Mesoponera picea (Bernard)

Type location Guinea (Euponera (Xiphopelta) picea, Bernard, 1952: 192, illustrated, worker; in Pachycondyla Bolton, 1995: 308; new placement by Schmidt & Shattuck, 2014: 111) from Mt. Nimba, leaf litter of north-east forest, holotype and two other workers only, (ix-1946, Villiers)
worker only described (see Bolton, 1995) .

TL variable 5.2-6.5 mm, largest HL 1.6 and HW 1.33 mm.
Colour dark, black-brown or brown-red; petiole scale, tarsi and part of gaster red. Head elegantly and regularly reticulate, thorax near smooth with a few puncturations. Head widest posteriorly. Eyes black and small, 30-40 facets, distance from mandible bases some 1.5 times their length. Clypeus convex, but without well defined median "gibbosité", apex short and relatively large. Mandibles brown, a little punctured, with 12 black fairly large and subequal teeth. Propodeum (epinotum) rectilinear in profile from both aspects, less convex than related species Mesoponera villiersi and the southern African Mesoponera elisae, limited laterally by notable rolled margins.

The photomontage of the type worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0913744 .

Oxford University Museum specimens

Mesoponera picea B Taylor det.

Gabon Y Braet Gabon 149

17-22.v.2006 Pongara 00°34' N 09°19' E

Leaf litter, winkler funnel

1

The photomontage is of a specimen from Gabon, Pongara National Park; collector Yves Braet (Gabon 149)