Crematogaster (Orthocrema) pulchella Bernard

Type location Guinea (Bernard, 1952: 230, illustrated, worker & queen). Collected at Mt. Nimba; 6 workers from forest at Mount Tô; 10 workers (also many cotypes in alcohol), 1 dealated queen and 1 ergatoid female from same, ravine 1, station B2.41; 4 workers from scrub on the crest of Nion (Lamotte) - see below

Worker and queen described (see Bolton, 1995). .

Bernard's (1952) description is at .

TL 2.3-2.5 mm; head, thorax and petiole shiny clear yellow, with few hairs. Head sometimes a little browner, small and rounded; antennal scape short, second segment of funiculus just ¼ longer than wide, segments 4-6 twice as long as wide. Petiole longer than wide, clear yellow, slighty dilated and angular anteriorly. Gaster voluminous, clearly cordiform, entirely pure black, very shiny and not reticulated (after Bernard, 1952).

Bernard (1952) remarked how the workers were similar to those of pauciseta but the queens differ strongly, most closely resembling Crem. natalensis (from South Africa) (having examined the type specimens in Forel's collection, in Paris); and sharing the unusual ergatoid female morph. There were distinct differences between the queens of pulchella and natalensis. The ergatoid of pulchella was about twice the size of the worker but otherwise similar in colour, etc.

Clypeus large and slightly convex, no frontal triangle. The dorsal alitrunk has very distinct sculpturation with three longitudinal carinae - the lateral carinae extending back at the metanotal groove to produce pseudospines. The metanotal declivity is vertical dropping to a right angle with the propodeum. The latter has a flat dorsum on a much lower level than the promesonotum. Propodeal spines long, sharp and slightly upturned. The propodeal spiracle is set distinctly removed from the base of the spines and is rearward facing with a sclerotised rim. Lateral petiole thick and spiculate; postpetiole also spiculate. Pronotal angles each with a distinctive long thick erect hair. All of the very few erect hairs are long and slightly spatulate.

The photomontage of the holotype worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0913653.

Oxford University Museum specimens

Crematogaster (Orthocrema) pulchella B Taylor det.

Cameroun G Debout & A Dalecky Cameroon 118

18.iv.2001 Kouedjina 3°55' N 13°45' E

.

2

The photomontage is of specimens collected in Cameroun - Cameroon 118, 15.ii.2001, Kouedjina (3°55' N, 13°45' E, altitude 692 m), extreme south-east (McKey Wolbachia project).