Aenictus decolor (Mayr)

Type location East Africa (perhaps an error) (Typhlatta decolor, Mayr, 1879: 668 in key; worker only) ex F. Smith - see below
junior synonyms (synonymy by Gotwald & Leroux, 1980: 600)
batesi (Aenictus Batesi n. sp., Forel, 1911e: 255, worker) from Nigeria, collected at Old Calabar by Bates - see below
bidentatus (Aenictus (Aenictus) bidentatus sp. n., Donisthorpe, 1942e: 701, worker) from Ghana, Old Tafo - see below
workers and queen described (see Bolton, 1995). Reviewed and synonymized by Gotwald & Leroux (1980: 600, illustrated, queen & worker) from Ivory Coast .

Mayr's (1879) description is at . Donisthorpe's (1942) description of bidentatus is at . From Forel's (1911e) description of batesi , given the size, reference to eugenii (the shape of the pedicel segments being like the illustration, from Bernard, 1953), and the colour (brown with yellowish legs), it seems that this is what I portrayed as species 2 (below); this is supported also by Donisthorpe's description of bidentatus. The Gotwald & Leroux paper (1980) is at .

Arnold (1915: 143) quoted Mayr (1878), in translation?, - TL 3.3 mm; head smooth and without frontal sulcus. The very short declivity is separated from the dorsum of the propodeum by a sharp semicircular ridge. All the funiculus joints at least a little longer than wide. The mandibles longitudinally striate, smooth near the masticatory margin. The sides of the alitrunk longitudinally rugose. Rusty red; antennae, gaster and legs yellow.

Nigeria specimens (as Aenictus species 2, Taylor, 1980b: 7). WORKER. TL 3.27 mm, HL 0.62, HW 0.61, SL 0.47, PW 0.42
Colour dark orange-brown, legs and gaster more yellow; very shiny and polished with a translucent cuticle. Sculpturation of the anterior, pronotum and lateral areas of the pedicel of very fine transverse striations; lateral mesonotum and propodeum are fairly strongly rugoreticulate, with rugae dominating. Erect hairs long, relatively coarse and abundant. Anterior clypeal margin produced medially to form a single tooth. Mandibles very darkly coloured with a large digitiform basal tooth, a large apical tooth and a moderately large intermediate tooth, the apices overlap when mandibles closed. Propodeum marginate, with a concave profile to the declivity. Petiole domed, subpetiolar process well developed and rectangular, subpostpetiolar process is blunt triangular.
I collected it on a path and from a plot of cashew at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Idi Ayunre.

The photomontage of the holotype worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0901639

The photomontage is of the holotype worker of bidentatus collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0902685

The photomontage is of the holotype worker of batesi collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0907024

Oxford University Museum specimens

Aenictus decolor B Taylor det.	Cameroun A Fotso Kuate Sample 42	29.ix.2007 Boga 03°54'30" N 11°25'58" E	No details	2
Aenictus decolor B Taylor det.	Cameroun A Fotso Kuate Sample 67	28.vii.2010 Nko’ondo 03°54'30" N 11°25'58" E	No details	2
Aenictus decolor B Taylor det.	Benin J-F Vayssieres RVA 2915	22.ix.2012 Korobourou 09°22'13'' N 02°40'16'' E	Mangifera indica orchard Quadrat  2, tube 1, variété: Kent Ground nesting	2

The photomontage is of a worker collected from Cameroun; A Fotso Kuate (unmounted sample 67)

The photomontage is of a worker collected from Cameroun, A Fotso Kuate (unmounted sample 42)

The photomontage is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0281966.