Crematogaster (Orthocrema) muralti Forel

Type location Cameroun (Cremastogaster Muralti, n. sp., Forel, 1910e: 432, worker) L V Muralt
junior synonym (here)
livingstonei (Crematogaster (Orthocrema) Muralti For., stirps Livingstonei, n. sp., Santschi, 1919a: 344, worker) from Zambia, Livingstone, G Arnold - see below
worker only described (see Bolton, 1995) .

NOTE - I have elevated the smaller, dark brown to black form regarded as subspecies ugandensis (Santschi, 1914b: 99, worker) from Uganda, to species status - Crematogaster ugandensis.

Forel's (1910e) description is at . Santschi's (1919a) description of livingstonei is at . Arnold (1920a: 536) gave an illustrated translation; this is at .

Santschi (1935a) also saw workers of muralti from Kasai, Dumbi; Ngombe and Kunungu, Zaïre; all collected by Dr H Schouteden.

The photomontage of the type worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0908359.

The photomontage of a syntype worker of livingstonei is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0902067.

Crematogaster (Orthocrema) species 1 - Nigeria specimens (Taylor, 1979: 21). WORKER. TL 2.18 mm, HL 0.61, HW 0.59, SL 0.39, PW 0.34
Colour dark orange, very dark on the gaster. Moderately abundant pilosity. Erect hairs clavate, this is especially noticeable on the pedicel. Alitrunk profile a nearly continuous convex curve, with only a slight depression at the metanotal groove. The propodeal spines are short, triangular, upturned denticles. The subpetiolar spine is moderately long and triangular.

The presence of a subpetiolar spine confounds the key of Bolton (unpublished, 1969) to CRIN species; the clavate hairs, however, seem unique.

Nests under bark, in dead branch ends and in mummified pods. In Nigeria, it was not infrequently found on cocoa, on up to 1% of trees, often in association with Oecophylla longinoda, and foraging over a surprisingly wide area of canopy (Taylor, 1977). It constructs discrete tents of vegetable debris over Pseudococcids at the pod-stalk junction, the tents have been found to be sources of cocoa black pod disease. Also found on native shrubs and trees, and on kola.

Possibly the same (unnamed) species was mentioned by Strickland (1951a) from Ghana and Togo. He described it as being rare and of minor importance, but it was found also on several other shrubs and trees.

Oxford University Museum specimens

Crematogaster (Orthocrema) muralti B Taylor det.	Ivory Coast Erena Dupont iv.2014	Taï National Park 5˚45'00" N 7˚07'00" W	09	1
Crematogaster (Orthocrema) muralti B Taylor det.	Central African Republic P Annoyer GN-03	23.ii.2005 Dzanga-Sangha 02°55’04.8" N 16°10’09.7" E	U.V : 21h-6h30 à 38m du sol dans un Ayous (Triplochiton scleroxylon, Sterculariaceae); 450 m asl	4

The photomontage is of a worker from Ivory Coast, Dzanga-Sangha NP; Camp 6; collector Erena Dupont.

The photomontage is of a worker from the Central African Republic, Dzanga-Sangha NP; Camp 6; collector Philippe Annoyer (CAR GN).