Technomyrmex (Technomyrmex) albipes (F. Smith)

As in Bolton (1995: 402)
Type location Sulawesi (Formica (Tapinoma) albipes, F. Smith, 1861b: 38, worker; Forel, 1891b: 98, queen; Karavaiev, 1926d: 441, male)
junior synonyms
albitarse (Tapinoma albitarse, Motschulsky, 1863: 14, worker & queen; synonymy Emery, 1893f: 249) from Sri Lanka, "Ceylon, Hong Kong (Novara)"
nigrum (Tapinoma nigrum n. sp., Mayr, 1862: 703, worker, synonymy, Mayr, 1876: 83) from Sri Lanka
rufescens (Technomyrmex albipes (Smith) stirps rufescens n. st., Santschi, 1928c: 70, illustrated, worker) from Fiji
vitiensis (Technomyrmex albipes (Smith) var. vitiensis var. nov., Mann, 1921: 473, worker) from Fiji, Viti Levu
subspecies
bruneipes (Forel, 1895e: 466, worker) from India
brunneus (Forel, 1895e: 467, worker) from India
cedarensis (Forel, 1915b: 85, worker & queen) from Australia
cordiformis (Viehmeyer, 1916a: 143, worker) from Singapore
rotundiceps (Karavaiev, 1926d: 443, worker) from Java
truncicola (Technomyrmex albipes (Smith) , truncicolus subsp. nov., Weber, 1943c: 380, worker; spelling altered by Bolton, 1995: 403) from Sudan, Imatong Mts, 1.viii.1939
wedda (Technomyrmex albipes Sm. r. Wedda n. stirps, Forel, 1913e: 663, worker & queen) from Sri Lanka .

Bolton (2007: 68) has this as including only
Type location Sulawesi (Formica (Tapinoma) albipes, F. Smith, 1861b: 38, worker; Forel, 1891b: 98, queen; Karavaiev, 1926d: 441, male) - syntype below
junior synonyms
albitarse (Motschulsky, 1863: 14, worker & queen; synonymy Emery, 1893f: 249) from Sri Lanka - no images on Antweb (October 2015)
bruneipes (Forel, 1895e: 466, worker) from Sri Lanka - see https://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0909789
nigrum (Tapinoma nigrum, Mayr, 1862: 703, worker, synonymy, Mayr, 1876: 83) from Sri Lanka - see https://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0915552
wedda (Forel, 1913e: 663, worker & queen) from Sri Lanka - see https://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0909792.

F Smith's (1861b) description is at . Mayr's (1862) description of nigrum is at . Motschoulsky's (1863) description of albitarse is at . Forel's (1863) description of wedda is at . Karavaiev's (1926d) illustrated description of the male is at . Santschi's (1928c) illustrated description of rufescens is at . Weber's (1943c) description of truncicola is at .  Mann (1921) on vitiensis simply had - "differing from typical albipes in the colour of the legs which are reddish brown, with the tarsi light brown, instead of black with the tarsi white".

Bolton's (2007: 68) redescription is at and . He listed only two African records - Kenya (given as Tanzania), Mombasa (Ferrari) [a major seaport], and, South Africa, Witwatersrand, on goods imported from Mauritius, M. Bolton. He also separated Technomyrmex pallipes (with truncicolus (above) as a junior synonym), and, Technomyrmex vitiensis as distinct, also tramp species.

Room (1971) reported T. albipes from Ghana, at the Mampong Cemetery Farm on herbs under cocoa, and in a cocoa canopy sample (Room, 1971). That almost certainly was Technomyrmex andrei, which seems to be quite common in Nigeria and possibly Ghana, listed by Bolton (2007: 19) [note not semiruber as I previously thought].

Collingwood (1985), reporting it from Saudi Arabia, noted that this is a distinctive dark species with pale tarsi and funiculus segments. Diagnostic characters he gave are - anterior border of clypeus with a shallow, rounded incision; tarsi very pale contrasting with the darker tibiae.

The photomontage of a syntype worker is collated from  http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0103002

Oxford University Museum specimens

Technomyrmex albipes B Taylor det.

Congo Y Braet ORSTOM

10.viii.2007 Brazzaville 4° 15' 33" S 15° 17' 5" E

ORSTOM site

1

The photomontage is of a worker from Congo, Brazzaville, ORSTOM campus; collectors Yves Braet & Eric Zassi, 2007.

Earlier thought by me to be T. senex, this clearly matches the albipes type above.

The photomontage of a male from Mauritius is collated from  http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0055727