Myrmicaria new species Senegal
  Type location Senegal,
Wassa, Tambacounda;
13°06'30"N 12°05'18" W; 4.v.2009; Wassa 04-V-09 St 1
P11F;
Soudanian savannah, pitfall traps; collector B Ndiaye. Six workers
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WORKER
- TL ca 8.0 mm, HL 1.6, HW 1.6, SL 1.6, PW
1.05, CI 100, SI 100; particularly distinctive is the smooth clypeus with no more than
the faintest trace of carinae; segment 2 of funiculus is the same
length
as segment 3 (the Santschi, 1925c, key stops at couplet 9); very long mesokatepisternal
tooth; posterior of mesonotum drops almost vertically into a deep metanotal
groove from a raised prominence; propodeal spines long and straight,
bases of spines seen from
above close together, propodeum profile flat; petiole node domed in
profile, higher than long;
postpetiole slightly lower also domed; head with longitudinal
striations on front and laterally; alitrunk dorsum with well defined
median and lateral striations but otherwise dorsum of pronotum with
relatively few, widely spaced coarse longitudinal striations; dorsum
of petiole longitudinally striate; longitudinal striations on lateral
alitrunk; gaster paler and wholly shiny; anterior margin of clypeus
with fringe of 16-18 moderately long fine hairs; whole body with
numerous but quite short erect hairs, propodeum with several erect
hairs, on the gaster there is a mixture
of short and shorter semidecumbent hairs.
This appears close to Myrmicaria distincta
but this has longer hairs all over. and distincta has no more than a pair
of erect hairs on the propodeum M.
distincta does not have the same strong longitudinal
striations on the alitrunk but has more on the dorsum; this has a
larger propodeal spiracle. The longitudinal striations on the
front of the head on distincta
markedly curve outwards towards on this they remain straight.
This has smooth mandibles, on
distincta they are striate. This
has a shiny smooth gaster, on
distincta the gaster has distinct microspiculation making it
appear dullish. The scapes
are dark contrasting with the head; in
distincta they are unicolorous with the head.
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The photomontage is of the holotype worker
from Senegal, Wassa; collector B Ndiaye.