Tetramorium schaufussii Forel 1891

Tetramorium schaufussii Forel, 1891c PDF: 158 (w.) MADAGASCAR. Malagasy. Primary type information: MADAGASCAR, Central Madagascar, coll. C. Schaufuss; CASENT0101697; MHNG AntCat AntWiki HOL

Taxonomic history

Forel, 1892o: 263 (q.).See also Hita Garcia & Fisher, 2014c PDF: 136.

Tetramorium (Xiphomyrmex) schaufussi Forel , 1891 a: 158. Holotype worker, Madagascar: central province (C. Schaufuss) (MHN, Geneva) [examined].

Tetramorium (Xiphomyrmex) nassonowii Forel , 1892: 521. Syntype workers, Madagascar: Foret d'Andrangoloaka (Sikora) (MHN, Geneva) [examined]. Syn. n.

Worker . TL 3.3 - 40, HL 0.78 - 0.98, HW 0.70 - 0.86, CI 87 - 90, SL 0.54 - 0.64, SI 73 - 77, PW 0.52 - 0.66, AL 0.98 - 1.10 (7 measured).

Mandibles smooth with scattered small pits. Median clypeal carina poorly developed or absent. If the former then the carina is no stronger than the remaining clypeal sculpture and cannot be distinguished from it. Frontal carinae extended back behind level of eyes but only weakly developed, the scrobes broad, shallow and poorly defined. Propodeal spines short, triangular, usually shorter than the broadly triangular metapleural lobes, more rarely about as long as the lobes. Head with fine longitudinal rugulae dorsally, the dorsal alitrunk predominantly longitudinally rugose but with some reticulation usually on the anterior pronotum and the propodeum. Pedicel and gaster unsculptured, smooth and shining. All dorsal surfaces of head and body with numerous fine hairs, erect to suberect.

T. schaufussi and sikorae form a close species-pair within the schaufussi-group and in general have a very similar appearance. They both belong to the sikorae-complex of species, characterized by the presence of hairs on the first gastral tergite, and this complex also includes xanthogaster which is easily separated (see under sikorae ). T. sikorae and schaufussi are best separated by their pilosity as on the dorsal promesonotum pilosity in sikorae is sparse, restricted to some 2 - 3 pairs (rarely 4) situated on the margins anteriorly and laterally, whereas in schaufussi the promesonotum has numerous hairs which arise all over the surface.

Material examined

Madagascar: no loc. (Staudinger); no. loc (Sikora).

Head much longer than wide (CI 86–90); posterior head margin weakly concave. Anterior clypeal margin with distinct median impression. Frontal carinae usually moderately well developed, slightly diverging posteriorly, and typically fading out or merging with surrounding sculpture halfway between posterior eye and posterior head margin. Antennal scrobes weak to absent, shallow and without clear and distinct posterior and ventral margins. Antennal scapes short to very short, not reaching posterior head margin (SI 66–73). Eyes moderate to large (OI 24–28). Mesosomal outline in profile flat to weakly convex, comparatively low and long (LMI 35–39), moderately marginate from lateral to dorsal mesosoma; promesonotal suture absent; metanotal groove either weakly developed or absent. Propodeal spines usually short, triangular to elongate-triangular (PSLI 11–18), propodeal lobes short and triangular, usually of approximately same length as propodeal spines, sometimes lobes longer, rarely much shorter than spines, but never strongly inclined towards each other. Petiolar node in profile high rounded nodiform, around 1.6 to 1.9 times higher than long (LPeI 52–63), anterior and posterior faces approximately parallel, usually anterodorsal and posterodorsal margins situated at about same height and equally angled, sometimes anterodorsal margin slightly higher, petiolar dorsum generally weakly convex, sometimes flat; node in dorsal view between 1.1 to 1.4 times wider than long (DPeI 112–136), in dorsal view pronotum between 2.4 to 2.8 times wider than petiolar node (PeNI 35–41). Postpetiole in profile globular, around 1.2 to 1.4 times higher than long (LPpI 69–83); in dorsal view between 1.2 to 1.5 times wider than long (DPpI 125–150), pronotum between 1.6 to 1.9 times wider than postpetiole (PpNI 53–61). Postpetiole in profile appearing more or less of similar volume as petiolar node, postpetiole in dorsal view around 1.3 to 1.5 times wider than petiolar node (PPI 131–153). Mandibles completely unsculptured, smooth, and shiny; clypeus longitudinally rugulose/rugose with three to six usually regularly shaped and unbroken rugulae/rugae, median ruga usually fully developed and distinct, very rarely broken, one or two lateral rugulae/rugae present on each side; cephalic dorsum between frontal carinae longitudinally rugulose/rugose with seven to ten rugae/rugulae, rugae/rugulae usually running from posterior clypeal margin to posterior head margin, often irregularly shaped, interrupted, or with cross-meshes; scrobal area partly unsculptured and merging with surrounding sculpture; lateral head reticulate-rugose to longitudinally rugose, often posteriorly mostly unsculptured. Ground sculpture on head usually well developed, moderately reticulate-punctate, especially on cephalic dorsum and scrobal area, sometimes ground sculpture much weaker, almost absent. Dorsum of mesosoma usually irregularly longitudinally rugose to reticulate-rugose, sometimes almost completely reticulate-rugose with few longitudinally rugose elements; lateral mesosoma mostly irregularly longitudinally rugose to reticulate-rugose, often lateral pronotum weaker sculptured to almost unsculptured. Ground sculpture on mesosoma variably developed, usually weakly to moderately punctate, sometimes very weak or absent. Forecoxae either unsculptured, smooth, and shining or with longitudinally rugulose or reticulate-rugose sculpture on upper half. Both waist segments and gaster fully unsculptured, smooth, and shining. Dorsum of head with several pairs of long, fine, standing hairs; mesosoma with six or more pairs on promesonotum, propodeum without standing pilosity; petiole usually with one or two and postpetiole with two to three pairs of long, standing hairs; first gastral tergite with short, moderately dense, appressed pubescence in combination with several scattered to numerous, long, standing hairs. Anterior edges of antennal scapes and dorsal (outer) surfaces of hind tibiae with appressed to decumbent hairs. Head, mesosoma, waist segments, and gaster uniformly light yellowish brown to very dark brown, almost black contrasting with lighter yellowish to light brown mandibles, antennae, and legs.

Tetramorium schaufussii is broadly distributed throughout most of the humid forest zones from the southeast to the north of Madagascar (Fig. 66). Surprisingly, Tetramorium schaufussii is also known from one very old collection event from the island of Reunion, but apart from that no modern collection exists from that island. Despite that we list Reunion as record for Tetramorium schaufussii we consider that record as problematic and highly questionable. In Madagascar Tetramorium schaufussii is almost always found in rainforests or montane rainforests at elevations from 210 to 1875 m, even though most of the material was collected at elevations higher than 1000 m. In addition, Tetramorium schaufussii seems to be an inhabitant of the leaf litter stratum.