Crematogaster africana

A widely distributed and common arboreal nesting species found on large indigenous trees in West Africa and the Congo Basin (Taylor et al., 2018). Yode et al. (2020) found this species foraging arboreally in the West Lamto Scientific Reserve, central Côte d’Ivoire. Defoliating activities have been observed in this species along with Crematogaster buchneri (Eguagie, 1973; Taylor, 2015) and Crematogaster wellmani (Bruno de Miré, 1969), whose workers attack the leaves, buds and flowers of several plants (Dejean et al., 2023).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Benin, Cameroun, Ivory Coast, Kenya.

Nomenclature

 * . Crematogaster africana Mayr, 1895: 142 (w.) CAMEROON.
 * Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
 * Type-locality: Cameroon: Kriegsschiffhafen (H. Brauns) (by restriction of Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 851).
 * [Note: other syntype locality: Cameroon: (no further data).]
 * Type-depository: NHMW.
 * Santschi, 1937g: 78 (q.).
 * Combination in C. (Atopogyne): Santschi, 1916b: 501.
 * Subspecies of buchneri: Forel, 1913a: 125; Forel, 1913h: 352; Santschi, 1915c: 253; Forel, 1916: 410.
 * Status as species: Emery, 1899e: 480; Mayr, 1902: 294; Forel, 1909b: 53, 69; Forel, 1910e: 433; Santschi, 1910c: 378; Santschi, 1918d: 183; Wasmann, 1918b: 145; Santschi, 1921c: 118; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 157, 851; Emery, 1922e: 154; Santschi, 1937g: 78; Menozzi, 1942: 169; Eidmann, 1944: 448, 469; Donisthorpe, 1945d: 268; Bernard, 1953b: 234; Bolton, 1995b: 146; Hita Garcia, et al. 2013: 209.
 * Distribution: Cameroon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea (+ Bioko), Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria.
 * Current subspecies: nominal plus alligatrix, biemarginata, camena, polymorphica, schumanni, stanleyi, stolonis, thoracica, tibialis, variegata.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Adenuga A. O. 1975. Mutualistic association between ants and some Homoptera - its significance in cocoa production. Psyche 82: 24-28.
 * Bernard F. 1953. La réserve naturelle intégrale du Mt Nimba. XI. Hyménoptères Formicidae. Mémoires de l'Institut Français d'Afrique Noire 19: 165-270.
 * Braet Y., and B. Taylor. 2008. Mission entomologique au Parc National de Pongara (Gabon). Bilan des Formicidae (Hymenoptera) recoltes. Bulletin S. R. B. E./K.B.V.E. 144: 157-169.
 * Dejean A., F. Azemar, R. Cereghino, M. Leponce, B. Corbara, J. Orivel, and A. Compin. 2015. The dynamics of ant mosaics in tropical rainforests characterized using the SelfOrganizing Map algorithm. Insect Science doi: 10.1111/1744-7917.12208
 * Donisthorpe H. 1945. On a small collection of ants (Hym., Formicidae) from West Africa, associated with Coccidae. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (11)12: 265-273.
 * Eidmann H. 1944. Die Ameisenfauna von Fernando Poo. 27. Beitrag zu den Ergebnissen der Westafrika-Expedition. Zool. Jahrb. Abt. Syst. Ökol. Geogr. Tiere 76: 413-490.
 * Forel A. 1910. Note sur quelques fourmis d'Afrique. Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 54: 421-458.
 * Forel A. 1913. Quelques fourmis du Musée du Congo Belge (1). Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 57: 347-359.
 * 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
 * Kone M., S. Konate, K. Yeo, P. K. Kouassi, K. E. Linsemair. 2010. Diversity and abundance of terrrestrial ants along a gradient of land use intensification in a transitional forest-savannah zone of Cote d'Ivoire. Journal of Applied Biosciences 29: 1809-1827.
 * Kone M., S. Konate, K. Yeo, P. K. Kouassi, and K. E. Linsenmair. 2012. Changes in ant communities along an age gradient of cocoa cultivation in the Oumé region, central Côte dIvoire. Entomological Science 15: 324339.
 * Medler J. T. 1980: Insects of Nigeria - Check list and bibliography. Mem. Amer. Ent. Inst. 30: i-vii, 1-919.
 * Menozzi C. 1942. Formiche dell'isola Fernando Poo e del territorio del Rio Muni (Guinea Spagnola). 24. Beitrag zu den wissenschaftlichen Ergebnissen der Forschungsreise H. Eidmann nach Spanisch-Guinea 1939 bis 1940. Zoologischer Anzeiger 140: 164-182.
 * Nwosu L. C., and I. A. Lawal. 2010. Assesment of insect invaders of decaying banana and plantain (Musa spp.) pseudo stems in Umuagwo, Ohaji-Egbema local government area, Imo state, Nigeria. Journal of Tropical Agriculture, Food, Environment and Extension 9(2): 84-89.
 * Santschi F. 1910. Formicides nouveaux ou peu connus du Congo français. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 78: 349-400.
 * Soulié J., and L. D. Dicko. 1965. La répartition des genres de fourmis de la tribu des "Cremastogastrini" dans la faune éthiopienne et malgache. Hymenoptera - Formicoidea - Myrmicidae. Ann. Univ. Abidjan Sér. Sci. 1: 85-106.
 * Taylor B. 1979. Ants of the Nigerian Forest Zone (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). III. Myrmicinae (Cardiocondylini to Meranoplini). Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria Research Bulletin 6: 1-65.
 * Taylor B., N. Agoinon, A. Sinzogan, A. Adandonon, Y. N'Da Kouagou, S. Bello, R. Wargui, F. Anato, I. Ouagoussounon, H. Houngbo, S. Tchibozo, R. Todjhounde, and J. F. Vayssieres. 2018. Records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Republic of Benin, with particular reference to the mango farm ecosystem. Journal of Insect Biodiversity 8(1): 006–029.
 * Taylor B., and S. F. Adedoyin. 1978. The abundance and interspecific relations of common ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on cocoa farms in western Nigeria. Bull. Ent. Res. 68: 105-121.
 * Weber N. A. 1943. The ants of the Imatong Mountains, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 93: 263-389.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1922. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. VIII. A synonymic list of the ants of the Ethiopian region. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 711-1004
 * Yeo K., S. Konate, S. Tiho, and S. K. Camara. 2011. Impacts of land use types on ant communities in a tropical forest margin (Oumé - Cote d'Ivoire). African Journal of Agricultural Research 6(2): 260-274.
 * Yeo K., T. Delsinne, S. Komate, L. L. Alonso, D. Aidara, and C. Peeters. 2016. Diversity and distribution of ant assemblages above and below ground in a West African forest–savannah mosaic (Lamto, Cote d’Ivoire). Insectes Sociaux DOI 10.1007/s00040-016-0527-6