Tetraponera angolensis Santschi - new status
  Type location Angola
(Tetraponera ophthalmica Em. st. angolensis n. stirps,
Santschi, 1930b: 61; illustrated, worker) from Chimporo
worker only described  .
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 Santschi's
(1930b) description is at  .
Notes - Ward (2006: 123), who synonymised angolensis
under Tetraponera
ambigua states "mesonotum weakly convex and not separated from
anterior margin of propodeum by prominently raised metanotal spiracles".
Santschi (1930b), in his description of angolensis has these
spiracles as prominent.
Ward's drawing of ambigua shows roughened patches on the
lateral occipitum and prominent erect hairs on the sides of the head;
these are not shown or mentioned by Santschi of angolensis.
The specimen from Gabon (below) appears to wholly match the Santschi
description of angolensis in having no roughened patches on the
occipitum, no lateral erect hairs on the head, indeed very few erect
hairs at all, a more rounded propodeum and a lower petiole; it also has
finely reticulated but quite distinct sculpturation on the head.
It is distinctly smaller than the specimen in Ward's drawing, for which
he gave no origin, and has the darkened posterior to the gaster
mentioned by Santschi, plus the narrow frontal area shown by Santschi.
There appear to be five distinct teeth on the mandible as opposed to
four for Ward's ambigua and the anterior margin of the clypeus
is evenly convex, not toothed as in Ward's drawing of ambigua.
I feel the combination of features are so distinct as to
merit elevation to full species status.
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The
photomontage of the type worker is
collated from 
The photomontage
is of a worker from Gabon,
Pongara National Park; collector Yves Braet (Gabon 62). This is an
exact match for the type worker shown above.