The Ants of Africa
Genus Pheidole
Pheidole weissi Santschi - new status (speculative)

excellens group - Major head longer than wide by at least 25%, straight sided in full face view; mandibles very stout edentate border and without apical teeth; clypeus with median carina but anterior margin no more than medially concave; postpetiole with distinct lateral prominences produced as broad to acute spines; minor head square; major and minor with relatively swollen three-segmented club

Pheidole weissi (Santschi) - new status (speculative)

return to key {link to the Hymenoptera Name Server} Type location Congo (Pheidole excellens Mayr, stirps Weissi, n. st., Santschi, 1910c: 361, major; Santschi, 1914d: 335, queen; Santschi, 1930b: 65, minor) Brazzaville, by A. Weiss
unavailable name mbalensis (Pheidole excellens Mayr stirps weissi Sants. v. mbalensis n. var., Santschi, 1930b: 65, illustrated, minor) from Angola
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{Pheidole excellens}Santschi's (1910c) description of weissi is at {original description} - note Santschi (1914d) corrects major HL to 3.2 not 3.9, and HW 2.3 not 2.4 - see {original description}. Santschi's (1930b) description of the weissi minor is at {original description}. Santschi's (1930b) description of mbalensis is at {original description}.


Pheidole weissi majorThe photomontage of the type major worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0913308.


{Pheidole weissi minorThe photomontage of the type minor worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0913309.


{Pheidole weissi mbalensis minorThe photomontage of the mbalensis type minor worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0913310.


{Pheidole species T5}

Nigeria specimens (as Pheidole species T5, 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. This and the Ghana specimen shown below apparently lack the quite dense sculpturation seen on the above type forms and are a better match for the mbalensis form (Santschi, 1930b).

A nest was found in insolated bare earth at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigera, Idi Ayunre. No soldiers seen. Found foraging on the ground and tending aphids.

Contents
© 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016 - Brian Taylor CBiol FRSB FRES
11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K.

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