Crematogaster (Sphaerocrema) lamottei Bernard
  Type location Guinea
(Bernard, 1952: 232, illustrated, all forms; see Bolton, 1995), 4
workers from station T 10, at 1180 m, chosen as probably matching the
queen and 4 males from lower at B8-8, N'Zo - not available on Antweb (Janaury 2015).
Other workers found at
seven stations on Mt. Nimba (all by Lamotte), and also at Boukoko
(Oubangui) by A. Hollande - see below. Note that three other varieties, mildly
differing by colour and thorax profile are described below. All forms
described  .
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 WORKER - TL 3.8-3.9 mm; entirely milk-coffee coloured,
clear,
tarsi and funiculae yellowish. All dorsum shiny, smooth or feebly
striated, with few hairs. Head near square, shiny, densely and finely
longitudinally striated. Antennal funiculus medium length, segment 1 of
the club is 3 times longer than segment 2, which is a little shorter
others. Thorax with characteristic rectilinear profile of mesonotum and
propodeum, something rare in the subgenus, where most have the thorax
more or less humped. Mesonotum flat and smooth, falling to the
propodeum with a rounded obtuse angle (straight or obtuse in varieties,
see below). Short, flat propodeum, shiny but with 5-7 strong
striations. Propodeal spines strong, almost as long as the width of the
propodeum at their base. Seen from above, as in the profile, spines
rectilinear. Petiole smooth almost flat but dilated with the maximum in
the posterior* two-thirds. Postpetiole cylindrical and puncturated, a
little wider than long (after Bernard, 1952). * "postérieurs" is used
in the original but I have to think it is an error for anterior - as in
all other Sphaerocrema.
Bernard (1952) thought it close to Crematogaster
nigrans (from
Zaïre by Kohl) but queen quite distinct. The three worker varieties
were -
Variety 1 - numerous workers taken at Nion (Stations 22 & 24), also
from N'Zo, Sérengbara, and Station T 59, in primary forest. Differ in
colour, black, and profile of mesonotum with a less obtuse posterior
angle; propodeal spines incline gently toward to base and are a little
incurved.
Variety 2 - 3 workers from Zouépo (B 8-10), and Camp IV, forest at 1000
m; like variety 1, except mesonotum is a little vaulted and propodeal
spines straighter.
Variety 3 - from Oubangui-Chari, Boukokou (A. Hollande), somewhat
larger workers, TL 4.0-4.3, also more shiny, black, mesonotum as in
variety 1, propodeal spines curved, distinctly rising upwards, petiole
rather more dilated.
In general, Bernard, placed this, especially the black
varieties, within a small group of Sphaerocrema from the
northern part of Africa - others being nigrans (Congo, rare,
now regarded as in subgenus Crematogaster, Bolton, 1995), Crematogaster
striatula
(common right across the continent), and Crematogaster
phoenix
(eastern Africa, rare). Closest perhaps to striatula but that
has a more triangular petiole. The queen morphology, in contrast, puts
it closer to nigrans, as striatula has a very elongated
head and very distinct scutellum and petiole. I think he probably was
wrong on this, as the striatula queens
that I show have a short head.
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The
photomontage of the type worker of "variety 3" is
collated from