Tapinoma lugubre Santschi

Type location, Zimbabwe (Tapinoma gracile For. var. lugubre, n. var., Santschi, 1917b: 288, worker & male; raised to species by Arnold, 1926: 222) Victoria Falls, G Arnold
worker and male known (see Bolton, 1995) .

Santschi's (1917b) description is at .

Raised to species and described by Arnold (1926: 222), whose description follows -
WORKER - TL l.6-1.8 mm. Sepia-brown, the legs and antennae smoky yellow, the tarsi very pale straw-yellow. Slightly shining. Microscopically reticulate-rugulose. Pubescence greyish, decumbent, microscopic and fairly abundant all over. Pilose hairs absent, except a few on the gaster and anterior margin of the clypeus.
Head a little less than one-third longer than wide, slightly narrowed in front, the sides feebly convex, the posterior margin very slightly convex. The middle of the anterior margin of the clypeus shallowly concave. Mandibles 6-dentate, shining, punctured. Eyes large, placed in front of the middle of the sides. The scapes extend beyond the hind margin of the head by nearly one-fourth of their length; all the joints of the funiculus at least twice as long as wide. Pronotum wider than long, and as long as the mesonotum. The latter is slightly longer than wide in front, much narrower and with a higher convexity transversely than in gracilis [demissum] also narrower behind (in gracilis is as wide in front as behind and nearly flat above). The dorsum of the propodeum is a little wider than long, and is as convex as the mesonotum; it rises gently towards the declivity. The declivity is nearly vertical, almost twice as long as the dorsum, and separated from it by a fine raised line, the junction of the two faces sharply angular. Petiole scale parallel-sided, oblong.
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Quite distinct from gracilis, a narrower and smaller insect, with the dorsum of the thorax not in the least flattened as in that species, and with the two faces of the propodeum sharply delimited. (R.M., G.A. colls.)".

The photomontage of a syntype worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0903070

Oxford University Museum specimens

Tapinoma lugubre B Taylor det.	Cameroun G Debout & A Dalecky Cameroon 39	05.iv.2001 Nkoloboundé 3°14' N 10°15' E	on soil and surface in the village	2
Tapinoma lugubre B Taylor det.	Congo E Zassi t-1-1	16-17.xi.2007 Lésio-Louna 03°16'56.5" S 015°28'28.3" E	Wooded Savannah; 24h pitfall trap	1
Tapinoma lugubre B Taylor det.	Congo Y Braet t-1-13	19.viii.2007 Brazzaville 4° 15' 33" S 15° 17' 5" E	24h pitfall trap; forest around the GERDIB laboratories; 317 m asl	2
Tapinoma lugubre B Taylor det.	Congo Y Braet t-1-4	19.viii.2007 Brazzaville 4° 15' 33" S 15° 17' 5" E	24h pitfall trap; forest around the GERDIB laboratories; 317 m asl	1
Tapinoma lugubre B Taylor det.	Congo Y Braet t-1-5	19.viii.2007 Brazzaville 4° 15' 33" S 15° 17' 5" E	24h pitfall trap; forest around the GERDIB laboratories; 317 m asl	1
Tapinoma lugubre B Taylor det.	Gabon Y Braet Gabon 112	7-8.viii.2006 Pongara 00°34' N 09°19' E	Sesame & forest, sweep net	1
Tapinoma lugubre B Taylor det.	Gabon Y Braet Gabon 106	8.viii.2006 Pongara 00°34' N 09°19' E	yellow tray trap at edge of savannah	1
Tapinoma lugubre B Taylor det.	Gabon A Fotso Kuate Sample 44a	15.ix.2008 Mbilazambo 03°54'30" N 11°25'58" E		1

The photomontage is of workers collected in Cameroun - south-western tropical coastal forest area between Edéa and Campo (McKey Wolbachia project) - Cameroon 39 from Nkolobondé (3°13.31' N 10°15.01' E; flat land, between the Chapel and the river), 05 April 2001, on soil and surface in the village.

TL ca 1.5 mm, HL 0.48, HW 0.40, CI  85, SL 0.42 , SI 113, PW 0.27, eye length 0.12

The photomontage is of a worker from Gabon; Mbilazambi; collector A Fotso Kuate (fk unmounted 44).

The photomontage is of a worker from Congo, Brazzaville; collectors Yves Braet & Eric Zassi (t 1.5 ).