![]() |
The Ants of
Africa SUBFAMILY PONERINAE - Genus Leptogenys |
Contents - Ponerinae - PONERINAE Introduction |
In Tribe PONERINI.
Roger's (1861a) genus definition is at .
Comprehensively revised by Bolton (1975a: 237 ff).
Diagnostic Features - Mandibles articulated at extreme corners of anterior margin of head; of varying shape, may be elongate, linear and curved, or short and quite board, but always more or less edentate, with only one or two teeth situated apically. Median portion of clypeus carinate, produced anteriorly into a lobe or point. Lobes of frontal carinae small, in dorsal view usually only partially covering the condylar bulbs of the antennal scapes. Middle and hind tibiae each with one large pectinate and one small simple spur. Claws pectinate, but incompletely so in some species. Gaster weakly impressed between first and second segments.
Described by Bolton (1973a) as distributed throughout West Africa with most species being found in the forest zone, inhabiting wet and rotting wood.
Bernard (1952) noted that they are very slender Ponerines, queens often ergatoid. Basically an oriental group, common and varied in east Africa and Asia. Poorly represented in Guinea, where the two captures made by Lamotte appeared to be new highly striated races of species common to Congo and Rhodesia. It is a general rule with more primitive ants that the mountain races are more striated than those of the lowlands, especially on the sides of the epinotum and the petiole.
All are predatory, feeding on termites and sowbugs (Oniscidae) (Lévieux, 1983b); they have a stridulatory mechanism for auditory signalling (Hölldobler & Wilson, 1990, page 253).
Belshaw & Bolton (1994b) described how they found only one of the 12 species previously recorded from Ghana, plus one undescribed species, and ascribed this to the nocturnal habits of genus members.
Bradshaw & Howse (1984) described the genus as of great interest for the diversity of hunting and raiding techniques which its members employ; terrestrial isopods (woodlice) are among the prey of several species, others consume earthworms and termites.
Key to species of mainland Africa (developed from Bolton, 1975a, and Arnold, 1915):
Mayr's (1862) definition of Lobopelta is
at .
Arnold's (1915) translated descriptions and his keys to South African
species is at
.
Bolton (1975) recognised that the old subgenus separations were
untenable, as his comprehensive study revealed transitional forms that
would not fall into the tight definitions.
1 | ![]() |
2 |
-- | In profile petiole without a spine or tooth | 3 |
2 | ![]() |
Congo Basin - crustosa |
-- | ![]() |
West Africa - conradti |
3 | Whole body densely shagreened and opaque | 4 |
-- | Not entirely shagreened, usually not opaque, at least the gaster shining; lacking dense pubescence | 7 |
4 | ![]() |
Tanzania - jeanneli |
-- | Without erect hairs; smaller HL < 1.75 | 5 |
5 | ![]() |
6a |
-- | ![]() |
6b |
6a | ![]() |
East Africa also Cameroun & Senegal - pavesii |
-- | ![]() |
revived status - South Africa - cribrata |
6b | ![]() |
Eastern & southern Africa (and tramp) - maxillosa |
-- | ![]() |
Madagascar (and tramp) - falcigera |
![]() |
Not entirely shagreened, usually not opaque, at least the gaster shining | -- |
7 | First and second gastral tergites without hairs; with sparse strongly appressed pubescence; eyes minute | 8 |
-- | First and second gastral tergites with hairs; if such hairs sparse, either eyes larger (wider than scape) or gaster strongly constricted between first and second segments, or both | 11 |
8 | ![]() |
Ivory Coast - microps |
