Bothroponera picardi

Bothroponera picardi was collected from trees in Cubango at the Southern East edge of Angola and from Cuito in the central region of Angola between the Cubango and Cuito Rivers. This habitat is different from the typical habitat for the members of B. sulcata complex, which are generally found nesting under stones or in and under Acacia trees trunks. It is possible that B. picardi also nests in the soil under stones and was only foraging on the trees. From the limited number of B. picardi specimens (4) that are available and the lack of published biological and ecological information, or even on the labels, it is impossible to speculate more on the biology of this species. (Joma and Mackay 2017)

Identification
Joma and Mackay (2017) – A member of the Bothroponera sulcata species complex. Worker Easily recognized, as the entire dorsal of the mesosoma is bare, without erect hairs generally seen in other Bothroponera species. surface even lacks the fine hairs that usually in the other species complexes. There are other areas that are covered moderately to abundantly by moderately long hairs, including the mandibles, clypeus, ventral surface of the head and the ventral sides of the pygidium. The hairs on ventral surface of the head are few in number and short (0.15 - 0.20 mm). The hairs on the clypeus and mandibles are moderately denser than those on the other surfaces including the head (from 0.20 - 0.25 mm on the ventral surface of the head, less than 0.12 mm on the mandibles, clypeus and antennae). Slightly abundant long hairs are present on the pygidium, around the sting (up to 0.20 mm on the dorsum, less than 0.20 mm on the ventral surface The mandibles have about 7 teeth and are smooth. The anterior medial margin of the clypeus forms a shiny groove on the medial raised area.

The head is densely and roughly sculptured with very few punctulae. The notopropodeum, petiole and postpetiole are roughly sculptured, weakly shiny with a few punctae spread on the dorsum, which is weakly shiny, but the petiole and postpetiole are shiny. The mesopleuron is roughly sculptured with a few punctae spread over the surface. The antennae, mandibles and legs are shiny

Easily separated from the rest of the species in the Bothroponera sulcata species complex by lacking erect hairs on the notopropodeum.  Bothroponera picardi has an anterior medial raised clypeal area that forms a smooth shiny groove or flat longitudinal raised narrow area that is identical to those of Bothroponera crassa, Bothroponera ilgii, Bothroponera kruegeri, Bothroponera silvestrii and Bothroponera soror. This area is very short in Bothroponera kruegeri, forms a shiny wide longitudinal groove in Bothroponera notaula, a narrow sculptured slightly striated on the upper part, slightly depressed area on the lower part in Bothroponera ryderae, without a groove in Bothroponera pilosuperficia and covered completely or partially with fine striae in B. soror and Bothroponera ancilla. Bothroponera picardi is small (total length 6.30 - 6.50 mm), however, it is similar in length to B. crassa (6.00 - 8.80 mm) and B. silvestrii (5.25 - 7.05 mm). The dorsopropodeum is strongly curved to form a strong obtuse angle with the posteropropodeum, which is slightly concave with a slight dorsal depression. This character can also be seen in B. soror, B. silvestrii, B. ancilla, B. ryderae and B. pilosuperficia.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Angola.

Nomenclature

 *  picardi. Pachycondyla (Bothroponera) picardi Forel, 1901d: 304 (w.) ANGOLA.
 * [Also described as new by Forel, 1903e: 559.]
 * Combination in Bothroponera: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 72.
 * Combination in Pachycondyla: Brown, in Bolton, 1995b: 308.
 * Combination in Bothroponera: Schmidt & Shattuck, 2014: 77.
 * See also Joma & McKay 2017: 31

Worker
Joma and Mackay (2017) - (n=4), HL 1.26-1.29, HW 1.05-1.11, ML 0.75-0.84, EW 0.18-0.27, EL 0.30-0.36, SL 1.05, FL 1.62-1.71, WL 1.92-1.98, WPL 2.40-2.49, PL 0.57-0.60, PW 0.66-0.72, PH 0.81-0.93, CI 83.33-86.04, OI 28.57-32.43, MandI 59.52-65.11, SI 94.59-100.00, PetI 115.78-120.00. Total length 6.30-6.50 mm; compound eyes relatively small; malar space length 0.15 mm, length from upper edge of eye to upper margin of posterior lobe 0.55 mm; pronotal humerus rounded anteriorly, lower margins (side view) slightly curved, rounded anteriorly, sharp posteriorly; nearly entire body lacks erect hairs; entire body black or reddish brown; legs, antennae and mandibles red or reddish brown.

Type Material
Joma and Mackay (2017) - Angola: Cubango, 12°3'0" S; 15°40'0" E, Cuito [Kuito] Lat: 12°22'0" S; Long: 15°40'0" E; Mossamedes Lat: 15°11'46" S; Long: 1 2°9' 8 " E, West Africa, Pachycondyla (Bothroponera) picardi Forel, Baron v. Picard (4w, lectotype middle specimen, paralectotype lower and upper specimens [here designated] ).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Emery C. 1911. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Ponerinae. Genera Insectorum 118: 1-125.
 * Forel A. 1903. Einige neue Ameisen aus Sud-Angola. Pp 559-564, in: Baum, H. Kunene-Sambesi-Expedition, 1903. Berlin: Verlag des Kolonial-Wirtschaftlichen Komitees, 593pp.
 * IZIKO South Africa Museum Collection