Genus Crematogaster - Subgenus Crematogaster
2016 revision
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The Ants of
Africa Genus Crematogaster - Subgenus Crematogaster 2016 revision |
| Genus Crematogaster Introduction |
Subgenus Crematogaster Lund (1831a: 132)
Bernard (1952) wrote "We arrive, alas, at the group with the most confused systematics, with 68 described species, most eastern (Africa)". He went on to comment how these are the most evolved Crematogaster in biological terms, some with very complicated carton nests and (?reduced) larvae with elongated exudation organs (notably Crem. rivai, from Erithrea). As with the genus as a whole, there was a need for revision "truly hardly possible today". In addition to the specific findings listed below, he noted the Mt. Nimba, Guinea, collections had yielded indeterminable males. Santschi (1913a) considered Cremastogaster of the
group tricolor-menileki,
providing a key; this is at I came across several of these small brown to black species which seemed quite variable within themselves; but I attempted to select the most consistent characters in separating them into 'species'. |
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Key to workers, based mainly on historical sources and
original
descriptions Crematogaster santschii and Crematogaster trautweini now reverted to subgenus Oxygyne; Crematogaster nigrans has been moved to Sphaerocrema.. |
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Crematogaster (Crematogaster) species B
May be from Nigeria, as in Bolton's key to CRIN species (unpublished, 1969). |
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Crematogaster (Crematogaster) species F257
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MYRMICINAE Introduction |
© 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016 - Brian
Taylor
CBiol
FRSB FRES 11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K. |
href="crematogastersg.htm"
Diagnostic Features - Antennae 11-jointed. Frontal
carinae well developed. Petiole broadened in front and trapezoidal,
sometimes truncated or rounded at the anterior angles, sometimes oval.
Postpetiole grooved, or sometimes merely impressed.
TL
3.3-3.7 mm; antennae exceptionally long, reaching as far back as the
petiole, scape surpassing occiput by at least one-third its own length:
colour brownish red-yellow, front of head and petiole paler, gaster
dark brown
Uniformly
castaneous brown; TL 3.5-4.0 mm (type appears to be a minor worker)
TL 3.5-5.5
mm; propodeal spines longer; true senegalensis is brown rather
than red and vice-versa; gaster brilliant with fine sparse pubescence;
mandibles and lateral propodeum with coarse striations
TL 3.0-3.5 mm;
petiole parallel-sided; scape extending
beyond occiput; propodeum rounding from dorsum into declivity, with no
more than small denticles; colour piceous
TL
3.3-3.7 mm; scape surpassing occiput by at least one-third its own
length:
colour brownish red-yellow, front of head and petiole paler, gaster
dark brown
TL 3.6-4.2 mm; head
rectangular scarcely longer than wide; propodeal spines moderately
long, straight divergent and oblique; dull only clypeus and legs shiny,
most of head and alitrunk reticulate-punctate, gaster nitidulous;
colour dark dusty-red, gaster brown
TL 4.6-5.5
mm; petiole pyriform; posterior border with
raised prominence; scape extending well beyond occipitum; colour
ferruginous-red, gaster darker brown to black
TL 3.5-4.2 mm; head
smooth and shiny, with sparse fine
punctures; propodeum with no more than rounded tubercles; body
red-brown, darker posteriorly
Limited details; TL
2.5-3.8 mm; head square; mesonotum
marginate; propodeal spines absent or no more than tubercles denticles;
dark brown or red-brown, head lighter
TL 3.5-4.4 mm;
segments 3-5 of funiculus wider than long;
head (particularly on genae) and alitrunk strongly sculptured; brightly
coloured wine-red, with gaster near black; major workers have a squarer
head
TL
3.8-4.5 mm; gaster black but with narrow yellow borders; rest of body
essentially red-brown but posterior of head darker; shiny and smooth;
few erect hairs but quite long, abundant white pubescence
TL 3.5-4.0 mm; with
whole of the gaster contrasting darker than the rest of the head and
body; head less smooth than 
TL 2.7-3.3 mm; near solers,
neuvillei and ilgii;
pro-mesonotum convex only slightly sculptured; few yellowish erect
hairs, sparse pubescence; colour dull reddish-brown, head and gaster
darker. This and the following three seem likely to be synonymous with
alulai as the senior name
TL
4.0-4.2 mm; bicoloured, gaster black, remainder ferruginous red, quite
densely sculptured but shiny
TL 4.0 mm; head with weakly convex sides; propodeum with
small
triangular teeth, hardly longer than basal width; petiole with small
anterior ventral tooth; erect hairs absent on alitrunk and
petiole; head & alitrunk yellow-brown, gaster darker
TL 3.5-3.8 mm; scape
almost reaching occiput; glabrous;
head and alitrunk clear red, gaster brownish
