Tetramorium postpetiolatum

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Tetramorium postpetiolatum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Tetramorium
Species: T. postpetiolatum
Binomial name
Tetramorium postpetiolatum
Santschi, 1919

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Specimen Labels

Specimen records show this is a species of wet forest habitats, and can nest in dead downed wood and in the ground. Workers forage on the ground, with the majority of collections from sampling leaf litter.

Identification

Bolton (1980) – Very similar to Tetramorium coloreum, the two species differ as follows.

T. postpetiolatum

  • Disc of postpetiole unsculptured.
  • Base of first gastral tergite unsculptured.
  • Mandibles smooth or at most with only faint sculpture.
  • Metapleural lobes acutely triangular, low.
  • Dorsum of petiole node relatively longer in profile
  • Petiole node in dorsal view as long as broad or broader than long

T. coloreum

  • Disc of postpetiole finely longitudinally rugulose.
  • Base of first gastral tergite sculptured.
  • Mandibles distinctly longitudinally striate.
  • Metapleural lobes very long, spiniform, elevated.
  • Dorsum of petiole node relatively shorter in profile
  • Petiole node in dorsal view longer than broad.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Democratic Republic of Congo (type locality), Gabon, Uganda.

Distribution based on AntMaps

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Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.
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Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.
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Biology

Castes

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

  • postpetiolatum. Tetramorium coloreum var. postpetiolata Santschi, 1919h: 88 (w.) DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO. Raised to species: Brown, 1957b: 75. See also: Bolton, 1980: 301.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Bolton (1980) - TL 3.2-3.4, HL 0.76-0.82, HW 0.70-0.76, CI 92-95, SL 0.56-0.60, SI 77-81, PW 0.50-0.54, AL 0.90-0.94 (10 measured).

Answering to the description given for Tetramorium coloreum and in particular sharing the very conspicuous colour pattern of that species; with head, gaster and legs yellow and alitrunk dark brown, the two strongly contrasting. In T. postpetiolatum there is a tendency for the petiole to be as darkly coloured as the alitrunk and the postpetiole to be much lighter, almost as light as the gaster. Measurements of T. postpetiolatum as given above, and size of eye, fall within the limits given under T. coloreum.

Type Material

Bolton (1980) - Syntype workers, ZAIRE: Penghe, 25.i.1914, no. 113 (Bequaert) (Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel; Musee Royal de I' Afrique Centrale) [examined].

References