Tetraponera emeryi (Forel)

Ward, Philip S., 2022, The ant genus Tetraponera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Afrotropical region: taxonomic review and key to species, Zootaxa 5102 (1), pp. 1-70 : 30

Tetraponera emeryi (Forel)

( Figs 2 , 8 , 36 )

Sima Emeryi Forel 1911a: 367 . Syntypes, 2 workers, Pretoria, South Africa (Simon) (MSNG) [examined]. Name given by Forel (1911a: 367) for Emery’s (1895b: 23) description of workers of “ Sima capensis ” (nec F. Smith) from Pretoria.

Sima Braunsi var. durbanensis Forel 1914: 218 . Syntype, 1 worker, Durban , South Africa (Arnold) (MHNG) [examined]. Imaged on AntWeb: CASENT0907471. Syn. nov.

Sima (Tetraponera) Emeryi Forel ; Arnold 1916: 187. Combination in Sima (Tetraponera) .

Tetraponera emeryi (Forel) ; Wheeler 1922b: 797. Combination in Tetraponera .

Tetraponera emeryi (Forel) ; Chomicki et al. 2015: figure S1. Placement in molecular phylogeny.

Sima (Tetraponera) clypeata race Braunsi var. durbanensis Forel ; Arnold 1916: 184. Combination in Sima (Tetraponera) , as infrasubspecific name.

Tetraponera clypeata subsp. braunsi var. durbanensis (Forel) ; Wheeler 1922b: 797. Combination in Tetraponera , as infrasubspecific name.

Tetraponera braunsi durbanensis (Forel) ; Ward 1990: 488. Combination in Tetraponera .

Worker measurements (n = 12). HW 0.58–0.69, HL 0.77–0.99, LHT 0.49–0.64, CI 0.70–0.76, FCI 0.08–0.12, REL 0.28–0.32, REL2 0.39–0.44, SI 0.64–0.68, SI3 1.54–1.69, FI 0.36–0.42, PLI 0.51–0.56, PWI 0.38–0.45, LHT/ HW 0.84–0.92, CSC 2, MSC 0.

Worker diagnosis. Similar to Tetraponera clypeata (see above) except as follows: scapes tending to be longer (SI 0.64–0.68) ( Fig. 2 ), frontal carinae more closely adjacent (FCI 0.08–0.12) and profemur more slender (FI 0.36–0.42); mesopropodeal impression lacking conspicuous longitudinal rugulae; light yellowish-orange in color ( Figs 7, 8 ).

Comments. Workers of T. emeryi are most readily distinguished from those of their close relative, T. clypeata , on the basis of color: light yellowish-orange as opposed to dark brown in T. clypeata . The two species are broadly sympatric in southwestern South Africa. T. emeryi workers also tend to have longer appendages and more closely adjacent frontal carinae than T. clypeata , but the relevant metrics overlap. Differences in the male terminalia, including a more dorsally deflected posteromedial margin of sternite IX (hypopygium) in T. emeryi , support their treatment as different species. For distinctions between T. emeryi and T. furtiva see under the latter species.

Distribution and biology. T. emeryi occurs from the Western Cape of South Africa east to KwaZulu-Natal and Eswatini ( Swaziland), and north as far as the Vumba Mountains in eastern Zimbabwe. Nests site records include Vachellia karroo thorns, and dead twigs of Podalyria , Buddleja , Dombeya , Vachellia caffra , “thorny vine”, and unidentified woody plants. Habitats range from from Afromontane forest and forest edge to tropical dry forest, “garden” and “riverine”.

