Myrmicaria fusca Stitz
  Type location Zaïre (Myrmicaria
eumenoides Gerst. v. fusca n. v., Stitz, 1911b: 385,
worker; raised to species by Santschi, 1925c: 166) collected at Boga,
north of Mt Ruwenzori, German Central Africa Expedition, 1907-08 - no images on Antweb (October 2014)
subspecies
consanguinea (Myrmicaria eumenoides st. congolensis,
var. consanguinea, nov., Santschi, 1914b: 115; Myrmicaria
fusca Stitz v. consanguinea n. var., Santschi, 1925c: 166,
worker & queen) from Kenya, Likoni, Alluaud & Jeannel - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0913042
nigerrima (Myrmicaria nigerrima, Arnold,
1916: 270, illustrated, worker; Myrmicaria
fusca Stitz stirps nigerrima Arnold, Santschi, 1925c: 167)
from Zimbabwe, Matopo Hill, G Arnold - see below
unavailable name laevifrons (Myrmicaria
fusca Stitz st. nigerrima Arnold v. laevifrons n.
var., Santschi, 1925c: 167, male) from Mozambique, Amatonga
Forest, Arnold - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0913043
all forms
described (see Bolton, 1995)  .
|
 Stitz's (1911b)
description is at  . Santschi's (1914b)
description of consanguinea
is at  . Arnold's (1916)
description of nigerrima is at  . Santschi's (1925c) description, with consanguinea
and laevifrons, is at  .
Probably purely from eastern Africa with the Zaïre
being from the border area with Uganda, i.e. east of the Congo Basin.
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 The photomontage of
the nigerrima holotype
is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0900508.
Santschi
(1925c) noted this as more truly (franchement)
black and with sharper rugae on the genae. The colour variation,
however, appears to be the major difference between this worker and
those from Tanzania shown below, although, as Arnold wrote, this is
less sculptured, notably on the lateral alitrunk.
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Oxford University Museum
specimens
Myrmicaria fusca
B Taylor det. |
Tanzania
V Grebennikov
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09-11.x.2002
Usambara Mts
5°05' S
38°38' E
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Amani NR, Zigi
Lodge, 2200 m
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2
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 |
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 The photomontage is of a worker from the Usambara Mts,
Tanzania, Amani NR, Zigi Lodge, S x°y' E x°y'; 2200
m; collector V. Grebennikov; 9-11.x.2002.
Note - the specimens from Zigi Lodge are both larger and
have more rugose sculpturation on a shiny ground than indicated in the
published descriptions. It seems possible, but unlikely, that they actually are Myrmicaria
rustica which also is known from Tanzania and was described
with TL 7.5-8 mm. Santschi's (1925c) description of rustica is
quite explicit on the petiole shape, etc. and these are different to
the Zigi Lodge specimens. The consanguinea
form was reported from Kenya and Tanzania, Amani (Santschi, 1925c).
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