Dorylus (Typhlopone) obscurior Wheeler - new status

Type location Guinea (Dorylus (Typhlopone) fulvus Westwood var. obscurior Santschi, Wheeler, 1925b: 1; but use of Dorylus (Typhlopone) fulvus Westw., St. badius Gerst. v. obscurior n. var., Santschi, 1914d: 333; major & minor workers) collected at Conakry by F. Silvestri.

Santschi's (1914d) description of obscurior is at .

WORKERS - TL (variety obscurior) 5 to 13 mm; head, thorax, petiole and legs rich chestnut brown, gaster brownish yellow, mandibles and antennae near black; smallest morphs more uniformly brownish yellow (Wheeler, 1922: 349) see . Note - Wheeler (1925b) recorded only "two males from Ruanda", collected by Y. Sjostedt and W. Leche.

Wheeler (1922) included drawings of the major worker, in dorsal view of the full insect (right), and details of the male, of the subspecies badius variety obscurior. The specimens were collected from the floor of a hut, where they came up out of a hole in the floor.

The evidence from the old and modern findings is that this is a forest species.

The photomontage of the type worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0911361.

Chocolate brown, darker than badius, eurous or typical North African " fulvus"; head blackish, gaster a little paler than alitrunk and petiole; wing membranes also a little duller and deeper tint; hairs and pubescence less golden and shining, more grayish; TL 33-36 mm, PW < 6 mm.

Oxford University Museum specimens

Dorylus (Typhlopone) obscurior B Taylor det. Male	Central African Republic P Annoyer IN	14.x.2008 Dzanga-Sangha 03°03'58.3" N 16°08'59.6" E	528 m; Camp 1; 21h10-3h Sur plate-forme à 54 m du sol dans un Ayous (Triplochiton scleroxylon, Sterculiaceae) à 50 m du camp	1
Dorylus (Typhlopone) obscurior B Taylor det. Male	Central African Republic P Annoyer KF	21.x.2008 Dzangha-Sangha 03°01'49.5" N 16°08'31.7" E	567 m; Camp 2; 21.x.2008 17h30-3h30; A la base du kungu, à 50 m du camp	1
Dorylus (Typhlopone) obscurior B Taylor det. Male	Central African Republic P Annoyer Camp 2	20-24.x.2008 Dzanga-Sangha 03°01'49.5" N 16°08'31.7" E	567 m; Polytrap at 44m dans l'arbre, 20-24.x.2008	1

The photomontage is of a male from the Central African Republic; collector Philippe Annoyer (CAR IN)

The photomontage is of a male from the Central African Republic; collector Philippe Annoyer (CAR KF)

The photomontage of matching male from Kenya is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0217149&shot=p1&project=null. There it is listed as Dorylus fulvus, although the morphology and appearance matches the worker above, it is much smaller (assuming the scales to be correct) but it certainly is not a specimen of D. fulvus.