Paratrechina grisoni
(Forel)
  Type location Zaïre
(Prenolepis (Nylanderia) Grisoni n. sp., Forel, 1916: 440,
illustrated,
worker) from Bengamisa, by H Kohl - see below
subspecies fuscula
(Paratrechina (Nylanderia) grisoni
var. fuscula n. var.,
Menozzi, 1942: 178, worker) from Fernando Po I - no images on Antweb (October 2014)
worker only  .
|
 Forel's
(1916) description is at  ;
and Menozzi's (1942) description of fuscula is at  .
Bequaert (1922, p 407) cited it as among the ants
found in myrmecophilous plants by Father Kohl, near Kisangani
(Stanleyville) and recognised by Forel (1916).
Note LaPolla, Hawkes & Fisher
(2011) argue for the synonymy of Paratrechina
grisoni under P. lepida
but this seems wrong. The specimen from Gabon that they
illustrate as lepida (at http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0179591)
is one that I regard as a grisoni.
They do not provide a photograph of the type lepida despite stating they had
examined it. Their description matches the Forel description of grisoni but differs from the
Santschi description of lepida.
A very distinctive feature of grisoni,
shown by all the specimens I have and that I drew in Nigeria, is the
mesonotum profile, with a posterior, raised, transverse welt and the
narrowness at
the junction with the pronotum. Having stated fuscula is no more than a synonym
of "lepida"
but that they had not seen the specimens, they seem to ignore the
Menozzi description of it as being much less dark, being piceous
[rather than black] with the femora, and tibiae brown, the antenna and
tibio-femoral articulation and the tarsi as yellowish; the head has a
fine more distinct reticulation than the type; TL 2.5 mm.
That would seem to match what they claim to be a new
species, P. impolita. From
the range of specimens I list here, impolita
simply falls within the variation of size, sculpturation from none to
weakly reticulated; and very dark brown to black, to dark brown.Thus impolita perhaps should be
disregarded as a valid species. Such intraspecific variation is
well illustrated by Paratrechina longicornis.
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 Nigeria
specimens (as Paratrechina
species 3, Taylor, 1978: 29). WORKER. TL 2.05 mm, HL 0.57, HW 0.49, SL
0.65, PW 0.37
Overall colour chestnut-brown, shiny. No
pubescence but erect hairs abundant on both head and gaster, several
small hairs outside main line of four pairs of hairs on dorsal
alitrunk. Propodeum hemispherical in profile. Promesonotal and
metanotal sutures distinct; mesothoracic spiracle on a small prominence.
Nests in soil, including collections of soil in tree crevices.
In Nigeria, it can be relatively common on
cocoa, on 0.1-1.0% of cocoa trees, but apparently unaffected by the
presence of any dominant ant species (Taylor, 1977). It is an avid
tender of aphids over which it constructs soil and debris tents, a
small proportion of which were found to be associated with cocoa black
pod disease (Taylor & Griffin, 1981). Also found foraging on
the ground, and on kola and oil palm. See Nigeria cocoa ants
My work is not referred to by LaPolla & Fisher
(2011, under their heading of P.
lepida); although one of my
specimens, was listed, as from "Owena, CRIN, ...., 24 Sept 1975".
Also found in Ghana, on leaf litter under cocoa
at the Mampong
Cemetery farm, and nesting in same site, plus sampled once from cocoa
canopy in the wider survey (Room, 1971). Eleven workers were collected
from the ground at CRIG by Bigger (1981a).
|
 The
photomontage of the type worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0910992
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Oxford University Museum
specimens
Paratrechina grisoni
B Taylor det.
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Congo
Y Braet
t-1-4 t0 7
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19.viii.2007
Brazzaville
4° 15' 33" S
15° 17' 5" E
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24h pitfall trap;
forest around the GERDIB laboratories; 317 m asl
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4
|
 |
Paratrechina grisoni
B Taylor det. |
Congo
E Zassi
19-t-1-1
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16-17.xi.2007
Lésio-Louna
03°16'56.5" S
015°28'28.3" E
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Wooded Savannah; 24h
pitfall trap
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1
|
|
Paratrechina grisoni
B Taylor det. |
Gabon
Y Braet
Gabon 16
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23.vi-25.vii.2006
Pongara
00°34' N
09°19' E
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Pointe Wingombe
(malaise trap, one week)
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1
|
|
Paratrechina grisoni
B Taylor det. |
Gabon
Y Braet
Gabon 126
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27.v.2006
Pongara
00°34' N
09°19' E
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Forest soil; winkler
funnel
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2
|
|
Paratrechina grisoni
B Taylor det. |
Gabon
Y Braet
Gabon 139 |
8.viii.2006
Pongara
00°34' N
09°19' E
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Riverine leaf
litter; 72 h winkler funnel
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2
|
|
Paratrechina grisoni
B Taylor det. |
Gabon
Y Braet
Gabon 171 |
8.vi-20.vi.2006
Pongara
00°34' N
09°19' E
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Pongara Base;
winkler funnel
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2
|
|
Paratrechina grisoni
B Taylor det. |
Gabon
Y Braet
Gabon 230
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27.vi-10.vii.2006
Pongara
00°34' N
09°19' E
|
Leaf litter, winkler
funnel
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1
|
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Paratrechina grisoni
B Taylor det. |
Cameroun
A Fotso Kuate
Sample 62
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27.vii.2010
Nko’ondo
03°54'30" N
11°25'58" E
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Aphid survey
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2
|
|
|
 The photomontage is of a
worker from Cameroun; Nko'ondo; collector A Fotso
Kuate (fk unmounted 62).
|
 The
photomontage is of a specimen from Congo,
Brazzaville; collectors Yves Braet & Eric Zassi (t 1)
|
 The
photomontage is of a specimen from Gabon,
Pongara NP; collectors Yves Braet (Gabon 16)
|
 The
photomontage is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0414362
Collection Information: Specimen Code CASENT0414362: Locality Central
African Republic: Prefecture Sangha-Mbaéré: Parc
National Dzanga-Ndoki, 39.6 km 174° S Lidjombo;
02°21'03"N 016°08'50"E 340 m; Collection codes:
BLF04146; Date: 20-28 May 2001; Collected by: B.L.Fisher; Method: EC19
sifted litter; Habitat: rainforest, seasonally flooded riparian;
Transect Type: MW 50 sample transect, 5m.
and http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0179591
from Locality:
Gabon:
Ogooue-Maritime: Reserve de Faune de la Moukalaba-Dougoua, 12.2 km 305°
NW Doussala; 02°19'00"S 010°32'00"E 110 m
Collection codes: BLF02122; Collected by:
B.L.Fisher; Habitat: rainforest; Date: 24 Feb 2000
Method: EC19 sifted litter; Transect Type: MW 50 sample transect,
5m; Transect Sample #: 11
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