Tetramorium schaufussi Forel

Bolton, B., 1979, The ant tribe Tetramoriini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The genus Tetramorium Mayr in the Malagasy region and in the New World., Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology 38, pp. 129-181 : 137-138

Tetramorium schaufussi Forel

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).