Tapinoma arnoldi Forel

Type location Zimbabwe (Tapinoma Arnoldi n. sp., Forel, 1913a: 139, worker; Arnold, 1915: 154, queen & male) from Plumtree, G Arnold - see below
subspecies tectum (Tapinoma tenue For. var. tectum n. var., Santschi, 1917b: 288, worker, under Arnoldi by Wheeler, 1922: 923) from South Africa, Naaal, Durban, H B Marley - see below
all forms described (see Bolton, 1995) .

Forel's (1913a) description is at . Arnold's (1915) translation, illustrated, and descriptions of the queen and male is at . Santschi's (1917b) description of tectum is at .

Arnold (1915: 154) had the following description -
Worker - TL 1.6-1.7 mm. Light brown, anterior portion of the head, scape, 1st joint of the funiculus, mandibles, tarsi, articulations of the legs and the petiole, yellowish. Moderately shining and almost impunctate. A very fine pubescence on the whole body and legs. Pilose hairs absent except on the clypeus. Head very little longer than wide, rectangular, sides feebly convex, angles rounded, posterior margin, almost straight. Eyes situated within the anterior third of the sides of the head. Clypeus wider than long, shallowly but widely emarginate on the anterior border. Mandibles shining and feebly punctured, masticatory margin with a few small teeth, the apical tooth larger and more acute. The scape does not reach back as far as the occipital margin; the funiculus is thickened towards the apex, the 1st joint as long as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th taken together, apical joint as long as the 3 preceding joints together, 2nd-9th joints wider than long. Pro-meso, and metanotal sutures moderately distinct. Pronotum wider than the rest of the thorax, and a little, wider than long; mesonotum almost as long as the pronotum; dorsum of propodeum wider than long, only half as long as the mesonotum, the declivity oblique, longer than the dorsum, widest below, its brow rounded. Petiole longer than wide, flattened dorso-ventrally. Gaster oval, all the segments much wider than long.
Bulawayo, in a hollow stem of an Acacia. Plumtree, S. Rhodesia in a hollow gall. Small nests, containing about 30 individuals. Type of female and male in my collection. (S.A.M., R.M., G.A. colls.)

The photomontage of the type worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0903066

The photomontage of a syntype worker of tectum is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0903066

Oxford University Museum specimens

Tapinoma arnoldi B Taylor det.	Cameroun G Debout & A Dalecky Cameroon 13	24.iii.2001 EBO 2°33.97' N 9°50.62' E	from caulinary domatia of Leonardoxa africana africana	2
Tapinoma arnoldi B Taylor det.	Cameroun G Debout & A Dalecky Cameroon 14	24.iii.2001 EBO 2°33.97' N 9°50.62' E	from caulinary domatia of Leonardoxa africana africana	2

The photomontage is of specimens collected in Cameroun - south-western tropical coastal forest area between Edéa and Campo (McKey Wolbachia project, Cameroon 13 & Cameroon 14).

Both sets from in caulinary domatia of Leonardoxa africana africana. Femora and scapes matching body and head but tibiae, tarsi and funiculi white. All borders smoothly rounded. A close match to the type worker shown above.  The type form also was collected in a gall with a "chenille" (caterpillar).

The photomontage is of a queen collected in Cameroun - south-western tropical coastal forest area between Edéa and Campo (McKey Wolbachia project, Cameroon 14).

The photomontage is of a male collected in Cameroun - south-western tropical coastal forest area between Edéa and Campo (McKey Wolbachia project, Cameroon 13).