The Ants of Africa
SUBFAMILY DOLICHODERINAE

Genus Linepithema
Dolichoderinae Introduction

Genus Linepithema Mayr (1866a: 496)

All members neotropical but Linepithema humile, the Argentine Ant, has become a pantropical and subtropical tramp of pest proportions in many areas but not in Africa, other than the Cape area of South Africa.

Key characters (Wild, 2007):

Worker: Third maxillary palp segment subequal in length to about 1/3 longer than segment 4; erect pronotal hairs 0–8 (most commonly 0 or 2); propodeal spiracle lateral and usually ventral of the propodeal dorsum; gastral compression usually absent.

Queen: Vertex slightly convex to concave; scape short, surpassing vertex by less than 1/3 scape length; third maxillary palp segment subequal in length to about 1/3 longer than segment 4; erect
mesoscutal hairs 2–35; forewing with 2 submarginal cells and one discoidal cell.

Male: Apical tooth of mandible varying from shorter to much longer than subapical tooth; forewing with 1–2 submarginal cells and one discoidal cell.

Wild, A. L. 2007. Taxonomic revision of the ant genus Linepithema (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). University of California Publications in Entomology 126: 1-151.
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