Pristomyrmex orbiceps (Santschi)
  Type location Cameroun
(Xiphomyrmex orbiceps n. sp., Santschi, 1914d: 367, illustrated,
worker) collected at Victoria, by F. Silvestri, 1913
junior synonym laevigatus
(Weber, 1952: 20, illustrated, worker) from Zaïre, south of Asa
 .
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  Santschi's
(1914d) description is at  . Weber's (1952) description of laevigatus
is at  . Bolton's modern
description (1981b: 286, illustrated, worker head) is at  .
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 Nigeria
specimens (as Pristomyrmex species A, Taylor, 1980a: 5).
WORKER. - TL 2.89 mm, HL 0.75, HW 0.78, SL 0.64, PW 0.47
Colour very dark brown, polished. Unsculptured. Erect hairs mainly on
the ventral surface, one pair on the mesonotal dorsum. Very sparse and
very short pilosity on the gaster. Pronotum with rounded acute
tubercles. Propodeal spines acute, upturned and triangular. Petiole and
postpetiole with smoothly rounded nodes.
Described by Bolton (1981b, illustrated, head only) as
widely distributed throughout the wet forest zones of West and Central
Africa, nesting in fallen twigs or larger pieces of wood in the leaf
litter.
Collected at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria,
Idi Ayunre byB. Bolton and B. Taylor. My collections were from leaf
litter and from a nest in what appeared to be an old mason wasp brood
pot lying on the leaf litter (Bolton, 1981b).
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In Ghana from Aburi (F. Silvestri, 1913, in
Santschi,
1914d); other collections were at Kibi, Bunso and Mampong
(D. Leston) and at CRIG and Mt. Atewa (B. Bolton) (Bolton, 1981b).
Reported, as species A, from the Mamfe-Mampong cocoa farm in Ghana by
Room (1971), but he collected it only on herbs and on the ground.
Described as widespread (13 locations, 505 workers) in their leaf
litter collections from the semi-deciduous forest zone by Belshaw &
Bolton (1994b).
Other West African records (Bolton, 1981b) were Ivory
Coast, at Divo (L. Brader), plus at ORSTOM and Banco Forest (W.L.
Brown); and Cameroun, at Nko'emvon (D.A. Jackson).
Bernard (1952) noting that it was found throughout West
Africa but was rare, listed a Guinea finding of one worker from
Mt. Nimba, north-east, 700-900 m, in leaf litter by Villiers.
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Oxford University Museum
specimens
Pristomyrmex orbiceps
B Taylor det. |
Liberia
E Poirier
Liabala
PF 2
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2.iv.2013
Nimba County
07°31’06" N
08°35’34" E
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Pitfall trap
Secondary forest
473 m asl
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1
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Pristomyrmex orbiceps
B Taylor det. |
Liberia
E Poirier
Liabala
PF 6
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2.iv.2013
Nimba County
07°31’06" N
08°35’34" E
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Pitfall trap
Secondary forest
473 m asl
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1
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Pristomyrmex orbiceps
B Taylor det. |
Liberia
E Poirier
Liabala
PF 7
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2.iv.2013
Nimba County
07°31’06" N
08°35’34" E
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Pitfall trap
Secondary forest
473 m asl
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1
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Pristomyrmex orbiceps
B Taylor det. |
Congo
E Zassi
20-t-3-1
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13-14.xi.2007
Lésio-Louna
03°16'24.8" S
015°28'08.2" E
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Gallery Forest; 24h
pitfall trap
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1
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Pristomyrmex orbiceps
B Taylor det.
Queen
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Central African
Republic
P Annoyer
ME
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18.xi.2010
Dzanga-Sangha
2°28'45.9"N
16°13'15.0"E
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396 m; nuit, à vue, camp transit 2
près lac 1
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1
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Pristomyrmex orbiceps
B Taylor det.
Queen |
Ghana
S Sky Stephens
06G0029
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2006
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In personal
collection of S Sky Stephens
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1
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 The
photomontage is of a worker from Liberia, Liabala;
collector E Poiriet (Liabala PF 2)).
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 The
photomontage is of a worker from Congo, Réserve de Lésio-Louna;
collector Eric Zassi (20-t-3-1).
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 The photomontage
is of a queen from Ghana,
collector S Sky Stephens, 2006. This sppears to be the first finding
of a queen.
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 The photomontage
is of a queen from Central African Republic,
collector P Annoyer (CAR ME1)
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 The photomontage is
collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=castype13686&project=
Collection details - Central African Republic: Prefecture
Sangha-Mbaéré; Parc National Dzanga-Ndoki, Mabéa Bai, 21.4 km 53° NE
Bayanga; 03°02'00"N 016°24'36"E, 510m. Collection Information:
Collection codes: BLF4000. Date: 1-7 May 2001. Collected by:
B.L.Fisher. Method: EC19 sifted litter. Habitat: rainforest Transect
Type: MW 50 sample transect, 5m Transect Sample No.: 14.
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