Plectroctena subterranea

This slow moving and bright red species can be found searching within leaf litter.

Identification
This distinctively punctate bright red species is easy to distinguish within the genus.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe.

Biology
Forages slowly in leaf litter, colony size is moderate to small.

Nomenclature

 *  subterranea. Plectroctena subterranea Arnold, 1915: 84, pl. 3, fig. 23 (w.q.) ZIMBABWE. Combination in Myopias: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 785; in Plectroctena: Santschi, 1924a: 171. Senior synonym of punctatus: Bolton, 1974c: 333.
 * punctatus. Plectroctena punctatus Santschi, 1924a: 170 (m.) KENYA. Junior synonym of subterranea: Bolton, 1974c: 333.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Bolton B. 1974. A revision of the ponerine ant genus Plectroctena F. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bull. Br. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) Entomol. 30: 309-338.
 * Bolton B., and W. L. Brown Jr. 2002. Loboponera gen. n. and a review of the Afrotropical Plectroctena genus group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bulletin of the Natural History Museum. Entomology Series 71: 1-18.
 * 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
 * IZIKO South Africa Museum Collection
 * Lévieux J. 1972. Les fourmis de la savane de Lamto (Côte d'Ivoire): éléments de taxonomie. Bulletin de l'Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire. Série A. Sciences Naturelles 34: 611-654.
 * Robertson H. G. 2000. Formicidae (Hymenoptera: Vespoidea). Cimbebasia Memoir 9: 371-382.
 * Ross S. R. P. J., F. Hita Garcia, G. Fischer, and M. K. Peters. 2018. Selective logging intensity in an East African rain forest predicts reductions in ant diversity. Biotropica 1-11.
 * Santschi F. 1924. Revue du genre Plectroctena F. Smith. Revue Suisse de Zoologie 31: 155-173.