Tetramorium intonsum

Identification
From Bolton (1980)

''T. intonsum belongs to a complex of four small yellow species in this group, the other members being jugatum, shilohense and termitobium. Together they are characterized by their moderately developed frontal carinae, coarse sculpture, small (as opposed to minute) eyes with 3-5 ommatidia in the greatest diameter, and vestigial or very feeble antennal scrobes. T. intonsum is easily isolated from this assemblage by its possession of dense fine pilosity, suberect to subdecumbent long pubescence on the hind tibiae and relatively long antennal scapes in which SI range is 93-99 as opposed to a range of 78-93 in the other 3 species combined. The upper portion of this range is seen only in jugatum (SI 86-93) and specimens in which the SI matches are quickly separable on the pilosity characters, as indicated in the key.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Ghana, Ivory Coast.

Biology
From Bolton (1980)

'' All samples collected have originated in leaf litter or rotten wood, the majority from rotting logs. The state of the wood does not seem to matter much to this species as it has been found in dry dead wood as well as in wet-rotten stumps''

Nomenclature

 *  intonsum. Tetramorium intonsum Bolton, 1980: 288, fig. 68 (w.) GHANA.

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.
 * 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.
 * Stephens S. S., P. B. Bosu, and M. R. Wager. 2016. Effect of overstory tree species diversity and composition on ground foraging ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in timber plantations in Ghana. International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & management 12(1-2): 96-107.
 * 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