Tetramorium jordani

The species nests in sandy soils, with nests located either at the base of the plants or with the entrance in the open, away from plants. The nest usually has a crater of soil around the entrance.

Identification
Tetramorium jordani is the only species in the solidum-group with a combination of the following characters: lack of propodeal spines (the propodeum is only angulated), and hairless body. In the Tetramorium solidum-group, there is only one species that has no propodeal spines, namely, T. jordani.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Namibia, South Africa.

Biology
This species has been recorded from arid regions of South Africa (Western Cape and Northern Cape) and Namibia in the following habitats: Succulent Karoo, sand dunes, grasslands, sand plain fynbos, fynbos on limestone, rehabilitated mine dump, rehabilitated slimes dam, Strandveld,. The species nests in sandy soils, with nests located either at the base of the plants or with the entrance in the open, away from plants. The nest usually has a crater of soil around the entrance. In sand dunes of the Namib Desert, the tunnels inside the nest have crust-like walls to stop sand from falling in, and the entrance of one nest observed was funnel shaped due to the crust-like lining and the fact that the loose sand around the entrance was blown away by wind. The species has been collected using yellow pan traps, pitfall traps, and hand-collecting. It feeds on seeds.

Nomenclature

 *  jordani. Tetramorium jordani Santschi, 1937a: 62 (w.) NAMIBIA. Senior synonym of aspinatum: Bolton, 1980: 248.
 * aspinatum. Tetramorium aspinatum Prins, 1973: 12, figs. 10-13, 29 (w.q.) SOUTH AFRICA. Junior synonym of jordani: Bolton, 1980: 248.