Pheidole atrox Forel - new status
  Type location Zaïre (Pheidole
punctulata Mayr r. Atrox
n. stirps, Forel, 1913b: 328, major, minor &
queen) Lumbumbashi
[Elizabethville], by J. Bequaert
junior synonyms (here)
inquilina, "Pheidole
inquilina n. sp. (?)",
Forel, 1914d: 240, minor,
from Zimbabwe - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0907781
atrocior
(Ph. punctulata var. atrocior unpublished name given by
Santschi, Emery, 1915j: 243, illustrated, major & minor,
description unavailable, no collector) from South Africa, Natal - see below
 .
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Forel's (1913b)
description is at  . Arnold's (1920a)
translation of atrox
is at  . Forel's (1914d) description of inquilina
is at  . Emery's (1915j)
revisionary notes are at  . Emery's (1915j)
illustrated consideration of impressifrons, with atrocior,
is at  . Santschi's (1930d)
description of "atrox" from Kenya is at  . Santschi's (1937g)
description of atrox is at .
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Santschi (1935) identified atrox majors and
minors from
Luluaborg, Zaïre, which were with coccids - "ants living at the foot of
herbs and trees on which were living Coccids, notably a species shaped
like a Bishop's mitre"; some were collected feeding on a cow's heart
(?"coeur du boeuf").
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 The photomontage of the type major worker is collated
from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0907787.
TL ca 4.0 mm, HL 1.19, HW 1.19, SL 0.67, PW 0.55, CI
100, SI 57.
At the small end of the size range of Pheidole
megacephala
but with longer scapes; head with a squarer appearance in full face
view; promesonotum less domed, propodeal spines smaller, postpetiole
smalller more nearly globular; genae with reticulate sculpture (smooth
on megacephala). Quite
different to P. punctulata.
The inquilina
major, link above, is somewhat paler and perhaps a separate form. The
major and minor of atrocior are
morphologically almost identical to atrox,
apart from being slightly smaller. Contray to what Emery (1915j,
card 5) wrote the occiput of the major is not more deeply impressed.
The images show a colour
difference, some of which may be due to the differing base tint of the
images.
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 The photomontage of a
syntype minor worker is collated
from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0907788.
TL ca 2.4 mm, HL 0.55, HW 0.50, SL 0.55, PW 0.24, CI 92,
SI 109.
Note: This was from Zimbabwe, as was inquilina, thus, is not the
definite minor of atrox.
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 The photomontage of the atrocior type major
worker is collated
from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0904199.
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 The photomontage of the atrocior
syntype minor worker is collated
from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0904200.
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Oxford University Museum
specimens
Pheidole atrox
B Taylor det.
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South Sudan
A Omer
S 1-9 & 1-10
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2005-6
Adock
8.1833333 N
30.3166667 E
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hand collected
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2
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Pheidole mylognatha
B Taylor det.
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Congo
Y Braet
t-1-3
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19.viii.2007
Brazzaville
4°15'33" S
15°17'5" E
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24h pitfall trap;
forest around the GERDIB laboratories; 317 m asl
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2
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Pheidole mylognatha
B Taylor det.
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Congo
Y Braet
t-1-13
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19.viii.2007
Brazzaville
4°15'33" S
15°17'5" E |
24h pitfall trap;
forest around the GERDIB laboratories; 317 m asl
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2
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 The
photomontage is of a major from South Sudan, collector Awatif
Omer (Sudan 09).
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 The
photomontage is of a minor from South Sudan, collector Awatif
Omer (Sudan 09).
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 The
photomontage is of a minor from South Sudan, collector Awatif
Omer (Sudan 10).
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 The photomontage is of a
minor specimen from Congo, Brazzaville, t 1.3; 19.viii.2007;
24 h pitfall trap; collected by Yves Braet & Eric Zassi, 2007.
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 The photomontage is of a
minor specimen from Congo, Brazzaville, t 1.13; 19.viii.2007;
24 h pitfall trap; collected by Yves Braet & Eric Zassi, 2007.
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