Plectroctena conjugata Santschi
  Type location South
Africa (Plectroctena minor Em. stirps conjugata n.
st.,
Santschi, 1914e: 8, worker & queen; Santschi, 1924a: 166, male and
raised to species)
all forms known (see Bolton, 1974b: 326, Bolton,
1995)  .
Possibly simply a variant of mandibularis
(Bolton, 1974b); seemingly confirmed by Bolton & Brown (2002: 11).
The latter follows the conclusions of Villet et al (1999), who
studied specimens from a combination of inter-nest and intra-nest
collections across south-eastern Africa, and reduced conjugata
to a junior synonym of mandibularis.
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Santschi's (1914e) description is at  . Santschi's (1924a) note on the type and
description of the male is at  . Bolton's modern description (1974b) is at
Note On re-photographing the Hlavác specimen, I
am led to feel it, as shown below, could be mandibularis.
However, although the size is at the upper end of that Bolton gives for
conjugata, i.e. 11.8-14.6 mm, there are distinctive
features. For instance the petiole profile is near rectangular with a
convex dorum, there also is a small anteroventral spine (not mentioned
for either species). The striation on the underside of the head and
sides of the alitrunk is very fine (if striation is what one would call
it) and there definitely is no striation on the dorsal alitrunk. The
full face head shape also is near square with parallel sides and a near
straight occiput. These features are shared with the specimen shown at
the bottom as determined by Bolton and compared with the type.
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 The
photomontage of a cotype is collated from The Smithsonian Institute
images at http://ripley.si.edu/ent/nmnhtypedb/public/specimeninfopage.cfm?publicconsumption=1&typespecimenID=1666.
See also http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0915284
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Oxford University Museum
specimens
Plectroctena conjugata
B Taylor det.
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South Africa
Peter Hlavác
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1.ii.2004
Goukamma
34°03.5' S
22°23.14' E
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Western Cape, Knysna env.,
Goukamma, 350 m
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1
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 The
photomontage is of a worker collected from Western Cape, South
Africa, Knysna Env., Goukamma, S 34°02.7' E 22°50.2'; sea level, Peter
Hlavác, 28.i.2004; from coastal forest. This matches exactly the
description given by Santschi.
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 The
photomontage is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0102950;
Locality Collection Information - South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal:
[Sydenham. Natal, B.M. 1934-354.; compared with type]; Collection
codes: ANTC5312 Date: Apr 1915; Collected by: H.B.Marley
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