex transversely; propodeum with prominent cones;
petiole fairly deeply emarginate, almost bidentate; almost no erect
hairs, those seen are whitish, short and blunt; pubescence very sparse;
entirely smooth & shining, except deeply striate mandibles;
black
Head sub-circular, in profile also sub-circular; frons
with a long median impression; eyes moderate and set more or less on
the front of the face, so that hardly breaking outline of sides (0.328
X length of side of head); scape unusually thick and apically widening;
petiole scale with quite narrow profile, as high as the propodeal
declivity; erect hairs abundant and quite thick (ca 0.12 mm long); base
colour dusky yellow to dull yellow-grey, appearance overall is dull 
Head subsquare, widest at level of the eyes; eyes ovoid
strongly convex (0.37 X length of side of head); in profile head ovoid
with weakly convex lower side; clypeus with a weak median carina
running right to anterior margin; pronotum dorsally flattened; petiole
narrow and emarginate apically; abundant sub-erect yellow pilosity (ca
0.13 mm long) and abundant appressed pubescence, giving a shaggy
appearance to the head; shiny, unsculptured, but with mesonotum and
propodeum weakly spiculate, very distinctive broad metanotal groove
with marked rugae; near unicolorous yellow brown
Very distinctive shiny unsculptured, yellow brown,
gaster darker;
pronotum dorsally flattened; head sub-square, widest behind the eyes;
eyes ovoid moderately convex (0.37 X length of side of head); in
profile head sub-circular with broadly convex lower side; clypeus with
strong median carina running right to anterior margin; propodeum dorsum
with distinctive longitudinal septum; petiole narrow and emarginate
apically; abundant erect yellow pilosity (ca 0.16 mm long)
Head elongated ovoid, widest behind the eyes, occiput
weakly concave; eyes sub-circular weakly convex (0.35 X length of side
of head); in profile head sub-circular with lower side almost as convex
as upper; clypeus without a median carina; pronotum dorsally flattened;
propodeum with trinagular teeth; petiole short and thick in profile,
emarginate apically; sparse short erect yellow pilosity (ca 0.08 mm
long); shiny, wholly unsculptured; uniform yellow brown 
Black,
except for brownish-yellow appendages, with a distinctive and unique
metallic sheen, greenish on the head and thorax, violaceous on the
gaster; pilosity of long, erect whitish hairs; TL 3.2-3.8 mm, SI 130;
CI ca
90?, scape reaching back past occiput by about 1/3 of its length;
pronotum dorsally flattened 
Head
almost square and scapes unusually short; eyes quite small, only ca
0.30 X length of side of head; very
shiny black and almost unsculptured but
without a metallic sheen; pilosity limited to longish white hairs on
anterior of head, propodeum and gaster; TL ca 3.0 mm, CI 95, SI 104
TL ca
2.0 mm, CI 100, SI 133, head in full face view near ovoid, occiput
straight; shiny, appendages yellow;
propodeum sculptured; petiole scale simply dentate
TL
2.2-2.3 mm, CI 86, SI 130; head laterally and occiput
convex; eyes slightly convex, occupying about one-third length
of head and set a little forward of the mid-point of the head; scape
surpassing occiput by about half its own length; petiole feebly oval,
with small teeth at each side of summit; mostly subopaque with dense
striations, finer on the head, gaster smooth and shiny; erect pilosity
black and setiform, longer than on capensis,
abundant on the gaster; pubescence sparse and pale; black but with
metallic violaceous blue sheen, appendages rust, funiculi brown;
TL 2.7-2.9 mm, CI 100, SI 132,
head in full face view near ovoid, occiput
straight; shiny, appendages dark;
propodeum sculptured; petiole scale simply dentate
similar
