Paratrechina waelbroecki (Emery)

Type location Zaïre (Prenolepis waelbroecki, Emery, 1899e: 496, illustrated, male genitalia, male and female described) from Kinshasa, collected by Waelbroeck, x-xi.1896 - male type see below. Forel (1911f: 280) reported "Prenolepis Waelbroeki Emery worker (??) - Congo da Lemba : MAYNÉ (Musée du Congo)"; also from Congo da Lemba by A. Weiss (Wheeler, 1922: 943). .

Emery's (1899e) description is at .

Oxford University Museum specimens

Paratrechina waelbroecki B Taylor det. Queen	Central African Republic P Annoyer DB	13.i.2005 Dzanga-Sangha 04°22'19.4" N 18°35'49.7" E	360 m; 18h30-7h	1
Paratrechina waelbroecki B Taylor det. Possible worker	Congo E Zassi 02-t-1	4-5.ii.2008 Lésio-Louna 03°20'12.0" S 015°28'43.6" E	Village Mah; 24h pitfall trap	1

The photomontage is of a queen from the Central African Republic, Dzanga-Sangha NP; 13.i.2005 18h30-7h 04°22'19.4" N 18°35'49.7" E 360 m, collector Philippe Annoyer.

Emery (1899e) described the queen of P. waelbroecki as ferruginous brown, with a darker gaster; the propodeum arcing from the dorsum into a near vertical declivity. The main negative for this association is Emery's comment that the queen had a very shiny dorsum to the alitrunk. Emery noted the male approached the "new species P. longicornis".

Forel (1916: 440) suggested that the workers he described as Paratrechina grisoni actually might be the asexual form of waelbroecki. However, the grisoni worker is very shiny overall, a lot smaller (TL ca 2.0 mm), and has no pubescence.

This queen appears to be a good match to the original descriptions.

LaPolla, Hawkes & Fisher (2012: 23) write on this species but, despite giving "Emery, 1899: 496 (queen and male described), note they could not locate any worker specimens from the Forel (1911) report, and state "The queen caste is currently unknown for this species".

The photomontage is of a possible worker from the Congo, Lesio-Louna, collector Eric Zassi (12-t-1). The general colour, median carina on the clypeus and gaster pubescence are as on the male above but the scapes do not appear to bear any erect hairs.