Tetramorium occidentale (Santschi)

Type location Cameroun (Xiphomyrmex occidentalis n. sp., Santschi, 1916a: 50, illustrated, worker) no collection details - see below
junior synonym insularis (Xiphomyrmex insularis n. sp., Menozzi, 1924b: 223, illustrated, worker) from Principé Is. - no images on Antweb (April 2015)
worker only described (see Bolton, 1995) .

Santschi's (1916a) description is at . Menozzi's (1924b) description of insularis is at . Bolton's modern description (1980) is at .

Hita Garcia et al (2010) have separated T. akengense (Wheeler, 1922: 194, worker) from Zaïre as a separate species

WORKER - TL 2.3-3.3 mm; 11-segmented antennae; frontal carinae ending at the level of the scrobe and not curving back and down; petiole thickly squamiform. Largely unsculptured. Fine erect hairs on all dorsal surfaces. Colour uniform dark brown to black, appendages lighter, sometimes much lighter (Bolton, 1980, illustrated).

From West and Central Africa, described by Bolton (1980) as quite common in thickly forested areas of Ghana, usually found in leaf litter samples, with nests in rotten stumps and logs. Curiously, Belshaw & Bolton (1994b) did not come across it in their many leaf litter samples). Bolton listed collections from Ghana (C.A. Collingwood; D. Leston; himself) at CRIG, Mampong, Pankese and Mt. Atewa. From Ivory Coast, at Banco Forest (W.L. Brown) and Divo (C. Collingwood); and Cameroun, the type location (not named) plus Yaoundé (E.S. Ross and K. Lorenzen) and Muyuka (B. Malkin) (Bolton, 1980). Bernard (1952), recorded it (as X. occidentalis) from Guinea, one worker being found at N'Zo; adding that the "examples" (plural) differed from the type in being truly black rather than brown-red and having the sides of the head and thorax smooth (wrinkled, ?with rugulae?, in the type); a very variable species but one of which it seemed useless to describe specific forms.

The photomontage is of the type worker collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0915037.

Oxford University Museum specimens

Tetramorium occidentale B Taylor det.	Cameroun A Fotso Kuate Tetramorium occidentale	28.vii.2007 Awae II 03°54'30" N 11°25'58"	Quadrat in fallow	1
Tetramorium occidentale B Taylor det.	Central African Republic P Annoyer Di on reduviid	20.i.2005 Dzanga-Sangha 03°55’13.2" N 16°36’46.1" E	536m; U.V : 2h-6h, après Sefka (entre Bambio et croisement Nola/Berberati), dans layon forestier; from on a reduviid bug; collected in forest, 1st hour of the morning	1

The photomontage is of a worker from Cameroun; Awae II; collector A Fotso Kuate (fk tetramorium occidentale)

The photomontage is of a queen from the Central African Republic, Dzanga-Sangha National Park; from on a reduviid bug; collected in forest, 1st hour of the morning; collector Philippe Annoyer.

This specimen matches the Santschi (1916a) description exactly, including the brownish-black mandibles, antennae, legs and extremity of the gaster; seen from above the petiole is oval, and the postpetiole is globular, seen from above a little wider than the petiole.