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Myrmicaria baumi occidentalis
| Myrmicaria baumi occidentalis | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Solenopsidini |
| Genus: | Myrmicaria |
| Species: | M. baumi |
| Subspecies: | M. baumi occidentalis |
| Trinomial name | |
| Myrmicaria baumi occidentalis Santschi, 1920 | |
In Benin, Taylor et al. (2018) found this species on a range of Acacia species, including A. dudgeoni, A. gourmaensis, A. hockii and A. sieberiana.
Identification
Distribution
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Benin, Ivory Coast (type locality).
Distribution based on AntMaps
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.
- occidentalis. Myrmicaria eumenoides st. occidentalis Santschi, 1920i: 3 (w.) IVORY COAST. Raised to species: Santschi, 1925c: 156. Currently subspecies of baumi: Santschi, 1933b: 105.
Taxonomic Notes
Taylor et al. (2018) note that this taxon was originally described as a subspecies of Myrmicaria eumenoides, then raised to species by Santschi (1925) followed a few years later by being treated as a subspecies of Myrmicaria baumi by Santschi (1933), but without any explanation or justification for any of these actions. They also note that M. occidentalis has uniquely sculptured pedicel segments and, in Benin specimens, have dense spiculation on the gaster dorsum, giving a dull appearance. Because of these differences they propose that it be treated as a full species. However, this has not be followed by subsequent authors, who have continued to treat it as a subspecies of M. baumi.
Description
References
- Santschi, F. 1920i. Études sur les maladies et les parasites du cacaoyer et d'autres plantes cultivées à S. Thomé. X. Fourmis de S. Thomé. Extrait des Mémoires publiés par la Société Portugaise des Sciences Naturelles. Lisbonne: Imprimerie de la Librairie Ferin, 4 pp. (page 3, worker described)
- Santschi, F. 1925c [1924]. Révision des Myrmicaria d'Afrique. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 64: 133-176 (page 156, Raised to species)
- Santschi, F. 1933b. Contribution à l'étude des fourmis de l'Afrique tropicale. Bull. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 73: 95-108 (page 105, Stirps of baumi)
- Scupola, A. 2019. New ant species of Myrmicaria Saunders, 1842 (Hymenoptera Formicidae) from Senegal, a second species with subpetiolar process in this genus. Biodiversity Journal 10(4): 601–607 (doi:10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2019.10.4.601.607).
- Taylor, B., Agoinon, N., Sinzogan, A., Adandonon, A., Kouaguou, Y. N., Bello, S., Wargui, R., Anato, F., Ouagoussounon, I., Houngbo, H., Tchibozo, S., Todjihounde, R., Vayssieres, J.F. 2018. Records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Republic of Benin, with particular reference to the mango farm ecosystem. Journal of Insect Biodiversity 8(1): 6-29 (doi:10.12976/jib/2018.08.1.2).