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Stenamma africanum
| Stenamma africanum | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Stenammini |
| Genus: | Stenamma |
| Species: | S. africanum |
| Binomial name | |
| Stenamma africanum Santschi, 1939
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| Synonyms | |
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Identification
Rigato (2011) - Stenamma africanum is a relatively large species with elongate scapes and with a posterior clypeal lobe often as narrow as in some Stenamma westwoodii specimens. The petiolar sternite is shallowly, but distinctly, concave below the node.
S. africanum worker shares most features with Stenamma sardoum and S. westwoodii; but it has longer scapes, almost reaching the occipital border when laid back.
Keys including this Species
- Key to Stenamma westwoodii species-group males of Western Europe and North African
- Key to Stenamma westwoodii species-group queens of Western Europe and North African
- Key to Stenamma westwoodii species-group workers of Western Europe and North African
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 36.883333° to 32.249974°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Algeria, Tunisia (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
Worker
Images from AntWeb
   
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| Syntype of Stenamma africanum submuticum. Worker. Specimen code casent0913970. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by NHMB, Basel, Switzerland. |
   
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Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- africanum. Stenamma africanum Santschi, 1939d: 66, fig. 2 (w.q.) TUNISIA, ALGERIA.
- Type-material: lectotype worker (by designation of DuBois, 1998b: 258), 1 paralectotype queen.
- Type-locality: lectotype Tunisia: Aïn Draham (Normand) (by restriction of DuBois, 1998b: 258).
- [Note: original syntype (paralectotype) queen locality: Algeria: Col de Talmet, 11.x.1928 (Normand). Rigato, 2011: 16, cites a lectotype worker, paralectotype workers and a paralectotype queen, but Santschi specified only a single worker and a single queen as “types”, each from a separate locality.]
- Type-depository: NHMB.
- Cagniant, 1971: 98 (m.).
- Junior synoynm of msilanum: DuBois, 1998b: 254; Cagniant, 2006a: 195.
- Status as species: Cagniant, 1968a: 142; Cagniant, 1970a: 414; Cagniant, 1971: 98; Bolton, 1995b: 393; Rigato, 2011: 16; Borowiec, L. 2014: 160.
- Senior synonym of submuticum: Rigato, 2011: 16.
- Distribution: Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia.
- submuticum. Stenamma africanum var. submuticum Santschi, 1939d: 67, fig. 3 (w.) ALGERIA.
- Type-material: holotype worker.
- Type-locality: Algeria: Bône (Normand).
- Type-depository: NHMB.
- Subspecies of africanum: Bolton, 1995b: 394.
- Junior synonym of msilanum: DuBois, 1998b: 254.
- Junior synonym of africanum: Rigato, 2011: 16.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Rigato (2011) - While examining Stenamma siculum a comparison was made with its apparently closest relative, Stenamma msilanum (sensu DuBois, 1998, who considered africanum to be a junior synonym of msilanum) and S. africanum type series, which consists of a few workers and one gyne, was borrowed from NHMB. Workers come from several Tunisian localities and one specimen is from Bone (currently Annaba), a coastal locality of Northeast Algeria, not far from Tunisia. All workers appear consistent and I consider them as conspecific and also conspecific with the type of S. africanum var. submuticum Santschi, which was also examined. The measurements given by DuBois for the lectotype he designated are misleading. He gave a SI of 115, which is considerably higher than any other species dealt with in this paper. Such an index would mean a scape strongly surpassing the posterior margin of the head when laid back, even exceeding that of Stenamma petiolatum. However, on examination the lectotype turned out as quite ordinary with SI = 95 and scape’s apex closely approaching the posterior margin of the head when laid back. Paralectotypes have a slightly higher SI as also does a separate series from Tunisia that I examined. Other features of S. africanum worker are the relatively low postpetiole, looking longer than high (PPL>PPH), and the shallow, but easily visible, concavity of petiolar sternite in profile at the level of the node. The gyne of S. africanum in the type series comes from “Col de Talmetz”. Although both Santschi (1939) and DuBois (1998, as “Col de Talmet”) reported this as a Tunisian locality, I found it to be in North Algeria (ca. 36°41’ N and 4°43’ E), and quite distant from where S. africanum workers were collected. However, I consider that the gyne is conspecific with the workers, even though it has SI = 91, and a less concave petiolar sternite.
