The Ants of Africa
SUBFAMILY DORYLINAE - Subgenus Alaopone males
Subgenus Alaopone introduction

Key developed from Santschi (1939a).

1 Promesonotum covered with abundant erect pilosity 2
-- Promesonotum with only pubescence (one time Shuckardia Emery) 10
. Brown winged males; with exceptional convexity to anterior of the face .
2 Vertex more or less ornated with long erect hairs 3
-- {Dorylus katanensis male genitalia}TL 20-22 mm, HW 3.3, PW 3.2-3.3, wing 15-16; vertex without erect hairs; alitrunk with long oblique hairs; mandibles shiny, amber; wing very pale brown, stigma and nerves dark brown eastern Congo Basin -  katanensis
3 {Dorylus attenuatus bondroiti male}In profile the base of the lateral impression of the stipe reaches about the basal third of the organ 4
-- The impression reaches only about the middle of the organ 9
. In profile the base of the lateral impression of the stipe reaches about the basal third of the organ .
4 {Dorylus attenuatus type male genitalia}TL 21.7 mm; anterior wing 17 mm; seen from above the extremity of the stipe is rounded and divergent; wings dull (obscure), slightly yellowish, with reddish brown nerves; pale reddish; head black, mandibles and scape pitch; gaster dull; (Santschi, 1912b) .
. {Dorylus attenuatus type}
 Pan-African -  attenuatus
-- Seen from above the extremity of the stipe is acuminate or truncate 5
5 {Dorylus brevis male genitalia}TL 19-20 mm; extremity of the stipe tranversely truncate with rounded angles; reddish, head black; mandibles dark brown with reddish margins; generally matt, irregularly punctate, head shinier; wings reddish-yellow, nerves blackish-brown .
. {Dorylus brevis} .
. {Dorylus brevis head} Congo Basin - brevis
-- Seen from above the extremity of the stipe is acuminate - the form of the stipes indicates the placement of varieties under attenuatus may well be wrong 6
6 Width of the head > 3.6 mm; alitrunk robust; wings slightly yellowish 7
-- Head less wide; wings somewhat dull 8
7

TL 22.5 mm, HW 3.8, PW 4; head reddish forward of the ocelli, 3.8 mm wide; anterior wing 20 mm - originally described as a variety of montanus

 Transvaal - attenuatus bondroiti
-- Head entirely black and narrower Zaire - attenuatus latinodis
8 Extremity of stipe obliquely truncate at the expense of the external angle; the internal angle sharp; smaller than the type attenuatus South Africa (Orange State) - attenuatus acuminatus
-- {Dorylus acutus male genitalia}TL 21-22 mm, HW 3.4-3.5, PW 4.2, wing 19 mm; both angles of the extremity of stipe obliquely truncate; wing dull; overall reddish-fawn; head black except ocelli and clypeus which are red; long tufted erect hairs on head and alitrunk; wing yellow brown with nerves dark brown .
.> {Dorylus acutus} Zaire - acutus
. In profile the base of the lateral impression of the stipe reaches only about the middle of the organ .
9 {Dolylus montanus male genitalia}TL ca 22.5 mm, HW 3.5, PW 3.8, volcellae wide, clearly longer than the stipe; anterior wing 28 mm; pale testaceous yellow, gaster segments bordered with reddish yellow; head brownish black; mandibles and legs red; wings lightly brownish, nerves slightly more brown .
. {Dolylus montanus male } montane Tanzania - montanus
-- {Dorylus ductor male genitalia}TL 20-22 mm, HW 3.5, PW 4.5; dense erect pilosity on the vertex; volcellae narrower, sinuous, arcuate and not surpassing the stipe; reddish fawn; head, metanotum and posterior scutellum dark brown .
. {Dorylus ductor male genitalia} Congo - ductor
. Promesontoum with only pubescence (one time Shuckardia Emery) .
10 Lateral impression of the stipe forms a deeper concavity and a sharp slot (notch) 11
-- Lateral impression of the stipe forms a weak concavity with a small or absent slot (notch) 14
11 Volcellae surpassing the the extremity of the stipe 12
-- {Dorylus atriceps male genitalia}TL 20 mm; volcellae narrow, arcuate and not surpassing the the extremity of the stipe; mandible short and wide; fuscous, alitrunk darker than gaster; head deep black, mandibles dark chestnut; wings fuscous, nerves black; long hairs on the lower alitrunk, coxae, petiole and gastral apex
. {Dorylus atriceps male} .
. {Dorylus atriceps male head}{Dorylus atriceps male head} West Africa & Congo Basin - atriceps
12 Head wider than the alitrunk 13
-- Head narrower than the alitrunk; more convex posteriorly diadema arnoldi
13 {Dorylus diadema male mandible}TL 20-20.3 mm, HW 3.3, HL 1.9, PW 3.0, anterior wing 15.5; pale testaceous yellow; head red, the vertex black; wings feebly smoky brown, stigma strongly brown; eye and facets almost smooth; head matt and abundantly puncturate, frontal area smooth and shiny; alitrunk, petiole and gaster abundantly puncturate and semi-shiny; pubescence semi-decumbent, abundant all over, save apex of gaster; yellow silky pilosity abundant on lower parts, posterior of alitrunk and petiole .
. {Dorylus diadema male genitalia} .
. {Dorylus diadema male profile} southern East Africa - diadema
-- Head wholly black diadema fusciceps
-- {Dorylus conradti male}Vertex without long hairs; head with wrinkled surface (no shiny area cf diadema), head dark red with yellow-brown mandibles; gaster straight in profile; eyes smooth and shiny; ocelli large wider than separation of lateral ocelli from the eye; scape reaches full length of first five funiculus segments; TL ca 23 mm
. {Dorylus conradti male head} West Africa & Congo Basin -  conradti speculatively
. Lateral impression of the stipe forms a weak concavity with a small or absent slot (notch) .
14 Extremity of the stipe sharply truncate or acuminate 15
-- {Dorylus aethiopicus male mandible} .
. {Dorylus aethiopicus male genitalia}TL 20 mm; extremity of the stipe evenly rounded; size not given; long hairs between the ocelli; wing nerves black .
. Dorylus aethiopicus Sudan, Ethiopia & Tunisia (Sahel ?) -  aethiopicus
15 {Dolylus distinctus male genitalia}TL 19 mm; truncation of the stipe almost transverse (more or less cutting off the internal angle) and slightly concave; wing nerves reddish brown; few hairs between the ocelli .
. {Dolylus distinctus male} Guinea - distinctus
-- Stipe very obliquely and longitudinally truncate in the internal angle 16
16 {Dorylus buyssoni male genitalia}TL 18-19 mm, HW 3.3; apex of stipe with a single convex truncation; erect pilosity between ocelli slightly more abundant than on aethiopicus; testaceous yellow, scutellum more brown; head brownish-black; mandibles, antennae and legs mahogany red; wings slightly yellowish, nerves blackish-brown; pronotum more densely puncturate and matt
. {Dorylus buyssoni male} Kenya - buyssoni
-- {Dorylus buyssoni conjugens male genitalia}HW 3.4 mm; apex of stipe with the truncation recut towards the apex; darker yellow than type; mandibles, scapes and genitalia dull brown buyssoni var. conjugens
Contents Subgenus Alaopone introduction
© 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 - Brian Taylor CBiol FSB FRES
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