Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius)
  Type location French
Guyana (Formica melanocephala, Fabricius, 1793: 353, worker;
illustrated by Coquebert, 1799, Pl. VI; Emery, 1887a: 249, male; Forel,
1891b: 102, queen) - no type images on Antweb (January 2018)
junior synonyms
australis (Tapinoma
(Micromyrma) melanocephalum Fabr., v. australis var. n., Santschi, 1928a:
53, worker) from Samoa, Tutuila, Leone Road, 18.ii.1924, Bryan
- see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0903063
australe (Tapinoma
(Micromyrma) melanocephalum Mayr, v. australe var. n., Santschi, 1928e:
475, worker) from Vanuatu, Santos Is., 8.viii. 1925, P A Buxton
- see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0911572
familiaris (Formica
familiaris, F Smith, 1860b: 96, worker) from Indonesia,
Bachian, Mr Wallace - no type images on Antweb (January 2018)
nana (Formica nana,
Jerdon, 1851: 125, worker) from India - no type images on
Antweb (January 2018)
pellucida (Myrmica
pellucida, F Smith, 1857a: 71, worker) from Singapore,
Mr Wallace - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0901925
subspecies
coronatum (Tapinoma
melanocephalum F. var. coronatum
n. var., Forel, 1908b: 62, worker) from Costa
Rica, Punta Arenas - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0909775
malesianum (Tapinoma
melanocephalum F. var. malesiana
n. var., Forel, 1913k: 93, worker & queen)
from Sumatra - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0909776
(see Bolton, 1995)  .
|
 Fabricius's
(1793) description is at  . Emery's (1887a) description of the male
is
at  . Jerdon (1851) for nana gave a brief description that
matches the type form, "found in all parts of India and is very
abundant in Mysore". F Smith for familiaris
(1860b) and gave a brief descriptions that match the type form.
Forel's (1908b) description of coronatum is
at  .
Forel's (1913k) description of malesiana
does not appear to differ significantly from the
type form. Santschi (1928a)
gave v. australis as differing from the type
in having longer palps and from var. malesiana
in the darker colour of the head and a paler gaster. Santschi (1928e)
gave australe as, TL 1.5 mm,
pale yellow or a little darker, head brownish; palps slightly more
dilated.
Illustration collated from Coquebert (1799), much
enlarged, plus modern
Gabon specimen.
Coquebert, De Montbret, Antoine Jean. 1799. Illustratio
Iconographica Insectorum Quae in Musaeis Parisinis Obseravit et in
Lucem Edidit J.C. Fabricus præmiseis ejusdem descriptionibus ... .
Decas I-III. Paris: (1798)-1825
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 Nigeria specimens (Taylor, 1978: 49). WORKER.
TL
1.49-1.71 mm, HL 0.45, HW 0.37, SL 0.42, PW 0.23
Colour of head and alitrunk dark yellow-brown, gaster yellow,
extremities pale yellow. Dense fine pubescence all over, erect setae on
clypeus and gastral apex only. Alitrunk in profile near smoothly
convex, with slight metanotal depression in the convexity and the
propodeal declivity straight. A domestic species which is common in
houses.
Found in Ghana at the Mampong Cemetery Farm on
cocoa mistletoe by Room (1971, 1975) and on cocoa at Kade by Majer
(1975, 1976b), using pkd, with 20-27 workers per sample.
Also from Conakry, Guinea (by Silvestri, in
Wheeler, 1922).
Hölldobler & Wilson (1990, page 213-5) describe it
as an 'opportunistic nester', utilising almost any crack or crevice.
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Oxford University Museum
specimens
Tapinoma melanocephalum
B Taylor det.
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Senegal
David King
King 01-06
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19.ix.2006
Dakar
14°44'48" N
17°31'35"
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elev 9 m asl
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1
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Tapinoma melanocephalum
B Taylor det. |
Senegal
Lamine Diamé
20
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07.iv.2012
Thiés
14°45'N
17°03'W
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Doyene-KS
damaged
tube 04
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1
|
 |
Tapinoma melanocephalum
B Taylor det. |
Ivory Coast
Erena Dupont
iii.2014
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Taï National Park
5˚45'00" N
7˚07'00" W
|
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3
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Tapinoma melanocephalum
B Taylor det. |
Ivory Coast
Erena Dupont
iv.2014
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Taï National Park
5˚45'00" N
7˚07'00" W
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08
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1
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Tapinoma melanocephalum
B Taylor det. |
Benin
J-F Vayssieres
RVA 2956
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11.xi.2012
Calavi
06°42'14'' N
02°32'31'' E
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IITA Station?
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2
|
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Tapinoma melanocephalum
B Taylor det. |
Benin
J-F Vayssieres
RVA 3103
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21.iv.2013
Calavi
06°25'17'' N
02°19'42'' E
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In house
feeding on Bostrichidae corpse
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2
|
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Tapinoma melanocephalum
B Taylor det. |
Cameroun
A Fotso Kuate
Sample 6
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31.viii.2008
Balangue
03°54'30" N
11°25'58" E
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aphid survey
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2
|
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Tapinoma melanocephalum
B Taylor det. |
Gabon
A Fotso Kuate
Sample 44a
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15.ix.2008
Mbilazambo
03°54'30" N
11°25'58" E
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aphid survey |
1
|
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Tapinoma melanocephalum
B Taylor det. |
Gabon
Y Braet
Gabon 58
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17.vii.2006
Pongara
00°34' N
09°19' E
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Pointe Wingombe;
edge of lagoon, sweep net
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1
|
|
Tapinoma melanocephalum
B Taylor det. |
Central African
Republic
P Annoyer
DA
|
12.i.2005
Dzanga-Sangha
04°22'19.4" N
18°35'49.7" E
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360 m
damaged
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1
|
|
Tapinoma melanocephalum
B Taylor det. |
Kenya
David King
King 02-14-1
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26.v.2000
Mombasa
03°58'38" S
39°44'52" E
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elev 18 m asl
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2
|
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Tapinoma melanocephalum
B Taylor det. |
Maldives
M Aita
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2008
Ihuru Island
4°18'36" N
73°25'26" E
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North Malé Atoll;
foraging on the ground
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1
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|
 The
photomontage is of workers collected in Gabon, Pongara NP;
collector
Yves Braet (Gabon 58).
|
 The
photomontage is
of a worker from Gabon, Mbilazambo; collector A Fotso Kuate (fk
unmounted 44)
|
 The
photomontage is of workers from The Maldives, North Malé
Atoll, Ihuru Island, 4°18'36"N 73°25'26"E, 2008, collected by Marco
Aita. Collected foraging on the ground.
|
 The
photomontage of a male is collated from - http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=iccdrs0002606.
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