Finally, I examined the holotype of S. msilanum. It was described from a single gyne collected in the forest of Msila (Oran prov., Algeria), which is relatively close to Morocco. In my opinion it is not conspecific with S. africanum. The most striking differences lie in colour and petiolar shape. The S. msilanum type is as dark as S. debile gynes (S. africanum is ferrugineous), and its waist’s sternites are fully straight in profile.
Consequently, I propose to formally resurrect S. africanum as a valid species, with submuticum as its junior synonym, different from S. msilanum.
Cagniant (1971) described the male of S. africanum. His diagnosis, drawings and description look comparable to those of S. siculum, which has more sculptured propodeal dorsum and standing hairs on scapes. The propodeum is smoother in North African specimens from Algeria and Morocco (Cagniant l.c. and pers. comm.): ≪propodeum: sur les côtés quelques rides longitudinales et sinueuses se détachant mal de la forte réticulation de base; sur le dessus: réticulé sans rides, la réticulation devenant superficielles et même disparaissant presque dans la zone médiane; face postérieure: luisante, avec 2 ébauches de rides transverses≫. Unfortunately, I could not see Cagniant’s males and associated females. Because knowledge of North African Stenamma is still incomplete, I remain unsure about the identity of his specimens.
Description
Worker
Rigato (2011) - Lectotype. TL 4.1; HL 0.92; HW 0.77; CI 84; SL 0.73; SI 95; PCI 28; PnW 0.53; AL 1.12; PSI 1.65; PeL 0.40; PPL 0.25; PeH 0.21; PPH 0.20; PeW 0.15; PPW 0.21; PI1 62; PI2 52; MTL 0.63; TI 82.
Including paralectotypes: TL 3.5–4.1; HL 0.86–0.95; HW 0.69–0.78; CI 80–84; SL 0.68–0.76; SI 95–100; PCI 23–31; PnW 0.47–0.54; AL 1.00–1.13; PSI 1.2–1.7; PeL 0.37–0.43; PPL 0.23–0.26; PeH 0.20–0.24; PPH 0.20–0.23; PeW 0.14–0.17; PPW 0.20–0.23; PI1 56–65; PI2 51–60; MTL 0.59–0.67; TI 83–92 (11 measured).
Queen
Rigato (2011) - TL 4.9; HL 1.02; HW 0.87; CI 85; SL 0.79; SI 91; PCI 32; AL 1.48; PSI 1.57; ScW 0.75; MnL 1.11; PeL 0.54; PPL 0.27; PeH 0.27; PPH 0.29; PeW 0.21; PPW 0.28; PI1 50; PI2 62; MTL 0.74; TI 85 (1 measured).
Type Material
Rigato (2011) - Lectotype worker, paralectotype workers and gyne, TUNISIA: Ain-Draham (Normand) [Lectotype]; Camp de la Sante (Normand); Camp de Bugeaud (Normand); ALGERIA: Col de Talmetz, 11.x.1928 (Normand) (Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel) [examined].
References
- Abdi-Hamecha, L., Barech, G., Khaldi, M., Sadoudi, D. A.-A., Salem, S., Zazgad, I., Cagniant, H. 2021. Diversité des fourmis (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) dans la forêt de Yakouren (Algérie) : Estimation de la richesse, biogéographie et taxonomie. Revue Suisse de Zoologie, 128(1), 61-72 (doi:10.35929/rsz.0035).
- Borowiec, L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
- Cagniant, H. 1971. Description du mâle de Stenamma africanum Santschi (Hym. Formicidae Myrmicinae). Bull. Soc. Entomol. Fr. 76: 98-101 (page 98, male described)
- DuBois, M. B. 1998a. A revision of the ant genus Stenamma in the Palaearctic and Oriental regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Sociobiology 29: 193-403 (page 254, Junior synonym of msilanum)
- Rigato, F. 2011. Contributions to the taxonomy of West European and North African Stenamma of the westwoodii species-group. (Hymenoptera Formicidae). Memorie della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano. 37:1-56.
- Santschi, F. 1939d. Notes sur des Camponotus et autres fourmis de l'Afrique Mineure. Bull. Soc. Sci. Nat. Maroc 19: 66-87 (page 66, fig. 2 worker, queen described)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
- Cagniant, H. Les peuplements de fourmis des forêts algériennes: écologie, biocénotique, essai biologique. Universite de Toulouse, 1973.
- Rigato F. 2011. Contributions to the taxonomy of West European and North African Stenamma of the westwoodii species-group. (Hymenoptera Formicidae). Memorie della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano 37: 1-56.