-- | Larger species (HW > 0.75, PW > 0.45) with larger eyes; pronotal dorsum without paired long hairs | 9 |
9 | ![]() |
. |
. | ![]() |
Ghana - spandax |
-- | Pronotal dorsum with numerous short standing hairs; petiole profile not a thick scale but a high narrow node; smaller species with relatively short antennal scapes (HL < 1.10, SI < 130) | 10 |
10 | ![]() |
. |
. | ![]() |
Ghana - testacea |
-- | ![]() |
. |
. | ![]() |
West Africa - guineensis |
![]() |
First and second gastral tergites with hairs | -- |
11 | Petiole profile with upper halves of the sides longitudinally rugose or sulcate | 12 |
-- | Petiole profile with upper halves of the sides not longitudinally rugose or sulcate | 15 |
12 | Pronotal dorsum unsculptured apart from hair pits | 13 |
-- | Pronotal dorsum sculptured at least anteriorly | 14 |
13 | ![]() |
Guinea & Liberia - occidentalis |
-- | ![]() |
. |
. | ![]() |
Cameroun & Gabon - sulcinoda |
14 | ![]() |
. |
. | ![]() |
West Africa - mastax |
-- | ![]() |
West Africa - nuserra |
![]() |
Petiole profile with upper halves of the sides not longitudinally rugose or sulcate | -- |
15 | Mandibles elongated narrow linear or sublinear blades, inner margins often concave, and not capable of closing tightly against the median lobe of the clypeus | 16 |
-- | Mandibles short, usually quite stout, with convex inner margins, capable of closing against clypeus | 35 |
16 | Antennal scapes with SL > 1.90; gaster very weakly or not constricted between first and second segments; metanotal groove not cross-ribbed or sculptured | 17 |
-- | Antennal scapes with SL < 1.70; gaster distinctly constricted between first and second segments; metanotal groove distinctly cross-ribbed or sculptured | 27 |
17 | In full-face view eyes not breaking outline of head; antennal scapes with dense pubescence but without erect hairs equalling or exceeding width of scape; large species with short scapes (HL > 2.10) | 18 |
-- | In full-face view eyes breaking outline of head; antennal scapes with numerous erect hairs equalling or exceeding width of scape, scape pubescence sparse; smaller species with long scapes | 19 |
18 | ![]() |
Cameroun - titan |
-- | ![]() |
. |
. | ![]() |
Kenya & Tanzania - regis |
19 | Entire alitrunk dorsum unsculptured; sides similar apart from cross-ribbing at meso-metapleural suture and a few rugae; mature adult brown or deep red-brown with blue-violet opalescence | 20 |
-- | Propodeal dorsum weakly to strongly sculptured; sides with pleurae and propodeum striate or rugose; mature adult black or brown without opalescence | 21 |
20 | ![]() |
. |
. | ![]() |
Congo Basin - camerunensis |
-- | ![]() |
Mozambique - leiothorax |
21 | ![]() |
. |
. | ![]() |
Ghana - zapyxis |
-- | Inner margin of mandible without a convex semi-translucent lamella | 22 |
22 | Antennal scapes with SI < 200 | 23 |
-- | Antennal scapes with SI > 200 | 24 |
23 | ![]() ![]() |
Ivory Coast & Gambia - sterops |
-- | ![]() |
. |
. | ![]() |
Eastern Africa - stuhlmanni |
24 | ![]() |
Cameroun & Congo - vindicis |
-- | Dorsum of head unsculptured apart from minute hair-pits; pronotum and gaster similar | 25 |
25 | ![]() |
Eritrea - erythraea |
-- | Smaller species with smaller eyes HL < 1.85 | 26 |
26 | ![]() |
Zimbabwe, South Africa - schwabi |
-- | ![]() |
Cameroun - nebra |
![]() |
Antennal scapes with SL < 1.70; gaster distinctly constricted between first and second segments; metanotal groove distinctly cross-ribbed or sculptured | -- |
27 | Dorsum of head finely rugose or reticulate-rugose, with spaces between rugae finely punctate | 28 |
-- | Dorsum of head reticulate-punctate or punctate with smooth areas between | 29 |
28 | ![]() |
