The Ants of Africa
Genus Platythyrea
Platythyrea occidentalis André

Platythyrea occidentalis André

return to key {link to the Hymenoptera Name Server} Type location Sierra Leone (Platythyrea occidentalis n. sp., André, 1890: 315, queen; André, 1895a: 3, male; worker by Arnold, 1954: 291, illustrated, worker) location not given, collected by Mocquerys - see the type dealate queen at http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0913731
all forms described (see Bolton, 1995) .


{Plathyrea occidentalis}André's (1890) description of the queen is at {original description}. André's (1895a) description of the male is at {original description}. Wheeler (1922) listed it also from Congo. Arnold (1954) gave an illustration and his description of the worker (from Uganda) is at {original description}.

A. Mocquerys collected at 'Riv.N' Gamie, Chûtes de Samlia (Atopomyrmex cryptoceroides, in Mayr 1895 & Bolton, 1981b).

Brown (1975: 46) noted that specimens collected at Tafo, Ghana, by D Leston, were reddish brown in colour, HL 1.40, with the eyes no wider than 0.14 whereas the scape width was 0.23 mm. The very long second funiculus segment is diagnostic; together with a deep subrectangular excision at the top of the propodeal declivity. He claimed the type specimen from Sierra Leone was a dealate queen and ferruginous in colour, with the characteristic three petiolar teeth.


Oxford University Museum specimens

Platythyrea occidentalis
B Taylor det.


Liberia
E Poirier
Liabala
PF 6
2.iv.2013
Nimba County
07°31’06" N
08°35’34" E
Pitfall trap
Secondary forest
473 m asl

1
{album}

{Platythyrea occidentalis}The photomontage is of a worker from Liberia, Liabala; collector E Poiriet (Liabala PF 6).

TL ca 9 mm HW 1.3 HL 1.8 SL 1.5 PW 1.15 EL 0.2


{Platythyrea occidentalis}The photomontage of a worker labelled as an allotype is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?name=sam-ent-0011507

While this clearly is the worker described by Arnold (1954), note he gave the colour as "black", with the appendages brownish red, it differs in several ways from the fresh worker shown above.

TL ca 7.6 mm (Arnold 7.0 mm) HW 1.35 HL 1.6 SL 1.1 PW 09.5 EL 0.2.  Head relatively shorter and with weakly convex sides; petiole also with more convex sides in dorsal view but flat-tooped rather than shallowly domed.  With more specimens it seems likely that Arnold described the worker of a distinct species separate from occidentalis.


{Platythyrea occidentalis}The photomontage is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0005923 (as Platythyrea indet.)
Collection details - Locality: Zaire; Epulu; 01°23'00"N 028°35'00"E, 750m. Collection Information: Collection codes: ANTC1035. Date: Nov 1995. Collected by: S.D. Torti. Method: EC19 sifted litter. Habitat: rainforest.

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© 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2018 - Brian Taylor CBiol FRSB FRES
11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K.

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