The Ants of Africa SUBFAMILY DOLICHODERINAE Genus Linepithema |
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Dolichoderinae Introduction |
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.© 2007, 2010, 2018 - Brian Taylor CBiol
FRSB FRES 11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K. |
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