Cardiocondyla britteni

Only the type worker, which has been found among Butter Beans, was investigated. The term “Butter Bean” is ambiguous but most frequently it was referred to Dolichos lablab (now Lablab purpureus) that has its main cultivation areas in India and E Africa. No species of the C. minutior group has been found so far in Africa. Hence, there is some probability that the native source country of C. britteni is India or the Oriental region from where it has been imported via the Liverpool harbour. (Seifert 2003)

Identification
Seifert (2003) - By morphometry and body shape, Cardiocondyla britteni is undoubtedly a member of the Cardiocondyla minutior group. It differs from all other species of this group by much smaller and shallower foveolae on vertex, the shining head and dorsal areas of mesosoma, the shorter spines, and the larger sqrtPDG.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Nomenclature

 * . Cardiocondyla britteni Crawley, 1920c: 180, fig. (w.) GREAT BRITAIN.
 * [Note: Crawley, 1920c: 180, says the single worker was most probably imported with butter beans, “in which case its place of origin would be tropical America”.]
 * Junior synonym of nuda: Radchenko, 1995b: 452.
 * Status as species: Donisthorpe, 1927b: 391; Bolton, 1995b: 132; Seifert, 2003a: 291 (redescription); Borowiec, L. 2014: 46.

Worker
Seifert (2003) - type: CS 402, CL/CW 1.249, SL/CS 0.741, PoOc/CL 0.482, EYE 0.226, dFOV 7.0, SP/CS 0.089, FRS/CS 0.242, SPBA/CS 0.283, PEW/CS 0.268, PPW/CS 0.473, PEH/CS 0.333, PPH/CS 0.272, PEW/PPW 0.563, sqrtPDG 4.25, PLG/CS 6.61 %, PigCap 7, PigMes 9, MGr/CS 0.0 %.

minute size. Head much elongated, CL/CW 1.249. Postocular distance very large, PoOC/CL 0.482. Scape short, SL/CS 0.741. Eye small, EYE 0.226. Occipital margin weakly concave. Anterior clypeal margin convex. Clypeus smooth. Frontal laminae and a small area caudal of them finely longitudinally carinulate. Dorsum of vertex, mesosoma, and waist in overall impression distinctly shining. Vertex with very shallow and small foveolae of 4 - 10 mm diameter; foveolar interspaces brilliantly shining and much wider than foveolar diameter, occasionally with fragments of a very fine perifoveolar microreticulum. Surface structure of dorsal promesonotum similar to vertex. Whole propodeum as well as meso- and metapleurae reticulate. Lateral area of pronotum smooth, finely microreticulate. Petiolar and postpetiolar nodes shining, with very fine microreticulum. Dorsum of gaster smooth and with fragments of very fine microreticulum. Petiole node in dorsal view almost globular, postpetiole with straight frontal margin and angulate-convex sides. Metanotal groove entirely absent. Spines shorter than in C. minutior, almost triangular. Microsetae on eyes sparser and shorter than in C. minutior. Pubescence on whole body shorter and less dense than in C. minutior, sqrtPDG 4.25. Petiole in profile with concave anterior face and rounded node. Postpetiole very low, its stemite very flat, without any prominent structures. Antennal club, gaster, propodeum, meta- and mesopleurae dark to blackish brown. Vertex, promesonotum, waist, and appendages light-yellowish brown.

Type Material
England: West Didsbury near Liverpool [type investigated]. 1 type worker labelled “Cardiocondyla britteni Crawley” and “West Didsbury 12-5-1919 B.h.H. Butter Beans”, Oxford.