to capensis but larger, TL 2.0-2.7 mm, SI 120; head and
alitrunk matt,
gaster shiny; pubescent, with sparse yellow erect hairs; blackish
TL 1.6-2.4 mm, CI 82,
SI 150; head longer
than wide, with convex sides; matt, brown, appendages reddish, gaster
metallic bronze (carbonaria relative)
TL
2.4 mm, CI 80, SI ca 123; erect hairs very few but
white and sparse pubescence; head rectangular; eyes large and in full
face view unusually angled
Scape surpassing occiput by
> one-third of own length, TL 2.2-2.4 mm, SI 134; erect hairs
coarse and sparse, yellowish-white 
TL 2.3-2.5 mm, CI 88,
SI 103 but 117-124
on fresh Sudan specimens; head somewhat wider and more truncate than depilis,
with scape surpassing occiput by < one-third of own length; eyes
quite small
With
dense covering of coarse whitish hairs
(dimorphic), legs long, femora with dense long pubescence; TL >
2 mm, CI 87, SI 124; propodeum profile with almost flat dorsum 
TL 2.4-2.7 mm, CI 90,
SI 107 [like simplex]
propodeum simply enlarged and angular posteriorly; petiole scale feebly
scalloped without teeth; [like depilis] moderately
abundant yellowish-white pilosity, pubescence sparse white appressed
Erect
hairs dark brown; TL 2.3-2.8 mm, SI 110 (
TL
2.7-2.9 mm, CI 82, SI 124; erect hairs brown and
lacking on inferior border of femur; eyes about one-third of face in
size, reaching sides of face; scapes surpassing occiput by about half
their own length; black, smooth and shining
TL
2.7 mm, SI 140; head slightly longer than wide; with head in full face
view
eyes barely reaching the sides of the head; petiole scale with short
teeth; with long pointed hairs on the inferior border of the femur;
head finely and densely puncturate, alitrunk strongly striated, both
matt;
black, scape, femora and tibia dark brown
TL
3.4-3.8 mm, CI 92, SI 136; separable by greater size
and deep mesonotal and metanotal sutures, plus a peculiarly raised
propodeum; petiole scale emarginate; head, and most of alitrunk very
finely and densely granulate, mesonotum and propodeum laterally sharply
and longitudinally striate; dark brown, gaster black
Head
distinctly square in full face view
Head
oval or nearly so
Head
square but with rounder corners
TL 2.3 mm, CI 94, SI (major?)
93; eyes
in
full face view reaching edges; erect hairs long white and very
abundant; smooth and shiny
TL
1.8-2.2 mm, CI 86, SI 100; eyes protruding from
sides of head; hairs on head and thorax sparse; appearance entirely
dull; due to unique very fine scabrous sculpture
TL 2.0 mm, SI 106; eyes
convex, larger than 1/3 of side of face; scapes surpassing occiput by
1/4 of own length; colour of erect hairs not given but no more than
moderate in length; black, basal half of scape, articulations of legs
and tarsi rust; very shiny and smooth
TL 2.6
mm, CI 92, SI 123; eyes quite small; petiole scale low only about 2/3
height of propodeal declivity and thick; erect
hairs white and very abundant, ca 0.15 mm long; dark brown to near
black, antennae wholly yellow-brown (based on fresh specimens)
TL
2.2 mm, CI 92, SI 140; relatively large eyes; propodeum
relatively short, high petiole scale; funiculus with shorter segments
than canescens; little pubescence and solely long
hairs; smooth and shiny
West Africa form
Petiole lower
than propodeal dorsumTL
2.0-2.5 mm; CI 89, SI 118; black and shining;
petiole moderately indented; dense covering of whitish hairs a mixture
of long and short hairs, femora without hairs
TL
1.7 mm, CI 93, SI 100; black and shining, head
subrectangular; petiole scale at least dentate
TL
1.8-2.0 mm, CI 91, SI 100; scape surpasses occiput by less
than one-third its own length; erect hairs very fine, propodeum smooth;
petiole scale oval from front, summit near straight; scapes with dense
sub-erect pubescence