TL ca 4.0 mm; pro- and
mesonotum
margined and flatter; propodeal spines stouter; metanotal groove deeper
than alulai. Note appears very similar to 
TL
4.0-4.5 mm; spines moderate; overall quite shiny, with very
fine sculpture; general colour red-brown, gaster darker
TL
3.5-5.5 mm; dark orange-yellow; gaster dullish; head
much more coarsely sculptured but mandibles and lateral propodeum with
finer striations
TL 4.2-4.8 mm; with
the posterior of the gaster darker than the rest of the head and body,
and, the base of the gaster lighter than the other parts; head finely
but distinctly sculptured
TL
3.0-3.6 mm; colour ferruginous-red, head piceous, appendages dull
ferruginous; pubescence very fine and short; head as wide as long, with
convex sides, strongly rounded posterior corners and near straight
occiput; funiculus segments 3-6 wider than long; head microscopically
reticulate, near smooth, alitrunk with reticulate sculpture; Acacia
inhabiter
TL 3.5 mm; head,
alitrunk and pedicel brown, gaster
yellowish
TL 4.5-5.0 mm; head and alitrunk dull, gaster shiny;
colour reddish-brown,
gaster wholly yellowish, appendages also dark; head square 
TL 4.5-5.5 mm; yellow-brown to orange-brown
TL 3.9-5.0 mm; colour
clear brown, gaster chestnut,
glabrous
TL 2.8-3.8 mm; head
distinctly longer than wide,
parallel-sided; eyes small and flat; scapes very short; propodeum with
acute denticles; colour black
Propodeal
spines limited to triangular teeth; TL
4.5-5.3 mm; pronotum profile distinctly
humped; gaster with superficial sculpture and coarse pubescence; colour
red-brown, gaster darker, may be overall dark
TL 3.4-4.1 mm; head,
alitrunk and petiole dull; scapes
short, not reaching occiput; propodeum with minute denticles; colour
brownish black
TL ca 3.7 mm, HL 0.83, HW 0.83, SL 0.57, PW 0.50, CI
100, SI 67; slightly darler and shinier; head sub-ovoid
TL
3.6 mm; eyes relatively large; alitrunk profile convex almost flat,
mesonotum with a slight carina but metanotal groove hardly interrupting
the profile; propodeal spines one-third down declivity, long, acute and
upward pointing; no or minute subpetiolar spine; pilosity and erect
hairs sparse;
lateral alitrunk and pedicel spiculate; colour dark brown-black
TL
2.8-4.0
mm; head square; frontal carinae reaching posterior third of eyes; eyes
feebly convex filling third quarter of face; scapes just surpassing
occiput; funiculus segments 3-5 wider than long; pronotum with distinct
but rounded margination, slightly concave (cf andrei - impressa);
dorsum of head shiny, anterior finely striated, alitrunk finely and
densely striated on the dorsum, partly replaced by fine puncturation
which dominates the lateral alitrunk, also on pedicel, gaster shiny but
with microscopic reticulation; black, appendages dark red, apex of
gaster yellowish
TL 3.4-3.5 mm; in
profile
alitrunk slightly convex, mesonotum
with a vertical rear face descending into a slightly impressed
metanotal groove, propodeal spines near halfway down declivity, stout,
acute and triangular; no subpetiolar spine; lateral alitrunk
reticulo-striate, markings faint on the pronotum; pilosity sparse and
erect hairs few; colour black, shiny 
TL
4.0-4.3 mm; spines moderate; overall moderately shiny, with fine
sculpture; general colour dark brown-black
TL
3.5-5.2 mm; head about one-seventh longer than wide, sides moderately
convex, occiput straight; scape barely reaches occiput, funiculus with
segments 2-4 at least as long as wide; propodeal spines thin and acute,
usually about half as long as interval between bases; dull, very
closely striate longitudinally on head more coarsely on alitrunk,
gaster shiny and smooth; pilosity scanty but fairly long and yellowish;
moderate, decumbent, pale yellowish pubescence; colour dark brown to
black
TL
2.6-3.5 mm; head square; scapes just exceeding occiput; alitrunk flat,
propodeal spines fine, short and directed upward; head and alitrunk
dull, head anteriorly sharply and closely striate, alitrunk and petiole
finely reticulo-punctate; black, appendages dark brown
TL 3.6-5.0
mm; very little pilosity or pubescence;
sculpturation overall fine, whole ant with a slight gloss; colour
variable piceous brown to black
TL 3.0-4.0 mm;
colour black, gaster may be brownish,
shiny, moderately pilous
TL ca 3.3 mm; propodeal spines small but sharp and
upturned
TL
4.0-4.5 mm; head densely and finely striate, with fine interspersed
puncturation; with abundant relatively long pubescence; colour dark
brown, apex of gaster almost black; alpine 2700 m and above
TL
2.8-4.0 mm; petiole with quite rounded sides; in profile promesonotum
flat and slight carination of the mesonotum; metanotal groove deeply
impressed, mesonotum with a vertical posterior face; propodeal spine
one third down the declivity, stout and moderately long; subpetiolar
spine short and blunt; lateral mesonotum, propodeum and pedicel
spiculate, some specimens with faint striations; pilosity sparse, erect
hairs few, most on the head and gaster; colour dark brown/black, shiny.
