Tetramorium clunum Forel 1913
Creators: name: Mbanyana, Nokuthula
name: Garcia, Francisco Hita
name: Robertson, Hamish Gibson
name: Roux, Johannes Jacobus Le
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Formicidae
Tetramorium
Tetramorium clunum

description: Tetramorium clunum Forel, 1913
Figs 2D, 3B, 8, 24
Tetramorium setuliferum st. cluna Forel, 1913: 218.
Diagnosis
In the T. solidum group there are only three species with short, broad, flattened and strongly appressed glittering silvery hairs covering the body (Fig. 2 D–F), namely, T. s etuliferum, T. clunum and T. galoasanum. Tetramorium galoasanum is distinguished from the other two species by its long, dense, overlapping strap-like hairs, whereas in the other two species these hairs are sparse and spaced out. Tetramorium clunum is separated from T. setuliferum by the following characters: (1) first gastral tergite does not overhang the tergosternal suture in profile (Fig. 3B); (2) first gastral tergite is sculptured throughout whereas in T. setuliferum only the base is sculptured; (3) dorsum of head behind clypeus with at least one pair of erect hairs, whereas T. setuliferum lacks elongate erect hairs on the dorsum of head; and (4) tergum of postpetiole without lateral alar prominences, whereas these are present in T. setuliferum.
Material examined
Syntypes
SOUTH AFRICA: workers, Eastern Cape, Willowmore, Dec. 1912, H. Brauns leg. (BMNH: CASENT0901182; MHNG: CASENT0909155).
Other material
SOUTH AFRICA (26 pinned specimens): Eastern Cape: Fish River Valley, Jun. 1965 (SAM- HYM-C004009); Willomore, Sep. 1919, H. Brauns leg. (SAM-HYM-C004010); Willowmore, 33° S, 22° E, 500 m a.s.l., nest in sandy soil, 1 Dec. 1976, C.F. Jacot-Guillarmod leg. (CASC: CASENT0217964; BMNH: CASENT0764600 to CASENT0764602). – Western Cape: Oudtshoorn, Grootkop Nature Reserve, 33.577917° S, 22.217028° E, 373 m a.s.l., 10 Mar. 2006, Succulent Karoo, pitfall trap, B. Braschler leg. (SAM-HYM-C024965); Josephskraal, 33.04182° S, 20.72157° E, 896 m a.s.l., Koedoesberge-Moordenaars Karoo, deep soil on elevated flood plain, 16 Apr. 2008, N. Mbanyana and H.G. Robertson leg. (SAM-HYM-C020467); Nature’s Valley, 33°58′38″ S, 23°33′39″ E, 10 m a.s.l., 8 Dec. 1967, A.J. Prins leg. (SAM-HYM-C015136). – Northern Cape: Melton Wold, 31.46189° S, 22.72417° E, 1331 m a.s.l., 9 Jan. 2009, N. Mbanyana and H.G. Robertson leg. (SAM-HYM-C023304).
Measurements (worker N =11)
HL 0.885 –1.062 (0.958); HW 0.919 –1.090 (0.991); SL 0.688 –0.757 (0.723); EL 0.207 –0.266 (0.239); PH 0.482 –0.570 (0.544); PW 0.570 –0.669 (0.609); WL 0.922 –1.023 (0.963); PSL 0.157 –0.177 (0.168); PTH 0.285 –0.344 (0.307); PTL 0.295 –0.340 (0.315); PTW 0.305 –0.381 (0.325); PPH 0.413 –0.530 (0.461); PPL 0.187 –0.246 (0.207); PPW 0.374 –0.472 (0.401); OI 22–27 (24); CI 101–105 (103); SI 69–76 (73); DMI 61–67 (63); LMI 51–62 (57); PSLI 15–19 (18); PeNI 49–57 (53); LPeI 97–113 (103) DPeI 92–112 (103); PpNI 63–71 (66); LPpI 40–58 (45); DPpI 152–218 (195); PPI 117–127 (124).
Distribution
Tetramorium clunum has been recorded from South Africa (Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Northern Cape) and Namibia, where it occurs in Nama Karoo, Succulent Karoo and Namib Desert.
This is a ground-nesting species. It has been recorded nesting in deep soils. Nothing is known about its feeding behaviour, but presumably this species feeds on seeds, as this is recorded for most other species of this group. This species has been collected in yellow pan traps, pitfall traps and by turning stones.
description: Published as part of Mbanyana, Nokuthula, Garcia, Francisco Hita, Robertson, Hamish Gibson & Roux, Johannes Jacobus Le, 2018, A taxonomic revision of seed harvester ants of the Tetramorium solidum group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in southern Africa, pp. 1-59 in European Journal of Taxonomy 454 on page 17, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2018.454, http://zenodo.org/record/3817358