The Ants of Africa
Genus Tetraponera
Tetraponera maculifrons (Santschi)

Tetraponera maculifrons (Santschi)

return to key {link to the Hymenoptera Name Server} Type location Djibouti (Sima foveolata Mayr stirps maculifrons n.sp., Santschi, 1912b: 162, worker; in Tetraponera, Wheeler, 1922: 797) collected at Obock
variety syriaca (Sima bifoveolata var. syriaca,Wheeler & Mann, 1916, 167, worker) from Egypt, collected in Sinai, by W M Mann
worker only described (see Bolton, 1995) .


Santschi's (1912b) description is at {original description}. Wheeler & Mann's (1916) description of syriaca is at {original description}.

Mayr (1895) also noted its collection at Zanzibar, Tanzania. Menozzi (1926a) reported the queen from Somalia, at El Bar El Ellan.
The Wheeler & Mann specimens in the MCZ photograph, assuming the scale is correct, has a TL of over 6 mm; whereas Mayr (1895) gave the type bifoveolata TL as 3.8-4.2 mm; Mayr also noted abundant pubescence on the type bifoveolata and none is obvious on the MCZ syriaca specimen. .


Tetraponera maculifronsThe photomontage of a worker from Algeria (Hoggar/Haggar/Ahaggar Mountians), identified by Santschi, is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0915530. It and others are listed by Santschi (Santschi, 1934f). He commented on it solely as a variation from the type Sima bifoveolata. Comparing this Santschi worker and the remains of the bifoveolata type there is no obvious difference in morphology. From the evidence of the Tanzania specimens I have, both are the minor morph of the workers. What is constant, however, between the two species as I feel they should be is that the bifoveolata specimens all have quite a dense covering of pubescence and more obviously abundant erect ahirs.


{short description of image}The photomontage is collated from http://mcz-28168.oeb.harvard.edu/mcz/FMPro?-DB=Image.fm&-Lay=web&-Format=images.htm&Species_ID=20528&-Find.


Tetraponera maculifronsThe photomontage of a cotype of syriaca is collated from The Smithsonian Institute images at http://ripley.si.edu/ent/nmnhtypedb/public/specimeninfopage.cfm?publicconsumption=1&typespecimenID=398.

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© 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2018 - Brian Taylor CBiol FRSB FRES
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