Tetramorium caldarium (Roger)
  Iran list Type location Germany (Tetrogmus
caldarius n. sp., Roger, 1857: 12, worker; Meinert, 1861: 331,
male) - see below
junior synonyms
hemisi (as variety of pusillum,
Wheeler, 1922: 193, worker) from Zaïre, Niangara by H.O. Lang,
in the stomach of a frog - see below
minutum (Tetramorium
minutum sp. n., Donisthorpe, 1942a: 30, queen) from Egypt,
Siwa - see below
transformans (Tetramorium
pauper stirps transformans nov., Santschi, 1914b: 104,
worker) from Kenya, Shimoni, xi.1911, Alluaud & Jeannel -
no antweb images (April 2015)
(see Bolton, 1995)  .
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Roger's (1857) description is at  and  . Santschi's (1914b) description of transformans
is at  . Donisthorpe's (1942a)
description of minutum is at  .
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 Bolton's
modern descriptions are at - (1979, based primarily on New
World specimens)  and (1980)  .
WORKER - TL 2.1-2.4 mm; with weak frontal carinae and
little trace of antennal scrobes. Short, stout blunt hairs on all
dorsal surfaces of the body. Colour yellow or light yellowish brown
(Bolton, 1980, not illustrated).
A panglobal tramp species, which Bolton (1980) thought
to be of African origin. The sole West African records which he listed
were from Nigeria, at the savannah location of Mokwa (B.
Lasebikan); and Ivory Coast, at ORSTOM (W.L. Brown).
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 In his blanket description, Bolton (1980) wrote of his
suspicion that there are two closely similar species, differing
particularly in the width between the frontal carinae at the level of
the eyes. Specimens from East Africa and India had this separation as
< 0.50 X HW, whereas most Old World and all New World specimens had
HW > 0.50 HW. From the specimens shown below, it seems that another
consistent feature of the type form is a uniformly dark gaster. In the
East African & Saudi Arabia specimens the gaster has variably
lighter areas.
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Oxford University Museum
specimens
Tetramorium caldarium
B Taylor det.
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Senegal
Ferlo
B Ndiaye
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x.2010
Katané
15.48° N
14.08° W
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Katané X 2010 T5P15
Sahelian savannah, pitfall traps
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3
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 |
Tetramorium caldarium
B Taylor det. |
Benin
J-F Vayssieres
RVA 2928.1
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5.x.2012
Korobourou
09°22'13'' N
02°40'16'' E
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Mangifera indica orchard
Quadrat 2, tube 1, variété: Kent
Ground nesting
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1
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Tetramorium caldarium
B Taylor det. |
Gabon
A Fotso Kuate
sample 35
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11.ix.2008
Awome
03°54'30" N
11°25'58"
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2
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Tetramorium caldarium
B Taylor det. |
Congo
Y Braet
t-1-10
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19.viii.2007
Brazzaville
4° 15' 33" S
15° 17' 5" E
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24h pitfall trap;
forest around the GERDIB laboratories; 317 m asl
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2
|
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Tetramorium caldarium
B Taylor det. |
Congo
Y Braet
t-1-15
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19.viii.2007
Brazzaville
4° 15' 33" S
15° 17' 5" E |
24h pitfall trap;
forest around the GERDIB laboratories; 317 m asl
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1
|
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Tetramorium caldarium
B Taylor det. |
Congo
Y Braet
t-1-20
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19.viii.2007
Brazzaville
4° 15' 33" S
15° 17' 5" E |
24h pitfall trap;
forest around the GERDIB laboratories; 317 m asl
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2
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Tetramorium caldarium
B Taylor det. |
Tanzania
G McGavin
tree 3-50
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10.i.1996
Mkomazi
Igire Hill
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pkd collection from Heywoodia lucens
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1
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Tetramorium caldarium
B Taylor det. |
Tanzania
G McGavin
tree 5-55
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12.i.1997
Mkomazi
3°54.75' S
37°48.58' E
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pkd collection from Acacia nilotica; 37M 0375378
UTM 9571003
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1
|
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Tetramorium caldarium
B Taylor det. |
Tanzania
G McGavin
tree 5-63
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13.i.1997
Mkomazi
3°54.75' S
37°48.58' E
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pkd collection from
Acacia nilotica; 37M 0375103 UTM 9570896
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2
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Tetramorium caldarium
B Taylor det. |
Egypt
Mostafa Sharaf
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17.viii.2007
Marsa Matrouh
31°21' N
27°14' E
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Kaseh Tourist Village
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1
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Tetramorium caldarium
B Taylor det. |
Saudi Arabia
Mostafa Sharaf
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25.ii.2005
Farasan Islands
16°42' N
42°11' E
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Major Farasan I.,
Red Sea
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1
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Narrow-headed type forms - Congo Basin & Germany
(tramp)
|
 The
photomontage of a syntype specimen from Germany, F Smith
collection at the BMNH, is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0102333
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 The
photomontage is
of a worker from Gabon;
Awome; aphid survey; 13.ix.2008 (fk
unmounted ; coll. A Fotso Kuate.
This exactly matches the syntype and the Bolton (1979)
drawing (both above).
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 Wheeler (1922) wrote
of Tetramorium pusillum Emery
variety hemisi, new variety - WORKER TL 2.5-2.8 mm, agreeing
closely with Emery's description of the typical pusillum in
size, sculpture, and colouration, but with the basal third or fourth of
the first gastric segment densely punctate and nearly opaque, and with
the propodeal [epinotal] teeth acute, distinctly larger than the
metasternal teeth. Fourteen workers from the stomach of a frog (Hemismus
marmoratum) from Niangara (Lang & Chapin). The specimens are
shown in the photomontage collated from the AMNH Congo Expedition
website.
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 The
photomontage is of a specimen from Congo, Brazzaville, pitfall
trap t1.15, 19.viii.2007, collected by Yves Braet & Eric Zassi,
2007.
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 The
photomontage of a specimen from the Azores is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0003150&shot=p1&project=.
See also the specimen from Reunion Is, shown at http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0125225&shot=p1&project=.
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 Egypt
records - in HNS as Tetramorium
minutum Donisthorpe (1942a) single queen from Siwa Oasis,
collected by J Omer-Cooper, 17.vii.1935. Illustrated in the
photomontage, which is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0102358
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Broad-headed forms
|
 The
photomontage is of a specimen from Tanzania, Igire Hill,
Mkomazi Game Reserve, 3°54.75' S 37°48.58' E, pkd collection from Heywoodia
lucens, 10.i.1996, by G McGavin.
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 The
photomontage is of a specimen from Egypt, Kaseh; collector
Mostafa Sharaf
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 The
photomontage is of a specimen from Saudi Arabia, Farasan
Islands, Major Farasan I., Red Sea, 25.ii.2005; 16°42' N, 42°11' E,
collector Mostafa Sharaf.
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