The Ants of Africa
Genus Euponera
Euponera brunoi (Forel)

Euponera brunoi (Forel)

return to key {link to the Hymenoptera Name Server} Type location Zimbabwe (Pachycondyla (Ectomyrmex) brunoi, Forel, 1913j: 205, worker; Arnold, 1915: 54, male; Arnold, 1926: 201, queen; in Ectomyrmex Wheeler, 1922: 774; in Trachymesopus and synonymy, Brown, 1963: 8; new status Schmidt & Shattuck, 2014: 86) collected at Bulawayo.
junior synonyms
bayoni (Euponera (Trachymesopus) bayoni n.sp., Menozzi, 1933a: 97, worker) from Uganda, Kome, Sesse Archipelago - see below.
dentis (Euponera (Mesoponera) dentis, sp. nov., Weber, 1942a: 43, illustrated mandible, queen) from South Sudan, Lotti Forest, Imatong Mts - see below.
katangana (Ectomyrmex (Trachymesopus) nigeriensis, Sants. v. katangana n.var., Santschi, 1933b: 96, worker) from Zaïre, collected at Pweto, Lumbumbashi [Elizabethville] - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=rmcaent000017731
lamottei (Euponera (Trachymesopus) lamottei, Bernard, 1952: 195, illustrated, queen) from Guinea, Mt. Nimba - http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0915479
nigeriensis (Euponera (Trachymesopus) nigeriensis, in Santschi, 1914d: 316, worker, in Wheeler, 1922; Ectomyrmex nigeriensis Sants., Santschi, 1933b: 96) from Nigeria, collected at Olokemeji by F. Silvestri, xii.1912 - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0915249
all forms known (see Bolton, 1995). Synonymy by Brown (1963) .


Forel's (1913j) description is at {original description}. Santschi's (1914d) description of nigeriensis is at {original description}. Arnold's (1915: 54) translation and description of the male is at {original description}; his (1926) description of the queen is at {original description}. Menozzi's (1933a) description of bayoni is at {original description}. Santschi's (1933b) further note on nigeriensis and description of katangana is at {original description}. Weber's (1942a) description of dentis is at {original description};


Brown (1963: 8) after listing his synonymies, simply noted -
"This species occurs widely in Africa south of the Sahara. In addition to the types mentioned above, I have seen samples from Liberia, Cameroons and the Kalahari Desert. There is some small variation among these samples in relative head width and in strength and opacity of the sculpture, but this appears to be both size-linked(allometric) and continuous."
Brown makes no mention of the clear separation between nigeriensis with eyes of 18-20 facets and brunoi with 4 or 6 "ill-defined facets" (Arenold, 1915)


{Pachycondyla brunoi}The photomontage of the type worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0907269


{Pachycondyla brunoi}Nigeria specimens (as Trachymesopus brunoi, Taylor, 1976: 31)-
TL 4.75 mm, HL 0.96, HW 0.93, SL 0.68, PW 0.68 . Colour black, red-brown extremities and appendages. Sculpture of fine dense puncturation, relatively dense pilosity all over. Mandibles with a basal fovea on dorsolateral surface. Clypeus carinate medially. Eyes small. Metanotal groove very weakly impressed. Dorsum of propodeum narrower than that of pronotum.

Wheeler (1922) listed nigeriensis from Ghana (Aburi, F. Silvestri).

From Guinea, Bernard (1952) recorded a single dealated queen (as Euponera (Trachymesopus) lamottei), collected from Kéoulenta savanna (27-iii-1942, Lamotte), remarking that the nearest relative he had seen was Euponera sharpi Forel, known by workers only from Singapore.

Brown (1963) reported that, in addition to the types, he had seen specimens from Cameroun, Liberia and the Kalahari Desert and that there was some small variation in relative head width and in strength and opacity of the sculpture, but that appeared to be both size-linked (allometric) and continuous.

In Nigeria collected in soil and from a dead log (B. Bolton), often found with termites (Bolton, 1973a).

Described as widespread in the Ghana semi-deciduous forest zone, from leaf litter sampling, 24 workers, and soil, 9 workers, by Belshaw & Bolton (1994b).


Oxford University Museum specimens

Euponera brunoi
B Taylor det.
Liberia
E Poirier
Liabala
PF 6
2.iv.2013
Nimba County
07°31’06" N
08°35’34" E
Pitfall trap
Secondary forest
473 m asl

1
{album}
Euponera brunoi
B Taylor det.
Liberia
E Poirier
Yekepa
PF 16
29.iii.2013
Nimba County
07°33’38" N
08°32’33" E
Pitfall trap
Degraded secondary forest
518 m asl
1
{album}
Euponera brunoi
B Taylor det.
Benin
J-F Vayssieres
RVA 3091.2
20.iii.2011
Tchatchou
09°05'57.3'' N
02°34'27.4'' E
Mangifera indica
hand collected
406 m asl
1
{album}
Euponera brunoi
B Taylor det.
Gabon
Y Braet
Gabon 177

8.vi-20.vi.2006
Pongara
00°34' N
09°19' E
Pongara Base; winkler funnel

1
{album}

{Pachycondyla (Trachymesopus) brunoi The photomontage is of a worker from Gabon, Pongara Camp Base; collector Yves Braet (Gabon 178).


{Pachycondyla (Trachymesopus) brunoi The photomontage is of a worker from Liberia, Yekepa; collector E Poiriet (Yekepa PF XVI).


{Pachycondyla (Trachymesopus) brunoi The photomontage is of a worker from Benin, Tchatchou; collector J-F Vayssieres (RVA 3091).


{Pachycondyla brunoi}The photomontage of the type worker of bayoni is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0905860


{Pachycondyla brunoi queen}The photomontage of the type queen is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0902476


{Pachycondyla brunoi male}The photomontage of the type male is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0902475


{Pachycondyla brunoi dentis} The photomontage of the holotype queen of dentis is from the MCZ website.

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© 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018 - Brian Taylor CBiol FRSB FRES
11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K.

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