Tetraponera ambigua

Distribution
This widespread species is found from the Arabian Peninsula and the Sahara south to South Africa.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Angola, Botswana, Cameroun, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Gabon, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Yemen, Zimbabwe. Palaearctic Region: Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Israel, Libya.

Biology
It is dimorphic with soldiers and workers. Found nesting in dead twigs in dry habitats.

Nomenclature

 *  ambigua. Sima ambigua Emery, 1895h: 23 (w.q.) SOUTH AFRICA. Forel, 1910f: 5 (m.). Combination in S. (Tetraponera): Arnold, 1916: 185; in Tetraponera: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 796. [Sima ambigua Forel, 1894b: 89. Nomen nudum, attributed to Emery.] Senior synonym of angolensis, bifoveolata, encephala, erythraea, maculifrons, occidentalis, rhodesiana, syriaca: Ward, 2006: 123.
 * bifoveolata. Sima bifoveolata Mayr, 1895: 146 (w.) MOZAMBIQUE. Menozzi, 1926a: 37 (q.). Combination in S. (Tetraponera): Arnold, 1916: 184; in Tetraponera: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 796. Junior synonym of ambigua: Ward, 2006: 123.
 * erythraea. Sima ambigua subsp. erythraea Emery, 1895h: 23 (w.) YEMEN. [Sima ambigua susbp. erythraea Emery, 1893f: 256. Nomen nudum.] Combination in S. (Tetraponera): Emery, 1921f: 27; in Tetraponera: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 796. Raised to species: Collingwood, 1985: 242. Junior synonym of ambigua: Ward, 2006: 123.
 * maculifrons. Sima bifoveolata st. maculifrons Santschi, 1912b: 162 (w.) SOMALIA. [Name misspelled as foveolata in original description.] Combination in Sima (Tetraponera): Emery, 1921f: 27; in Tetraponera: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 796. Junior synonym of ambigua: Ward, 2006: 123.
 * rhodesiana. Sima ambigua r. rhodesiana Forel, 1913a: 112 (w.) ZIMBABWE. Arnold, 1914: 31 (s.w.); Arnold, 1916: 187 (q.). Combination in S. (Tetraponera): Arnold, 1916: 186; in Tetraponera: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 796. Junior synonym of ambigua: Ward, 2006: 123.
 * syriaca. Sima bifoveolata var. syriaca Wheeler, W.M. & Mann, 1916: 167 (w.) SYRIA. Combination in S. (Tetraponera): Emery, 1921f: 27; in Tetraponera: Ward, 1990: 489. Junior synonym of ambigua: Ward, 2006: 123.
 * encephala. Sima encephala Santschi, 1919h: 84 (q.) SENEGAL. Combination in Tetraponera: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 797. Junior synonym of ambigua: Ward, 2006: 123.
 * angolensis. Tetraponera ophthalmica st. angolensis Santschi, 1930b: 61, fig. 1 (w.) ANGOLA. Junior synonym of ambigua: Ward, 2006: 123.
 * occidentalis. Tetraponera ambigua var. occidentalis Menozzi, 1934: 154 (w.) ALGERIA. [First available use of Sima ambigua r. erythraea var. occidentalis Stitz, 1917: 336. Unavailable name (Ward, 1990: 489).] Junior synonym of ambigua: Ward, 2006: 123.

Additional References

 * [[Media:Ward 2006.pdf|Ward, P.S. 2006. The ant genus Tetraponera in the Afrotropical region: synopsis of species groups and revision of the T. ambigua-group. Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8: 119-130. PDF]]