Anochetus bequaerti Forel
  Type location Zaïre
(Anochetus Bequaerti n. sp.,
Forel, 1913b: 309, worker) from Bukama, Dr Bequaert - see below
junior synonyms
abstracta
(Anochetus bequaerti For.
stirps abstracta n. st.,
Santschi, 1914e: worker) from South Africa, Natal, Amanzimtoti
estus
(Anochetus estus n. sp.,
Wheeler, 1922: 98, worker) - see below
opaciventris (Anochetus
opaciventris new species, Wheeler, 1922:
98, worker), both from the stomachs of toads, in Zaïre, at
Akenge, by Lang & Chapin (synonymized by Brown, 1978c:
556)
all forms described (Bolton, 1995)  .
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Forel's (1913b) description is at  . Santschi's (1914e) description of abstracta
is at  . Arnold's (1915: 104)
translation of Forel (1913) and descriptions of the male and female are
at  . Wheeler's (1922) description of estus
is at  . Wheeler's (1922) description of opaciventris
is at  . Brown's (1978c: 556) description is at  .
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Brown (1978c) referred to a more brightly coloured form
from the West African forests.
From Guinea, Bernard (1952) listed one queen,
from Station B 8-10, Zouépo, forest, 1215 m.
Brown reported specimens from Gabon, and
Ivory Coast, at Lamto (J. Lévieux).
Collected in Ghana by Belshaw & Bolton
(1994b), who described it as widespread (43 workers from 9 sites, plus
2 workers in soil samples) in their leaf litter samples from the
semi-deciduous forest zone.
The specimens shown below include two queens matching
the type form colouration, as described by Forela (1913b), and workers
of the brighter variations.
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 Nigeria
specimens (Taylor, 1976: 13). TL 4.56 mm, HL 1.00, HW 1.00, SL 1.00 and
PW 0.59
Eyes large, length 0.25 mm. Overall colour castaneous, lighter on head,
legs pale yellow and shiny. Dorsum of head finely striate. Alitrunk
finely rugose. Apex of petiolar node transversely rectangular. In
addition to his diagnostic features, this was described by Brown
(1978c) as an extremely variable species, closely related to africanus.
Sizes ranging from HL 1.25 to 1.75 mm.
The drawn specimen, collected from a rotten log by Bolton at the Cocoa
Research Institute of Nigeria, Idi Ayunre, appears to match what Brown
(1978c) described as a "puzzling variant, very small in size...., with
relatively large eyes". He thought the anomalous worker could just be a
hybrid, or an undescribed species, but that it was most likely "just
another manifestation of the extreme variability".
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 The
photomontage of the type worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=rmcaent000017738.
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 The
photomontage is of the worker, in the AMNH collection, described as the
holotype of estus by Wheeler (1922), at http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0003146.
Collection details - Locality: Akengi(e), Congo; 02°55'N
26°50'E. Collection Information: Collection codes: ANTC1091. Date: ?.
Collected by: H.O.Lang. Habitat: stomach Bufo funereus.
Note that Wheeler described this as deep castaneous
brown, almost black, with the appendages, sides and posterior corners
of head, mandibles, clypeus and tip of gaster pale brown
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 The
photomontage of a non-type queen (Arnold, 1915 is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent090245.
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 The
photomontage of a non-type male (Arnold, 1915) is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0902452.
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Oxford University Museum
specimens
Anochetus bequaerti
B Taylor det. |
Senegal
Lamine Diamé
52
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21.v.2012
Thiés
14°45'N
17°03'W
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Pout
V9 pitfall 7
tube 05
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2
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Anochetus bequaerti
B Taylor det.
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Liberia
E Poirier
Yekepa Camp 4
PF 12
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6.iv.2013
Nimba County
07°33’04" N
08°33’17" E
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Pitfall trap
Floodplain & marsh
501 m asl
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1
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Anochetus bequaerti
B Taylor det.
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Benin
S Tchibozo
Benin 6
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27.viii.2006
Bonou
06°50-55' N
02°20-30'E |
Forêt de
Gnanhouizoumè, Pitfall trap |
2
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Anochetus bequaerti
B Taylor det. |
Benin
J-F Vayssieres
RVA 2945
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7.x.2012
Korobourou
09°22'13'' N
02°40'16'' E
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Mangifera indica orchard
Quadrat 1, tube 6, variété: Kent
Ground nesting
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2
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Anochetus bequaerti
B Taylor det.
Queen
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Central African
Republic
P Annoyer
HL |
21.x.2008
Dzanga-Sangha
03°03'58.3" N
16°08'59.6" E |
Nuit; Camp Au camp |
1
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Anochetus bequaerti
B Taylor det.
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Cameroun
A Fotso Kuate
Anochetus sp 2 |
26.ix.2007
Matomb
03°54'30" N
11°25'58" E |
quadrat in forest
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1
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Anochetus bequaerti
B Taylor det.
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Cameroun
A Fotso Kuate
Anochetus sp 4 |
20.ix.2007
Awae II
03°54'30" N
11°25'58" E |
quadrat in forest |
1
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 The
photomontage is of a worker from Benin; S
Tchibozo (Benin 6)
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 The
photomontage is of a worker from Cameroun;
Matomb, Fotso Kuate (fk sp 2)
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 The photomontage is of
a queen from the Central
African Republic, Dzanga-Sangha Nature Reserve, collector Philippe
Annoyer
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 The photomontage is
of a queen from Ghana,
collected by S Sky Stephens, 2006. Other images can be seen in the
folder at -
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