Material examined ( ANIC, ASIC, CASC, CUIC, KUES, MCZC, MHNG, MSNG, MZLU, NHMB, NHMW, PSWC, SAMC, UASK, UCDC, USNM). Eswatini: Hhohho: 5 km NE Forbes Reef, 1520 m (Ward, P. S.); Majolomba Gorge, Malolotja Nature Reserve, 1150 m (Ward, P. S.); Malolotja Nature Reserve, E bdy, 3 km N Nkomati R., 800 m (Ward, P. S.); South Africa: Eastern Cape: Andries Vosloo Kudu Reserve, 12.8 km NNE Fort Brown (Lubertazzi, D.); East London (Fowles, E.); Glenthorpe Farm, nr. Grahamstown (Zachariades, C.); Grahamstown (Brown, W. L.); Grahamstown (Silberbauer, L. X.; Bennett, L.); Grahamstown (Weatherill, L.); King Williams Town (Capener, A.); Mountain Zebra N.P., Cradock (U. Cape Town Ecol. Survey); Pirie Forest (Capener, A.); Port Elizabeth (Brauns); Port Elizabeth (c.u.); Port St. Johns (Bradley, J. C.); Sundays River Valley (c.u.); Tsitsikama N.P. (Kimsey, R. B.); Tsitsikamma Nat. Park (Allen, J.); Gauteng: Pretoria (Simon); KwaZulu-Natal: 17 km NE Empangeni, Nseleni River (Danielsson, R.); Durban (Arnold); Durban (c.u.); Durban (Cooper, C. B.); Giants Castle, 1750 m (Ward, P. S.); Hilltop Camp, Hluhluwe Game Reserve, 450 m (Ward, P. S.); N of Richards Bay (de Kock, A.; Majer, J. D.); Natal, Umtamvuna Nature Reserve, 160 m (van Noort, S.); Natal, Umtamvuna Nature Reserve, 220 m (van Noort, S.); Nature’s Valley, Pinetown (Caldwell, P.); Pinetown (Marley, B.); Sydenham (Marley, H. B.); Umgeni Lagoon (Arnold); Umhlanga Rocks [as “Umhlanga”] (c.u.); Umkumbaan, Durban (Caldwell, P.); Limpopo: Tweefontein 14 km NE Warmbaths (Kimsey, R. B.); Mpumalanga: Mariepskop [as “Marieps”] (Faure, J. C.); Mariepskop, 1250 m (Fisher, B. L.; et al.); Mariepskop, 1250 m (Alpert, G. D.); Salique (Faure, J. C.); province unknown: Cape Colony [as “Cap Col.”] (Brauns); Western Cape: 1 km NE Nature’s Valley, 10 m (Ward, P. S.); 9 km ESE George, Kaaimansrivier (Danielsson, R.); Bloukrans-Pass, by Vargrivier (Danielsson, R.); Cape Peninsula, St. Michael’s Road, Claremont (Matilya, G. J.); Clanwilliam (Malkin, B.); Claremont, 22 Livingstone Road (Robertson, D. A.; Robertson, H. G.); Claremont, 22 Livingstone Road (Robertson, H. G.); Fernkloof Nature Reserve (Robertson, H. G.); foot of Duivelsbos, Marloth Nature Reserve, 275 m (Robertson, H. G.); Franschhoek Bosreserve, Upper Berg River (Brinck; Rudebeck); Grootvadersbos (c.u. [ex A. J. Prins Collection]); Malgas, 40 m (Danielsson, R.); Mjinga, The Crags (Robertson, D. A.; Robertson, H. G.); Montagu [as “Montague”] (c.u.); Nature’s Valley, 10 m (van Noort, S.); Nature’s Valley, at Groot Rivier (Danielsson, R.); Oudebos River, Kogelberg Nature Reserve, 180 m (Ward, P. S.); Oudebos River, Kogelberg Nature Reserve, 280 m (Ward, P. S.); Zimbabwe: Manicaland: Vumba Mts. (c.u.).

Figures

FIGURES 1–3. Bivariate plots of various metric measurements in Tetraponera workers. 1a, petiole height (PH) against head width (HW) in T. continua (n = 5) and T. gerdae (n = 10); 1b, postpetiole width (PPW) against head width (HW), for the same individuals; 2, scape length (SL) against head width (HW) in T. emeryi (n = 12) and T. clypeata (n = 10); 3, petiole height (PH) against length of metatibia (LHT) in T. natalensis from Kenya and Tanzania (n = 13) and T. redacta (coastal Kenya) (n = 10).

FIGURES 7–9. Tetraponera allaborans group, full-face (dorsal) view of head (a) and lateral profile of body (b). 7, T. dispar, worker, holotype, Republic of Congo (CASENT0888518); 8, T. emeryi, worker, South Africa (CASENT0220743); 9, T. exactor, alate queen, holotype, South Africa (CASENT0794350). Images from AntWeb (www.antweb.org); photographers Peter Hawkes (7), Matthew Prebus (8, 9).

FIGURES 35–40. Distribution maps for Afrotropical Tetraponera. 35, T. clypeata (circles), T. tessmanni (triangles); 36, T. emeryi (circles), T. dispar (triangle); 37, T. exactor (circle), T. furtiva (triangle), T. liengmei (squares); 38, T. continua (circles), T. cortina (triangles), T. gerdae (squares); 39, T. pedana (circles), T. penzigi (triangles); 40, T. pumila (circles).