The Ants of Africa
Genus Oligomyrmex
Oligomyrmex (Aneleus) silvestrii (Santschi)

Oligomyrmex (Aneleus) silvestrii (Santschi)

Major - return to key Minor - return to key {link to the Hymenoptera Name Server} Type location Ghana (Aneleus Silvestrii n. sp., Santschi, 1914d: 357, illustrated, major & minor) collected at Aburi by F. Silvestri; also from Guinea, Mt. Nimba, first male description (Bernard, 1952: 239, illustrated); major, minor and male described (see Bolton, 1995) .


{Oligomyrmex silvestrii}Santschi's (1914d) description is at {original description}. Bernard's (1952) description of the male is at {original description}.

From Guinea, Bernard (1952) described this species (as Aneleus silvestrii) as apparently common in the Mt. Nimba area. Major & minor workers were taken at Nion, 700 m; in the leaf litter sievings of the north-east forest (Villiers); at Ravin I in the forest and on the crests of Mount Tô. The male specimen, which he described and illustrated, came from Nion.

Reported as found in Ghana in cocoa leaf litter at the Mampong Cemetery farm (Room, 1971).


{Oligomyrmex silvestrii major}The photomontage of the type major worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0913522.


{Oligomyrmex silvestrii minor} The photomontage of the type minor worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0913523.


Oxford University Museum specimens

Oligomyrmex (Aneleus) silvestrii
B Taylor det.
Cameroun
A Fotso Kuate
Tetramorium spQ

28.iii.2008
Awae II
03°54'30" N
11°25'58" E
Quadrat in forest
1
{album}

{Oligomyrmex silvestrii}The photomontage is of a minor worker from Cameroun; Awae II; collector A Fotso Kuate (fk tetramorium spq);


{Oligomyrmex silvestrii worker} The photomontage of a minor is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0409327
Collection details - Locality: Central African Republic: Prefecture Sangha-Mbaéré; Réserve Spéciale de Forêt Dense de Dzanga-Sangha, 12.7 km 326° NW Bayanga; 03°00'18"N 016°11'36"E, 420m. Collection Information: Collection codes: BLF4100. Date: 10-17 May 2001. Collected by: B.L.Fisher. Method: EC19 sifted litter. Habitat: rainforest. Transect Type: MW 50 sample transect, 5m Transect Sample No.: 08.


{Oligomyrmex species ?}

Oligomyrmex (Aeneleus) species undet.

Formerly in my ant guide (Taylor, 1980a: 35) and on this website as silvestrii but, see above, clearly differing from Santschi's description and illustration.

Minor - ? Major, previously thought by me, on grounds of size, to be the minor - TL 1.59, HL 0.45, HW 0.36, SL 0.31, PW 0.23; now (2004) I feel that it is in a fact the minor from the long scapes - rarely reaching the mid-point of the face in the soldier morph of any species. The closest comparison seems to be with the worker of punctatus from Kenya, although that is about 2/3 the size; another apparently similar worker is menozzii from Fernando Po I.

Colour orange-brown. Antennae 11-segmented. Sculpturation of head a loose reticulation, dorsomedial area smooth; pronotum nearly all smooth; lateral mesonotum and propodeum punctate. Erect hairs short, fine and sparse, most being on the dorsal alitrunk. Anterior margin of pronotum well defined; promesonotum in profile near flat; propodeum on distinctly lower plane, spines well developed, upturned and triangular. Postpetiole with a flattened profile.

In Nigeria, collected from leaf litter and from under a chip of wood at CRIN (B. Bolton).

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© 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015 - Brian Taylor CBiol FSB FRES
11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K.

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