Tetramorium simillimum (F.Smith)
Type location Great
Britain (Myrmica simillima, F. Smith, 1851: 118, worker;
André, 1883a: 289, queen & male) Dorset (lost)
junior synonyms
bantouana (Tetramorium
pusillum Em. var. bantouana
nov., Santschi, 1910c: 382, illustrated,
all forms) from Congo, M'Bamou, by Weiss - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0915080
brevispinosa (Wasmannia auropunctata Rog.
subsp. brevispinosa n. subsp.,
Borgmeier, 1928a: 36,
illustrated, worker) from Brazil - see https://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0915082
denticulatum (Forel, 1902c: 235, worker) from India - see https://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0909115
exoleta (Tetramorium
pusillum Em. var. exolata
n. v., Santschi, 1914d: 366, worker) from Nigeria,
at Lagos, F. Silvestri - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0906138
opacior (Forel, 1913k: 81, worker) from Sri Lanka - no images on Antweb (October 2015)
parallela (F Smith, 1859a: 147, worker) from
Indonesia - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0102937
pygmaeum (Tetramorium
pygmaeum n. sp., Emery, 1877b: 371, queen; Emery, 1901e: 62,
male; Emery, 1915g: 17, worker) from Ethiopia, Keren, coll.
Beccari - see, queen, http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0904832
material of unavailable name breve (Tetramorium pusillum Em. var. bantuala Sants. var. breve n. var., Santschi, 1924b:
213,
worker) from Zaďre, Luebo, by H. Schouteden - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0915081
(see Bolton, 1995) .
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F Smith's
(1851) description is at . André's (1883a: 289) description of the
queen & male is at . Emery's (1877b)
description of pygmaeum
is at . Arnold (1917: 323) gave
an expanded transcription for a specimen from Durban, this is at . Santschi's (1910c) description of bantouana
is at . Santschi's (1914d)
description of exoleta is at . Emery's (1901e) description of the pygmaeum
queen and male is at . and his (1915g) description of the worker
is at . Santschi's (1924b)
description of breve is at . Borgmeier's (1928) description of brevispinosum
is at . Bolton's modern descriptions are at
(1977) (1979) and (1980: 319, illustrated side of head,
alitrunk and pedicel profile) .
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WORKER (drawn specimen) - TL 2.02, HL 0.51, HW 0.48, SL
0.40,
PW 0.31 (TL 2.0-2.7, in Bolton, 1980: 319, illustrated side of head,
alitrunk and pedicel profile; in my guide as Tetramorium species
F)
Colour yellow-brown, gaster dark and shiny. Head, alitrunk and pedicel
finely punctate with the puncturations generally arranged
longitudinally. Erect hairs stout and moderately abundant. Propodeal
spines short, triangular and upturned. Petiole node short, with the
anterior and posterior faces near vertical; dorsum flat in profile but
sloping downwards to the posterior. Small acute subpetiolar spine.
Widely distributed by commerce (Wheeler, 1922).
Collingwood
& Bolton (1975) report it as a tramp species of African
origin, which can be found in hot-houses in Britain, and Bolton (1980)
listed findings from all over Africa, plus mentioning the wide global
distribution.
Egypt records - listed in Emery (1909c: 697);
Forel
(1907a) Ismailia, coll. Biró.
Sharaf list - material examined: Shrinkash (Daqahliya, Egypt),
13.v.2003 (9); Gebel Asfar (Qalyubiya), 29.iv.1998 (2); Wadi
El-Arbaein, St.Catherine (South Sinai), 13.vii.1998 (2) (SHC).
For more on the confused mess of susbspecies and synonyms see http://antsofafrica.org/ant_species_2012/tetramorium/tetramorium_simillimum/tetramorium_simillimum_variability.htm
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Oxford University Museum
specimens
Tetramorium simillimum
B Taylor det. |
Egypt
M Sharaf
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13.vi.2003
Abuzabal, Qaliobia
30°15' N
31°21' E
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2
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Tetramorium simillimum
B Taylor det. |
Egypt
M Sharaf
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21.vi.2003
Abuzabal, Qaliobia
30°15' N
31°21' E
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2
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![{album}](../album.jpg) |
Tetramorium simillimum
B Taylor det. |
Egypt
M Sharaf
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17.vii.2007
Marsah Matrouh
31°21' N
27°14' E
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Kaseh Tourist Village
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1
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![{album}](../album.jpg) |
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The photographed worker
is from Egypt, Kaseh, collector M Sharaf).
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The photographed worker
is from Egypt, Qaliyobia, collector M Sharaf).
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