Pheidole schoutedeni Forel

Type location Zaïre (Forel, 1913b: 329, major & minor) collected at Welgelegen by J. Bequaert - see below
junior synonym platycephala (Pheidole platycephala n. sp., Stitz, 1916: 380, illustrated, major & minor; felt from the description to be a colour variety by Arnold, 1920a: 450) from Zaïre, collected at Libenge by Schubotz - no images on Antweb (November 2014)
major & minor only described ( see Bolton, 1995) .

Forel's (1913b) description is at . Stitz's (1916) description of platycephala is at .

The photomontage of the type major worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0907849.

The photomontage of a type minor worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0907850.

Nigeria specimen (as Pheidole species T⁴ in Taylor, 1980a: 25).
Major. TL 4.51 mm, HL 1.49, HW 1.24, SL 0.54, PW 0.65
The major, of which a single specimen was found, is quite distinctive, especially the elongated head with a bulging occiput when viewed in profile. Colour head brown, body darker posteriorly to a near black gaster, tarsi yellow. Erect hairs long, fine and abundant. Sculpturation reticulorugose on occiput and alitrunk; pedicel and gaster finely punctate. Promesonotum domed in profile; propodeal spines acute triangular. Postpetiole produced laterally to give blunt prominences. In many aspects apparently similar to Pheidole retronitens, although smaller and with shorter scapes (reaching posterior third of head in retronitens).

The single major specimen was found foraging on the ground at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Idi Ayunre, by me.

Nigeria specimen (as Pheidole species T⁵ in Taylor, 1980a: 25)
Minor. TL 3.11 mm, HL 0.72, HW 0.65, SL 0.73, PW 0.47
Colour orange-brown, head and gaster darker. The only sculpturation is spiculation on the lateral mesonotum. Erect hairs light, coarse and moderately abundant, especially on the head. Eyes relatively large. Clypeus with a medial carina and an almost straight anterior margin. Alitrunk without visible sutures.

A nest was found in insolated bare earth at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Idi Ayunre, by me. No majors were seen. Found foraging on the ground and tending aphids.

Oxford University Museum specimens

Pheidole schoutedeni B Taylor det.	Ghana S Sky Stephens 06G0042	2006	In collection of S Sky Stephens major	1
Pheidole schoutedeni B Taylor det.	Ghana S Sky Stephens 06G0094	2006	In collection of S Sky Stephens major	1
Pheidole schoutedeni B Taylor det.	Central African Republic P Annoyer GL-02	22.ii.2005 Dzanga-Sangha 02°55’04.8" N 16°10’09.7" E	Camp 6;  vu dans une petite saline aux abords du camp, 12h-16h; 450 m asl minor	1
Pheidole schoutedeni B Taylor det.	Gabon Y Braet Gabon 77	16.vii.2006 Pongara 00°34' N 09°19' E	Pointe Denis, savannah, edge of beach, pitfall trap	1
Pheidole schoutedeni B Taylor det.	Gabon Y Braet Gabon 83	9.vi-27.vi.2006 Pongara 00°34' N 09°19' E	Pointe Wingombe, forest edge, malaise trap	1
Pheidole schoutedeni B Taylor det.	Gabon Y Braet Gabon 89	27.vi-25.vii.2006 Pongara 00°34' N 09°19' E	Pointe Wingombe, forest edge and mini-savannah edging lagoon, malaise trap	2

The photomontage is of a major from Ghana, collected by Sky Stephens, 2006. 

The photomontage is of a minor from the Central African Republic, Dzanga-Sangha National Park, 02°55’04.8" N 16°10’09.7" E 450m environ; Camp 6; 22.ii.2005, A vu dans une petite saline aux abords du camp, 12h-16h; collector Philippe Annoyer; speculative identification.

Specimens from Gabon Pongara National Park; savannah at Pointe Denis;16.vii.2006; 24 h pitfall traps perpendicular to beach; collected by L Volait & L V Guieu.