Tetramorium notiale

Tetramorium notiale has been collected many times. It occurs in a variety of open to semi-open habitats, e.g., grassland, savannah, and woodland, and is a ground nesting species that forages on the ground (pitfall trap and hand collection data) and in vegetation (specimens collected via sweep net).

Identification
Bolton (1980) - A member of the T. cristatum species complex in the Tetramorium bicarinatum species group. As discussed under Tetramorium gazense, T. notiale is a member of a triad of closely related species which are separated on colour.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Biology
Hamish Robertson's collection notes include the following:

SAM-HYM-C000920 - Entrance had thin turret of soil 12mm high, 2mm internal diam, 4.5mm external diam. Tunnel went down perpendicularly to surface c 3 galleries. Max depth=14cm.. Origin: Nest. Method: followed worker to nest. Habitat: woodland. Habitat: track. Nest site: ground: underground. Entrance: in open away from basal parts of plants. Prop. coll.: 96-100% ?.

SAM-HYM-C000974 - small hole in ground c a few small pieces of grass 'wrapped' round entrance. Origin: Nest. Method: followed worker to nest. Habitat: woodland:open. Nest site: ground: underground. Entrance: in open away from basal parts of plants.

SAM-HYM-C001382 - Entrance consisted of a turret c 1cm high. Worker in entrance, presumably guarding it. Woodland, black soil, in recently burnt area. Method: saw nest/nest entrance. Habitat: woodland:_open. Habitat: soil: black. Nest site: ground: underground. Entrance: in open away from basal parts of plants.

SAM-HYM-C008214 - Turreted nest entrance. Four cells altogether almost directly above one another with a thin vertical tunnel linking each. Lowest cell 37 cm below ground surface but nest might have gone down further. Grassland. Habitat: grassland. Nest site: ground: underground. Entrance: turret.

Nomenclature

 * striatum. Tetramorium guineense r. striatum Arnold, 1917: 308 (w.q.m.) ZIMBABWE (attributed to Stitz). [Junior primary homonym of striatum Smith, F. 1876b: 481, above.] Replacement name: notiale Bolton, 1980: 271.
 *  notiale. Tetramorium notiale Bolton, 1980: 271. Replacement name for striatum Arnold, 1917: 308. [Junior primary homonym of striatum Smith, F. 1876b: 481.]

Bolton (1980) - The species was first described by Arnold (1917) as striatum, but he wrongly attributed the name to Stitz, citing Stitz, 1910: 144 as the reference for the name. This reference was picked up and repeated by Wheeler (1922: 897) in his catalogue of African ants. In point of fact the name is a double error as firstly the Stitz reference is to the description of cristatum (the name striatum not being mentioned), and secondly the name striatum is preoccupied in Tetramorium by a Smith name dating back to 1876. The result of this is that the original description is correctly referred to Arnold (1917), as recognized by Santschi (1924), but that the name striatum is a junior homonym, here replaced by the name notiale. The lectotype has been selected from a series bearing the data given by Arnold in the description.

Worker
Bolton (1980) - TL 3.5-5.0, HL 0.82-1.14, HW 0.70-0.98, CI 83-88, SL 0.52-0.70, SI 71-79, PW 0.55-0.70, AL 0.94-1.30 (25 measured).

Mandibles smooth and shining with scattered pits. Anterior clypeal margin with a distinct median notch or impression. Median portion of clypeus with three strong longitudinal carinae, sometimes also with one or more rugulae present, but these are not as strongly developed. Lateral margination of median portion of clypeus running to the clypeal apron anteriorly, confluent with the frontal carinal lobes posteriorly. Frontal carinae long, reaching back almost to occiput where they merge with the occipital rugoreticulum. Eyes with maximum diameter 0.20-0.28, about 0.28-0.30 x HW. Propodeal spines long, strong and acute, often straight but commonly upcurved slightly along their length. Metapleural lobes elongate-triangular, usually upceurved, acute and sometimes short-spiniform apically. Petiole in profile with the node roughly rectangular, the anterior face vertical or very feebly concave, the dorsum shallowly convex and the posterior face usually slightly concave, although individuals in which this face is vertical are fairly common. The anterodorsal and posterodorsal angles of the node either both making roughly a right-angle where they meet the dorsum or the anterior angle somewhat blunter than the posterior. In dorsal view the petiole node usually slightly longer than broad, less commonly about as long as broad but always broader behind than in front. Dorsum of head usually longitudinally rugose to level of eyes but some samples with a number of cross-meshes in this area. Occipital region strongly reticulate-rugose. Dorsal alitrunk reticulate-rugose and with a transverse crest at the site of the promesonotal junction. Petiole and postpetiole both strongly reticulate-rugose. Base of first gastral tergite finely and densely longitudinally costulate. All dorsal surfaces of head and body with numerous long, quite strong hairs. Colour uniform bright yellow-brown or bright orange-brown, usually with the gaster lighter in shade than the head and alitrunk.

Type Material
Bolton (1980) - LECTOTYPE worker, RHODESIA: Bulawayo, 31.iii.1912, at roots of grass, etc. (G. Arnold), here designated [examined].

Tetramorium guineense striatum - Two workers, one queen and one male syntypes in. One worker is labelled “P.F. 3/74” (= Peel Forest), the other has “K.C.” (= Kelley’s Creek). Each syntype also has a small rectangular label with “N. Zealand” on the upper side and “76/20” on the underside. The queen and male have no specific locality information.

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.
 * IZIKO South Africa Museum Collection
 * Magagula C. N., and B. A. Nzimba. 2015. Interaction between habitat characteristics and insect diversity using ground beetles (Colenoptera: Carabidae) and ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) within a variety of agriculatural habitats. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research 13(3): 863-876.