TL
3.0-3.5 mm; colour dark-brown, anterior of head sometimes paler; head
more strongly striate than godfreyi (ssp. of sjostedti)
TL
4.0-4.5 mm; sculpturation of head and alitrunk essentially striate to
rugose; gaster shiny but finely rugulose; colour dirty reddish-brown
TL 3.8-4.0 mm;
colour ferruginous-red or reddish raw
umber, posterior of head, alitrunk dorsum and apex of gaster darker to
mahogany; essentially smooth and shiny, sides of alitrunk
longitudinally striate; clothed all over with distinctive long, silky
white pubescence; montane species
TL
3.6-4.5 mm; overall matt, with quite dense puncturation between very
fine striate sculpture; general colour very dark red-brown; no erect
hairs but short, dense golden pubescence on gaster
TL 3.8 mm; larger mesonotum and a deeper
metanotal groove; propodeum with very small denticles; petiole with
long thin anterior subventral tooth; probably dark brown, appendages
dark yellowish-red; possibly/probably the major (large) worker of 
TL mm; darker and smaller
than 
TL
3.5-4.0 mm; overall colour dark brown or darker, anterior margins
brownish-red; alitrunk dull, closely and longitudinally rugulose
TL
3.2-4.0 mm; mesonotum marginate with subdentate prominence at anterior
end; colour reddish-brown, alitrunk and pedicel paler; fairly abundant
long, decumbent, pale whitish-yellow pubescence all over, especially on
gaster (Arnold comparison with bulawayensis, ssp of gerstaeckeri)
TL 2.6-3.7 mm; colour
dark-brown to black, scape dark
red-brown, appendages reddish; ssp atriscapus with head more
strongly puncturate than type; distinct puncturation on lateral
alitrunk, also on dorsum and sides of pedicel segments
TL
2.8 mm; scape narrow reaching posterior border of head, eyes large,
oval and moderately prominent; pronotum smooth and shining, convex,
margined anteriorly and laterally, anterior angles and sides rounded;
metanotal groove deep and well marked; mesonotum with striae on dorsal
surface; lateral mesonotum finely punctate; propodeal spines short,
sharp and projecting outwards and slightly downwards, marked angle at
junction of dorsum and declivity of propodeum; clothed with fine,
short, decumbent hairs; colour smooth and shining yellowish-brown but
A1 was light to dark brown within a single colony
TL 4.0 mm; head with
almost straight sides; pronotum with well defined marginal line;
mesonotum emarginate, with median prominence; propodeum with broad
triangular teeth, hardly longer than basal width; longer narrower
petiole with anterior ventral tooth; erect hairs absent on alitrunk and
petiole; head reddish-brown, rest brownish red-yellow, appendages brown
TL 3.3 mm; though similar in form to 
TL
2.3-2.8 mm; cf excisa; colour pitch brown, head and gaster
duller; noticeable whitish pubescence on head and gaster; largely
smooth, except genae and antennal bases finely striate and alitrunk
dorsum finely reticulo-granulate, dorsum of petiole microscopically
reticulate; segments 2-6 of funiculus longer than wide; promesonotum
laterally bordered, less concave than concava
TL 3.5-4.5 mm; propodeal spine longer; head squarer
TL 2.9-3.5 mm; colour yellow-brown, head sub-circular
TL 3.4-4.3 mm;
head more irregularly striate, with large
hair pits, especially on the occiput; colour brown-yellow; subalpine
1700 m
TL 3.5-4.0 mm; mostly shiny; colour yellowish-red,
gaster
black, appendages also dark; head square, eyes occupy one-third of
face; funiculus
segments 3-7 as wide as long; pronotum laterally bordered, but
promesonotal suture straight and not curved; propodeal spines about a
quarter to a third longer than the dorsum of propodeum; lateral
alitrunk reticulo-punctate 
TL
3.5-3.6 mm; petiole in dorsal view almost quadratic, not much wider
anteriorly than posteriorly (similar to mimosae); head
rounded-square, wider than the alitrunk; propodeal spines half as long
as interbase distance; colour brown to red-brown; pedicel and gaster
more yellow-brown
TL 3.5-4.5 mm; slightly smaller than 
TL
3.5-4.0 mm; head wider than long; petiole not much wider than long;
alitrunk paler than head or gaster; propodeal spines at least 0.2 mm;
