The Ants of Africa
Genus Tapinoma
Tapinoma kingi Taylor new species

Tapinoma kingi Taylor new species

return to key

WORKER DESCRIPTION: Head elongated (HL > HW) with a weakly convex occiput; anterior margin of clypeus straight; mandibles with three well develope3d apical teeth rest of inner margin edentate; eyes very shallowly convex and set in slight depressions on the sides of the head; antennal scape reaching about 3/4 point of head; alitrunk almost flat in profile, the propodeum in profile with the transition from dorsum to declivity a sharp but clearly rounded angle and the declivity flat; erect hairs on ventral apex of the gaster, on the clypeus and 2 on the fore coxa; dense but minute fine pubescence; colour all over shiny yellow-brown; funiculi darker grey brown except for light basal and apical segments; tarsi and apex of gaster also dark grey brown
TL 1.5-1.9 mm, HL 0.50, HW 0.40, CI = 121, SL 0.40, SI = 82, EL = 0.10, OI = 26; PW 0.28
Three workers examined
Type location: Mali - Bamako, 12.37.48 N 08.00.27 W, 323 m; 25.viii.2007; King 47; hotel grounds in central Bamako, foraging on wall on outside of stairwell, collected with Pheidole pallidula and Crematogaster chlorotica; David M King.

Named in recognition of the collector, David M King.

Specimens deposited in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.


Oxford University Museum specimens

Tapinoma kingi
B Taylor det.
Mali
David King
King 47

25.viii.2007
Bamako
12°37.481' N
8°00.27' W
323 m asl; foraging on wall of outside stairwell
2 on 1 point

1
{album}

{Tapinoma species}The photomontage is of a worker.


{Tapinoma kingi mimicry}The photomontage is of a worker (bottom)  showing apparent mimicry of colour with Crematogaster chlorotica (top) and Pheidole tristis (middle), all collected at the same time on the same wall.

Contents
© 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 - Brian Taylor CBiol FSB FRES
11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K.

href="tapinoma_kingi.htm"