The Ants of Africa
Genus Dorylus - Subgenus Alaopone
Dorylus (Alaopone) atriceps Shuckard

Dorylus (Alaopone) atriceps Shuckard

return to key {link to the Hymenoptera Name Server} Type locality Gambia (Dorylus atriceps, Shuckard, 1840c: 323, male) from Gambia River - see below
junior synonym ritsemae (Dalla Torre, 1892: 89; replacement name for Dorylus Shuckardi n. sp., Ritsema, 1844: 182, male; synonymy by Emery, 1895j: 710) from Guinea - no images on Antweb (June 2014)
male only known (see Bolton, 1995) .

{Dorylus atriceps male}Shuckard's (1840c) description is at {original description}. Ritsema's (1844) description of "shuckardi" is at {original description}. Emery (1895j: 740) had a translated and illustrated description, this is at {original description}.

Dorylus atricepsThe photomontage is of the holotype male collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0902697

Note: the scales given by Antweb are wrong as the TL is ca 20 mm, HW 3.5 mm (as with the fresh males below).

{Dorylus atriceps male genitalia}TL 20 mm; volcellae narrow, arcuate and not surpassing the the extremity of the stipe; mandible short and wide; fuscous, alitrunk darker than gaster; head deep black, mandibles dark chestnut; wings fuscous, nerves black; long hairs on the lower alitrunk, coxae, petiole and gastral apex.

Also recorded from Senegal, Guinea, Ivory Coast (at Dimbroko, Le Moult), and elsewhere in the western Afrotropics (Wheeler, 1922). Also recorded from three locations in "Congo" by Forel (1909b) - at Chikai by Cabra, Vivi by Tosquinet, and Congo by Lemarinel.

Oxford University Museum specimens

Dorylus (Alaopone) atriceps
B Taylor det.
Male

 Central African Republic
P Annoyer
DK-01

 22.i.2005
Dzanga-Sangha
02°54’19.5" N
15’33.3" E
 U.V : 19h-24h, Scierie de Bayanga, proche du fleuve Sangha; 270m asl
 1
 {album}
Dorylus (Alaopone) atriceps
B Taylor det.
Male		 Central African Republic
P Annoyer
HE
 04.x.2008
Dzanga-Sangha
04°22'19.4" N
18°35'49.7" E
 360 m; 24h30-4h; Bangui après la corniche direction N'garagba
1
 {album}

{Dorylus atriceps male}The photomontage of what appears to be a reasonable match to the descriptions, especially that of Emery (1895j) is of a male from the Central African Republic, Dzangha-Sangha NP; collector Philippe Annoyer (CAR DK).

{Dorylus atriceps male}The photomontage is of a further specimen from the Central African Republic, Dzanga-Sangha NP; collector Philippe Annoyer (CAR HE), 

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© 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013 - Brian Taylor CBiol FSB FRES
11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K.

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