Ponera coarctata (Latreille)
Type-species for the genus (Formica coarctata, Latreille,
1802b: 65, illustrated, worker and queen). Type location Luxembourg
(? see below). Senior synonym of contracta (Latreille,
1802c: 195, illustrated, worker & queen) from Luxembourg,
atlantis (Santschi, 1921e: 166, illustrated, worker) from
Tunisia, crassisquama (Emery, 1916a: illustrated,
worker) from Italy, lucida (Emery, 1898c: 130,
worker) from Turkestan, and testacea (Emery,
1895b: 62, worker & queen) from France; also
unavailable names colchica (Arnol'di, 1932b: 63, worker)
from Caucasus; and taurica (Arnol'di,
1932b: 65, worker) from Russia; (see Bolton, 1995)
 .
|
 WORKER
- TL in range 2.5-3.0 mm; head black or rust-red, matte; vertex
convex; antennal scape not reaching the vertex of the head;
mandibles with 3 long anterior teeth, plus 12-15 shorter teeth;
eye set well forward of head mid-length, with 3-5 facets. In
profile propodeum with declivity and dorsum of similar length.
Petiole scale thick, height less than three times the width (after
Bernard, 1952).
Wheeler (1922) gave the type collection details as France - "Jardin
de Luxembourg, près de Gentilly", Latreille. The
typical species distribution was Southern Europe (northward to
Paris), the Mediterranean subregion and Caucasus. Subspecies
listed were boerorum (from Natal and Tanzania), aemula
(from Kibosho, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania) and natalensis
(from Natal); all workers only.
Bolton (1995) has aemula as a variety of Hypoponera
dulcis; boerorum was raised to full species by
Santschi (1937), now Hypoponera boerorum; and natalensis
as raised to full species by Santschi (1938b), now Hypoponera
natalensis.
Bernard (1952) has it in his key to Ponera (most now
regarded as Hypoponera) from West Africa, and noted it as
cosmopolitan. As Bernard was familiar with the ants of the north
African area and had seen several of the major collections, one
has to accept that, without further evidence to the contrary, his
identification was correct and did not refer to one of the former
subspecies - all being from eastern or southern Africa.
The photomontage is of a specimen from Western Cape, South Africa,
Knysna env., Goukamma, S 34°02.7' E 22°50.2'; sea level;
from coastal forest; collector Peter Hlavác; 28.i.2004.
This single specimen, apparently collected at the same time as
Leptogenys leiothorax, matches Taylor's (1967a)
description in all respects, both in form and size. The light
chestnut brown colour seems similar to the Australian forms. This
collection presently seems to be the first definite record from
sub-Saharan Africa, presumably being confined to the Mediterranean
climate of the Cape area. |
F
Smith (1858b) provided an illustrated description; this is at
The
photomontage of a specimen from Greece is collated from the
Antweb.org site at