Lepisiota albata (Santschi)

Type location Zaïre (Acantholepis albata n. sp., Santschi, 1935a: 269, illustrated), Tshisika, collected by Dr Schouteden, 11.iii.1922; worker only .

Santschi's (1935a) description is on .

From the Santschi (1935a) description - TL 2.3 mm. Comparisons with canescens [that seems erroneous]. The head being more completely square. Black; mandibles, scape and tarsi yellow brown, remainder of appendages brown. Smooth and shiny, part of metasternum, and posterior part of mesonotum with longitudinal rugae. Propodeal dorsum part reticulo-punctatate, rest shiny. Pilosity, fine, long and white, twice as long as canescens, abundant on whole of body, shorter on the head. Head rectangular, as wide as long, sides feebly convex, occipitum near straight, occipital angles rounded. Eyes almost one-third length of face, situated slightly behind the midline, seen from the front not crossing the lateral borders. Clypeus carinate, relatively wider. Scape surpassing the occiput by no more than one-third; funiculus segment 2 longer and more slender than those following; 2 plus 3 shorter than 1. Pronotum wider than long, largest around mid-length; meso- and metasternum about same size. Dorsum of propodeum slightly oblique from the main axis of the thorax but a little more concave between the angles. Petiole scale truncated and slightly convex transversely with two divergent denticles; about a quarter higher than the length of the posterior peduncle. Overall pilosity and appearance similar to cacozela but that has a narrow anterior to the head and a thick petiole scale and a different funiculus formula. A cousin of imperfecta but that has a much smaller head which also narrows anteriorly, plus shorter funiculus segments and sparser much shorter pilosity.

The photomontage of the type worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0912367.

Oxford University Museum specimens

Lepisiota albata B Taylor det.	Sudan J Mathews JM 372	Khordonia 11°51' N 34°15' E	Damazine Plantation, Blue Nile	3
Lepisiota albata B Taylor det.	Sudan J Mathews JM 353	12.x.2001 Khordonia 11°51' N 34°15' E	Damazine Plantation, Blue Nile Canopy fogging of Acacia senegal	4
Lepisiota albata B Taylor det.	Sudan J Mathews JM 422	24.x.2001 Khordonia 11°51' N 34°15' E	Damazine Plantation, Blue Nile Canopy fogging of Acacia senegal	1
Lepisiota albata B Taylor det.	Sudan J Mathews JM 345	11.x.2001 Khordonia 11°51' N 34°15' E	Blue Nile Semi-natural forest Canopy fogging of Acacia senegal	1
Lepisiota albata B Taylor det.	Sudan J Mathews JM 381	17.x.2001 Khordonia 11°51' N 34°15' E	Blue Nile Semi-natural forest Canopy fogging of Acacia senegal	1
Lepisiota albata B Taylor det.	Sudan J Mathews JM 400	20.x.2001 Abu Gmein 11°21' N 34°27' E	Blue Nile Canopy fogging of Acacia senegal	1
Lepisiota albata B Taylor det. check canescens	Sudan J Mathews JM 211	28.vi.2001 Abu Gmein 11°21' N 34°27' E	Blue Nile Canopy fogging of Acacia senegal	1

The photomontage is of a specimen from Sudan, collected by J Mathews, by pyrethrum fogging of Acacia senegal, Kordhonia, Damazine Plantation, Blue Nile, 11°51' N 34°15' E, JM 372, 16.x. 2001; numerous trees and specimens.

Note polychromic from dark brown-black to dull yellow-brown; JM 372 longer erect hairs (ca 0.12 mm) than nsp JM 234 but shorter than L. affinis and L. canescens; very thin petiole scale (thinner than Santschi indicates) but squarish head shape matches; eyes relatively large (ca 0.38 X length of side of head) shallowly convex;
TL ca 2.3-2.5 mm, HL 0.62, HW 0.57, CI 92, SL 0.69, SI 121, PW 0.37, eye length 0.21

The photomontage is of a specimen from Sudan, collected by J Mathews, by pyrethrum fogging of Acacia senegal, Kordhonia, Damazine Plantation, Blue Nile, 11°51' N 34°15' E, JM 400, 16.x. 2001