Brachyponera ruginota (Stitz) - new status

Type location Cameroun (Euponera (Brachyponera) sennarensis Mayr v. ruginota n.v., Stitz, 1916: 372, worker) from Cameroun, collected at Yaundé, by von Sommerfeld - see below.

Stitz's (1916) description of ruginota is at . Santschi's (1921c) description of decolor is at .

The photomontage of the type worker is collated from https://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=focol0968.

The specimens shown below have - TL ca 5 mm; mandibles with 6-7 moderate and equisized teeth along entire inner margin, also no more than finely sculptured and uniformly dark orange; antennae similarly dark orange; the promesonotum profile is a high flat topped dome; gaster with a distinctly concave anterior; with a generally silky appearance due to fineness of the pubescence.  The queen also has a domed profile to the alitrunk, compared to the almost flat profile in the Brachyponera sennaarensis queen. It is also distinctly larger.

The photomontage of the decolor type worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0915275.

This and the identical fresh specimens shown below have -
TL 4-4.5 mm; overall more slender than the type Brachyponera sennaarensis; in full face view this has the head with more convex sides and a deeper occipital impression; the mandibles are unsculptured apart from sparse setal insertions; the pronotal dorsum is flat and more obviously bordered; the pubescence is finer and denser; variable brown to brown-orange.

Oxford University Museum specimens

Brachyponera decolor B Taylor det.	Cameroun G Debout & A Dalecky Cameroon 108	24.iii.2001 Bella 3°14.45' N 10°13.33' E	on soil surface in the village	2
Brachyponera decolor B Taylor det.	Gabon Y Braet Gabon 113	7-8.viii.2006 Pongara 00°34' N 09°19' E	Sesame & forest, sweep net	1

The photomontage is of workers from Gabon, Pongara National Park; collector Yves Braet (Gabon 113).

The photomontage is of specimens collected in Cameroun - south-western tropical coastal forest area between Edéa and Campo (McKey Wolbachia project, Cameroon 108 ).