Tetramorium dogieli

Tetramorium dogieli
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Tetramorium
Species:	T. dogieli
Binomial name
Tetramorium dogieli Karavaiev, 1931 Holotype Label

Nothing is known about the biology of Tetramorium dogieli.

Identification

I include T. dogieli, known from a single missing holotype, in this species-group with some misgivings as, although the generic name is stated as Tetramorium, no antennomere count is given. I am thus led to assume that the antennae are 12- segmented but this may not be the case as miscounts of antennal segments were fairly frequent in the past. The presence of a squamate petiole in T. dogieli is not enough by itself to confirm its placement in this group as a similarly shaped petiole is also encountered in the T. weitzeckeri-group, where the antennae are 11-merous. However, working on circumstantial evidence that the antennae are 12-segmented, namely that Karavaiev placed the species in Tetramorium and stated that it ran to Tetramorium squaminode in Arnold’s (1926) key, then following Karavaiev’s description of T. dogieli it runs out to Tetramorium nube in the present key. The only characters which can be deduced to separate them are the differences in size (T. dogieli TL 2:5) and the fact that T. dogieli is stated as having the head between the eyes and the 259) posterior portions of the frontal carinae superficially reticulate, whereas in T. nube this region of the head is longitudinally sculptured. There is a very real possibility that if T. dogieli is correctly placed in the squaminode-group it may be a senior synonym of T. nube, but this conjecture will have to await the rediscovery of the holotype of T. dogieli.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Afrotropical Tetramorium squaminode species group

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Kenya (type locality), United Republic of Tanzania.

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.

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.

Nomenclature

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

• dogieli. Tetramorium dogieli Karavaiev, 1931d: 48, fig. 6 (w.) KENYA. See also: Bolton, 1980: 254.

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

Type Material

Bolton (1980) - Holotype worker, Kenya: Naivasha, no. 5296 (Dogiel & Sokolov) (location of type not known).

References

• Bolton, B. 1980. The ant tribe Tetramoriini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The genus Tetramorium Mayr in the Ethiopian zoogeographical region. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology. 40(3):193-384.
• Karavaiev, V. 1931d. Ameisen aus Englisch-Ostafrika. Zool. Anz. 95: 42-51 (page 48, fig. 6 worker described)
• Mbenoun Masse, P.S., Ebolo, G.L.M., Titti, G.E., Mony, R. 2021. Ant species richness, abundance and functional groups along an elevation gradient in Central Cameroon. Biodiversity Journal 12(1): 179-194 (doi:10.31396/biodiv.jour.2021.12.1.179.194).
• Radchenko, A.G., Fisher, B.L., Esteves, F.A., Martynova, E.V., Bazhenova, T.N., Lasarenko, S.N. 2023. Ant type specimens (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the collection of Volodymyr Opanasovych Karawajew. Communication 1. Dorylinae, Poneromorpha and Pseudomyrmecinae. Zootaxa, 5244(1), 1–32 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5244.1.1).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Bolton B. 1980. The ant tribe Tetramoriini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The genus Tetramorium Mayr in the Ethiopian zoogeographical region. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 40: 193-384.
• Garcia F.H., Wiesel E. and Fischer G. 2013.The Ants of Kenya (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)—Faunal Overview, First Species Checklist, Bibliography, Accounts for All Genera, and Discussion on Taxonomy and Zoogeography. Journal of East African Natural History, 101(2): 127-222