Tetramorium sericeiventre

In Rawdhat Khorim, Saudi Arabia, this species is very common and occurs during all months of the year, with a peak in December. It was observed foraging on Calotropis procera (Aiton) W. T. Aiton (Apocynaceae) (Sharaf et al., 2013).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Eritrea, Gambia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Zimbabwe. Malagasy Region: Madagascar. Palaearctic Region: Algeria, Ethiopia, Libya, Oman, Tunisia.

This is the most common Tetramorium species found in the Arabian Peninsula (Collingwood, 1985; Collingwood and Agosti, 1996; Collingwood et al. 2011) and is also broadly distributed in the savannah of tropical Africa (Sharaf et al., 2013).

Castes
Specimen Label

This is the form previously known as T. quadrispinosum, now a junior synonym of T. sericeiventre.

Nomenclature

 *  sericeiventre. Tetramorium sericeiventre Emery, 1877b: 370 (w.) ETHIOPIA. Senior synonym of hortensis: Bolton, 1976: 363; of blochmannii: Bolton, 1979: 155; of arenarium, bipartita, cinnamomeum, continentis, debile, femoratum, gamaii, hori, inversa, jasonis, munda, neuvillei, nigriventre, vascoi, vividum and material of the unavailable names colluta, defricta, evidens, georgei, gladiator, kenyense, platonis, transversa referred here: Bolton, 1980: 332.; of angolense, beirae, calvum, elegans, montanum, otaviensis, quadrispinosum, repertum: Hita Garcia & Fisher, 2011: 34.
 * hortensis. Atopula hortensis Bernard, 1948: 173, fig. 9 (w.q.m.) LIBYA. Junior synonym of sericeiventre: Bolton, 1976: 363; Bolton, 1980: 333.
 * blochmannii. Tetramorium blochmannii Forel, 1887: 384 (w.) MADAGASCAR. Forel, 1910f: 19 (q.m.). Subspecies of sericeiventre: Santschi, 1918b: 124 (in key). Junior synonym of sericeiventre: Bolton, 1979: 155.
 * calvum. Tetramorium blochmanni var. calvum Stitz, 1923: 162 (w.) NAMIBIA. Junior synonym of quadrispinosum: Bolton, 1980: 330; of sericeiventre: Hita Garcia & Fisher, 2011: 34.
 * continentis. Tetramorium blochmanni subsp. continentis Forel, 1910e: 426 (w.) SOUTH AFRICA. Forel, 1913b: 319 (q.); Arnold, 1917: 279 (m.). Subspecies of sericeiventre: Santschi, 1918b: 130; Arnold, 1926: 250. Junior synonym of sericeiventre: Bolton, 1980: 332.
 * montanum. Tetramorium blochmannii var. montanum Forel, 1891b: 152, pl. 5, fig. 2 (w.q.) MADAGASCAR. Subspecies of quadrispinosum: Santschi, 1918b: 122 (in key). Junior synonym of quadrispinosum: Bolton, 1979: 155; of sericeiventre: Hita Garcia & Fisher, 2011: 34.
 * nigriventre. Tetramorium blochmanni var. nigriventre Stitz, 1910: 144 (w.) CAMEROUN. Subspecies of sericeiventre: Santschi, 1918b: 126. Junior synonym of sericeiventre: Bolton, 1980: 332.
 * neuvillei. Tetramorium neuvillei Forel, 1907c: 135 (w.) ETHIOPIA. Junior synonym of sericeiventre: Bolton, 1980: 332.
 * quadrispinosum. Tetramorium quadrispinosum Emery, 1886: 362, pl. 17, fig. 8 (w.) SOUTH AFRICA. Senior synonym of montanum: Bolton, 1979: 155; of angolense, beirae, calvum, elegans, eudoxia, otaviensis, repertum and material of the unavailable name benguelense referred here: Bolton, 1980: 330. Junior synonym of sericeiventre: Hita Garcia & Fisher, 2011: 34.
 * angolense. Tetramorium quadrispinosum st. angolense Santschi, 1930b: 71 (w.q.) ANGOLA. Junior synonym of quadrispinosum: Bolton, 1980: 330; of sericeiventre: Hita Garcia & Fisher, 2011: 34.