colour piceous, with reddish pubescence, alitrunk and mandibles
TL not given; head only
slightly wider than long; propodeal spines long and thin, at least 0.25
mm; body unicolorous dark brown to black - possibly not separable from 
TL 3.2-4.0 mm; colour
dark brown to black
TL 3.5-5.0 mm,
dimorphic; head square, wider than the
alitrunk; quite strongly sculptured with striations; promesonotum
convex not marginated; colour dark brown, appendages lighter, antennal
club pale to white
TL ca 4.5 mm plus
TL
3.5-4.0 mm; base colour red-brown, alitrunk distinctly lighter
TL 2.5-3.8 mm or
less;
petiole trapezoidal, widest in front; propodeum at same level of
mesonotum but with a deep metanotal groove; head near matt with fine
longitudinal striation (near smooth in type); alitrunk with weak
sculpturation
Head subovate;
frontal carinae short, not reaching
anterior level of the eyes; scapes short; generally no more than brown
or brown-red, with gaster darker brown
TL
3.7-4.0 mm; propodeum not striated, spines longer and set at the top of
the declivity; colour essentially
brownish
TL
3.7-4.0 mm; propodeum not striated, spines short and set down the
declivity; colour essentially
brownish
TL
3.4-3.9 mm; head globose; scapes not reaching occiput; very little
pilosity or pubescence; head and alitrunk dull and closely reticulate,
petiole and gaster shiny; generally reddish brown, gaster darker
TL 2.8-4.0 mm;
overall reddish-yellow; gaster lighter;
propodeum with distinct but minute spines
TL 3.5-3.9 mm; head
broader than long; sides convex,
occipitum impressed; scapes reaching occiput; alitrunk dorsum flattish,
sides marginate; propodeal spines short & conical; petiole broader
than long; shining, with feeble striation on head, alitrunk laterally
and dorsal pronotum; brown ferruginous
Base colour dull yellow-brown
TL 4.5-6.0 mm;
yellow-brown, gaster darker; head only weakly sculptured 
Unicoloured
yellow brown
TL 2-4 mm; colour, at
least head, yellowish or brown;
lateral margins of mesonotum bevelled; propodeal spines short and
sharp; nests under bark? Drawing is 
TL
3.5-4.0 mm; head square; scapes reach occiput; antennal club
3-segmented but apical two segments slender; pronotum bordered,
slightly convex; submatt, most of head, declivity of propodeum and
gaster shiny, sides of mesonotum densely punctate; pedicel segments
finely reticulate; colour dark red-brown, posterior of head darker,
gaster yellow ochre to yellow brown; appendages yellow to orange
Small species TL
no more than 3.0 mm, colour piceous; Acacia gall-inhabiter
TL
3 mm; scapes reaching occiput; head near square with only slight
convexity of sides; eyes slightly elongated, about 1/4 length of head,
set in middle of sides; alitrunk as impressa, laterally raised
from promesonotal suture to anterior margin; metanotal groove deep and
lateral borders of propodeum raised, spines about 1/3 as long as
interval between bases, slightly curved upwards; a few whitish erect
hairs on head and gaster, pale pubescence; alitrunk dorsum finely
reticulate (smooth in CAR specimen), faintly striate on propodeum
dorsum; clear yellow-brown, apex of gaster darker
TL 3.0-5.0 mm;
head distinctly reddish, gaster darker;
head wider than long; petiole not much wider than long; head and
alitrunk pale unicolorous red; propodeal spines 0.15 mm or less,
reduced to tubercles; weakly sculptured; occiput dull; second funiculus
segment shorter than third; Acacia inhabiter
TL ca 3.5 mm; head wider than long; scapes silghtly
surpass the occiput; propodeal spines moderately
long, straight divergent and oblique
TL 3.0-3.5 mm; colour yellow-brown may be
synonymous with 
TL
3.3-3.6 mm; very wide head and long scapes surpassing occiput by 1.5
times own width; head, thorax and sides of petiole densely
reticulate-punctate and submatt, on sides of head reticulo-striate
post-petiole and gaster feebly shagreened and shiny; no erect hairs
except at apices; colour brownish-black, appendages and articulation of
pedicel red-brown, base of gaster reddish-brown (the specimen shown is
a syntype worker apparently lighter than the type description)