Cameroun - terroni |
-- | ![]() |
Cameroun - trilobata |
29 | ![]() |
Zaïre - excellens |
-- | Most of head unsculptured or no more than finely reticulate | 30 |
30 | ![]() |
. |
. | ![]() |
Ghana - princeps |
-- | Dorsum of head with scattered punctures and smooth areas between; petiole node smaller | 31 |
31 | ![]() |
. |
. | ![]() |
West Africa - longiceps |
-- | Mesopleuron not reticulate-punctate, extensive smooth areas; petiole with no more than rugulation on upper halves of sides | 32 |
32 | ![]() |
Ethiopia - bellii |
-- | Posterodorsal margin of petiole without an obtuse median tubercle | 33 |
33 | ![]() |
Zaïre - ravida |
-- | Head brown or black, if the latter with numerous distinct punctures; eyes larger, diameter greater than length of 3rd segment of funiculus | 34 |
34 | ![]() |
. |
. | ![]() |
West Africa - elegans |
-- | ![]() |
East Africa - ferrarii |
-- | ![]() |
Senegal - Niakafiri new species |
![]() |
Mandibles short, usually quite stout, with convex inner margins, capable of closing against clypeus | -- |
35 | ![]() |
West Africa and Congo Basin - ergatogyna |
-- | Propodeal dorsum without a central groove and transverse impression; mandibles otherwise; shorter antennal scapes (SI < 200) | 36 |
36 | Dorsum of head coarsely reticulate-punctate or very densely punctulate over all or mostly so | 37 |
-- | Dorsum of head smooth and shining or no more than finely reticulate | 43 |
37 | Minute species, HL < 0.85, PW < 0.50; eyes minute | 38 |
-- | Larger species, HL > 1.10, PW > 0.65; eyes with more than 10 facets | 40 |
38 | ![]() |
Nigeria - khaura |
-- | Pronotal dorsum strongly sculptured | 39 |
39 | ![]() |
. |
, | ![]() |
West Africa - stygia |
-- | ![]() |
Ghana - cryptica |
40 | ![]() |
Zimbabwe - furtiva |
-- | Tergites of gaster segments 1 & 2 wholly shiny | 41 |
41 | ![]() |
South Africa - peringueyi |
-- | Dorsum of pronotum with dense fine sculpturation | 42 |
42 | ![]() |
Zimbabwe - arnoldi |
-- | ![]() |
South Africa - havilandi |
![]() |
Dorsum of head smooth and shining or no more than finely reticulate | -- |
43 | ![]() |
44 |
-- | ![]() |
46 |
44 | ![]() |
Zaïre - strator |
-- | Head with sides and ventral area unsculptured; petiole profile increasing in thickness from base to apex | 45 |
45 | ![]() |
Cameroun - honoria |
-- | ![]() |
. |
. | ![]() |
Zaïre - ankhesa |
46 | Antennal scapes with SL > 1.40 | 47 |
-- | Antennal scapes with SL < 1.30 | 50 |
47 | ![]() |
Ethiopia - buyssoni |
-- | Eye diameter greater than scape; petiole with ventral process a simple or acute lobe; colour black | 48 |
48 | ![]() |
. |
. | ![]() |
South Africa - attenuata |
-- | ![]() |
49 |
49 | ![]() |
South Africa - crassinoda |
-- | ![]() |
Cameroun - bubastis |
50 | ![]() |
. |
. | ![]() |
South Africa - mactans |
-- | Antennal scapes relatively long SI 100 or more | 51 |
51 | ![]() |
Cameroun - striatidens |
-- | Mandibles smooth and shining; also dorsum of head and pronotum | 52 |
52 | ![]() |
. |
. | ![]() |
Cameroun - amon |
-- | Eye with no more than slight encircling impression and not sunk into head | 53 |
53 | ![]() |
. |
. | ![]() |
Southern Africa - castanea |
-- | Antennal scapes relatively and absolutely longer SL > 0.75 SI > 120 | 54 |
54 | ![]() |
Cameroun - diatra |
-- | Larger species HL > 0.90, HW > 0.65; petiole with ventral process a simple lobe | 55 |
55 | ![]() |
Eastern & southern Africa - intermedia |
-- | ![]() |
Ethiopia - piroskae |
![]() |
PONERINAE Introduction |
© 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016 - Brian
Taylor CBiol FRSB FRES 11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K. |
href="leptogenys.htm"