 * beirae. Tetramorium quadrispinosum r. beirae Arnold, 1926: 252 (w.) MOZAMBIQUE. Junior synonym of quadrispinosum: Bolton, 1980: 330; of sericeiventre: Hita Garcia & Fisher, 2011: 34.
 * elegans. Tetramorium quadrispinosum st. elegans Santschi, 1918b: 125 (w.) SOUTH AFRICA. Junior synonym of eudoxia: Arnold, 1926: 252; of quadrispinosum: Bolton, 1980: 330; of sericeiventre: Hita Garcia & Fisher, 2011: 34.
 * eudoxia. Tetramorium quadrispinosum st. eudoxia Santschi, 1918b: 122 (w.) SOUTH AFRICA. [First available use of Tetramorium blochmanni r. continentis var. eudoxia Forel, 1914d: 231; unavailable name.] Senior synonym of elegans: Arnold, 1926: 252. Junior synonym of quadrispinosum: Bolton, 1980: 330; of sericeiventre: Hita Garcia & Fisher, 2011: 34.
 * otaviensis. Tetramorium quadrispinosum r. otaviensis Arnold, 1926: 253 (w.) NAMIBIA. Junior synonym of quadrispinosum: Bolton, 1980: 330; of sericeiventre: Hita Garcia & Fisher, 2011: 34.
 * arenarium. Tetramorium sericeiventre var. arenarium Santschi, 1918b: 126 (w.) TUNISIA. Santschi, 1937g: 82 (m.). Junior synonym of sericeiventre: Bolton, 1980: 332.
 * bipartita. Tetramorium sericeiventre var. bipartita Santschi, 1918b: 126 (w.) KENYA. Junior synonym of sericeiventre: Bolton, 1980: 332.
 * cinnamomeum. Tetramorium sericeiventre st. cinnamomeum Santschi, 1918b: 124 (diagnosis in key) (w.) MOZAMBIQUE (attributed to Arnold). [Also described as new by Arnold, 1926: 249.] Junior synonym of sericeiventre: Bolton, 1980: 332.
 * debile. Tetramorium sericeiventre var. debile Forel, 1894b: 80 (w.) ETHIOPIA. Junior synonym of sericeiventre: Bolton, 1980: 332.
 * femoratum. Tetramorium sericeiventre subsp. femoratum Emery, 1895h: 37 (w.) SOUTH AFRICA. Junior synonym of sericeiventre: Bolton, 1980: 332.
 * gamaii. Tetramorium sericeiventre var. gamaii Santschi, 1918b: 128 (w.) ZIMBABWE. Junior synonym of sericeiventre: Bolton, 1980: 332.
 * hori. Tetramorium sericeiventre var. hori Santschi, 1918b: 125 (w.) SUDAN. Junior synonym of sericeiventre: Bolton, 1980: 332.
 * inversa. Tetramorium sericeiventre var. inversa Santschi, 1910c: 384 (w.) CONGO. Junior synonym of sericeiventre: Bolton, 1980: 332.
 * jasonis. Tetramorium sericeiventre var. jasonis Santschi, 1918b: 127 (w.q.) IVORY COAST. Junior synonym of sericeiventre: Bolton, 1980: 332.
 * munda. Tetramorium sericeiventre var. munda Santschi, 1918b: 127 (w.) GUINEA. Junior synonym of sericeiventre: Bolton, 1980: 332.
 * repertum. Tetramorium sericeiventre var. repertum Santschi, 1926b: 242 (w.) MOZAMBIQUE. Junior synonym of quadrispinosum: Bolton, 1980: 330; of sericeiventre: Hita Garcia & Fisher, 2011: 34.
 * vascoi. Tetramorium sericeiventre var. vascoi Santschi, 1918b: 128 (w.q.) ZIMBABWE. Junior synonym of sericeiventre: Bolton, 1980: 332.
 * vividum. Tetramorium sericeiventre var. vividum Santschi, 1926b: 242 (w.) MOZAMBIQUE. Junior synonym of sericeiventre: Bolton, 1980: 332.

Additional References

 * [[Media:Forel 1894b.pdf|Forel, A. 1894b. Abessinische und andere afrikanische Ameisen, gesammelt von Herrn Ingenieur Alfred Ilg, von Herrn Dr. Liengme, von Herrn Pfarrer Missionar P. Berthoud, Herrn Dr. Arth. Müller etc. Mitt. Schweiz. Entomol. Ges. 9: 64-100 PDF]]
 * [[Media:Sharaf, M.R. et al. 2013. Rawdhat Khorim Nature Preserve.pdf|Sharaf, M. R.; Abdel-Dayem, M. S.; Al Dhafer, H. M.; Aldawood, S. A. 2013. The ants (Hymenoptera:formicidae) of Rawdhat Khorim Nature Preserve, Saudi Arabia, with description of a new species of the genus Tetramorium Mayr. Zootaxa 3709:565-580. PDF]]