Lepisiota depilis (Emery)
 Type location Somalia
(Acantholepis capensis sottosp. depilis n. subsp.,
Emery, 1897e: 602, worker & queen; raised to species Collingwood,
1985: 294)  .
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Emery's (1897e)
description is on  . Compared with capensis,
head more
truncate with less rounded corners, erect hairs short more scarce, on
gaster dorsum restricted to tranverse row at posterior of each segment;
pubescence less copious; overall subopaque, metanotum and propodeum
opaque. He added that the queen he had described earlier (Emery, 1892a)
under L. carbonaria appeared
to be the queen of depilis,
see  .
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WORKER - TL 2.2-2.4 mm; HL slightly > HW; scapes
surpassing occiput
by over 1/3 of their own length; petiole with feeble teeth; moderately
abundant yellowish-white pilosity, pubescence sparse white appressed
; black, appendages blackish-brown.
No records from Egypt.
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 The photomontage
of the type worker is collated
from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0905149
The
minute appressed pubescence on the head, especially, is quite
distinctive. It does seem, however, that the term "depilis" is a
misnomer as fresh specimens, as shown below, have quite abundant long
erect hairs.
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Oxford University Museum
specimens
Lepisiota depilis
B Taylor det.
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Sudan
J Mathews
JM 351
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12.x.2001
Khordonia
11°51' N
34°15' E
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Damazine Plantation,
Blue Nile
pyrethrum fogging of Acacia senegal
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i
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 |
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 The
photomontage is of a worker from Sudan,
collected by J Mathews, by pyrethrum fogging of Acacia senegal.
Blue Nile, Khordonia, Damazine Plantation, 11°51' N 34°15' E;
12.x.2001, JM 351; one
specimen mounted, numerous others, JM 351.
Clypeus with distinctive raised median carina;
eyes near
flat (ca 0.4 x length of side of head); alitrunk relatively short and
stocky, pronotum quite strongly domed; petiole scale weakly bispinose,
head narrowed anteriorly but in profile convex on both upper and lower
sides, occiptum feebly impressed; erect hairs moderately long and
slender off-white (ca 0.10 mm long). head quite shaggy due to decumbent
pubescence; overall uniform dark brown-black. The type description has petiole scale effectively unarmed, head, pronotum
and mesonotum subopaque. This is shinier but seems a good match.
TL ca 2.4 mm, HL 0.61, HW 0.54, CI 88, SL 0.69, SI 124, PW 0.37, eye
length 0.20
Khordonia 2 trees (351 only 12; 370 3 plus very many others).
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 The
photomontage is of a worker from Sudan,
Dinder National Park; collected by Awatif Omer (Sudan 30)
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 The
photomontage is of a worker from Ethiopia,
Abijata National Park; collected by A Pauly
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