The Ants of Africa
SUBFAMILY DORYLINAE - Genus Dorylus Subgenus Alaopone
Genus Dorylus and Key

Subgenus Alaopone Emery

Diagnostic Feature - Antennae with 9 segments.

Emery's genus definition (1881a: 274) is at {original description}. The type species is now regarded as a junior synonym of D. (Al.) orientalis Westwood, type location India.

Named species * = type photos available
Dorylus (Alaopone) acutus (Santschi) - male only * - Zaïre
Dorylus (Alaopone) aethiopicus (Emery) male * & workers - Sudan, Ethiopia & Tunisia
Dorylus (Alaopone) antinorii (Emery) - worker only * - transferred here from a synonym of Dorylus (Anomma) molestus - Ethiopia
Dorylus (Alaopone) atriceps Shuckard - male only * - West Africa & Congo Basin
Dorylus (Alaopone) attenuatus Shuckard - male * & worker * - Zaïre & South Africa (possibly Gambia)
Dorylus (Alaopone) brevis (Santschi) - male only * - Zaïre
Dorylus (Alaopone) buyssoni Santschi - male only * - Kenya
Dorylus (Alaopone) conradti Emery - queen * & workers * only; male speculatively added here (vii.2009 *) - West Africa & Congo Basin
Dorylus (Alaopone) diadema Gerstäcker - male * & workers only - southern East Africa
Dorylus (Alaopone) distinctus Santschi - male * only - Guinea
Dorylus (Alaopone) ductor Santschi - male * only - Congo
Dorylus (Alaopone) katanensis (Stitz) - male only - eastern Congo Basin
Dorylus (Alaopone) montanus Santschi - male * & presumed worker only - montane Tanzania

Santschi's (1939a) review, see , which has a key to the males known from Africa, noted that the worker morph has been described for only aethiopicus (Emery, 1907); attenuatus strain australis (Santschi, 1919b); conradti (Emery 1895j) and its variety berlandi (Santschi, 1926b); and, montanus (Santschi, 1914b). Arnold (1948) added a description of the worker of diadema.

I have attempted to develop a Key to males on the linked page.
Key to workers
1 Petiole with large sharp ventral tooth 2
-- Petiole with a blunt ventral process and with posterior wider then anterior in dorsal view 3
2 TL 2.7-5.0 mm; placed laterally scape surpasses edge of head; abundantly but sparsely puncturate; generally yellow with reddish tinge, head reddish Sudan, Ethiopia & Tunisia - aethiopicus
-- TL media minor 3-3.5 mm; dark yellow; alitrunk dorsum grossly puncturate; petiole narrowest posteriorly and more rounded but with straight sides; separabl;e from aethiopicus by the deep concavity between the frontal carinae; ass ocaitaion with the montanus male unproven montane Tanzania - montanus
-- TL 3 mm; minor only known; testaceous but gaster piceous
Ethiopia - antinorii
3 Dorylus ? attenuatusmajor ? unknown. media 1 TL 4.6 mm; media 2 TL 3.5 mm, minima 2 mm; australis worker only; head without longitudinal median impression; petiole wide and angular; placement as a synonym of attenuatus is unclear.

This australis worker appears very similar, both notably having a relatively short head, what Arnold conjectured was the worker of diadema r. arnoldi
 Zaïre & South Africa (possibly Gambia) - attenuatus
. {Dorylus diadema arnoldi} southern East Africa - diadema
-- {Dorylus conradti workers}TL 2.5-6.5 mm; colour of yellow clay; gaster and legs darker; head reddish; head grossly puncturate (?); petiole longer than wide with a blunt ventral process .
-- {Dorylus conradti major} West Africa & Congo Basin - conradti
Contents Genus Dorylus and Key
© 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 - Brian Taylor CBiol FSB FRES
11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K.

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