Crematogaster brunneipennis (Ern. Andre ) subspecies acaciae (Forel) variety victoriosa (Santschi)

Wheeler, W. M., 1922, The ants collected by the American Museum Congo Expedition., Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45, pp. 39-269 : 152

Crematogaster brunneipennis (Ern. Andre) subspecies acaciae (Forel) variety victoriosa (Santschi)

Numerous workers from Zambi (Bequaert), "nesting in a tree trunk." The typical C. acaciae was originally taken by Keller in Somaliland in the swollen spines of acacias. Concerning one of the other varieties ( generosa Santschi ), Santschi writes me as follows: "I received from Mr. G. Arnold of the Rhodesian Museum under the name of C. brunneipennis Ern. Andre variety omniparens Forel some workers which differ only in their deeper color from what I have called acaciae variety generosa. The female of the latter form is very close to that of brunneipennis Ern. Andr 6, but the wings are even darker. I believe that brunneipennis should be regarded as a subspecies of C. acaciae ." That Santschi is correct in regarding both forms as cospecific is proved by a comparison of two cotype workers of brunneipennis from Sierra Leone (Mocquerys), sent me by André many years ago, with a cotype of received from Forel. André workers are smaller, with longer antennal scapes, smoother and more polished thorax, with somewhat more circular and less cordate petiole, smaller and more slender and more pointed epinotal spines, and darker gaster and head, but the resemblances are so close in other respects that I cannot regard the differences as more than subspecific. As brunneipennis has priority of publication, acaciae must be reduced in rank and not brunneipennis , as Santschi supposes. Whether omniparens is to be retained as a distinct subspecies or is to be attached as a variety to acaciae , I am unable to determine.