Dorylus (Alaopone) conradti Emery

Males - Type locality Togo (Dorylus conradti n. sp., Emery, 1895j: 734, worker & queen, illustrated; in Wheeler, 1922) from Bismarckburg, collected by Conradt - see below
subspecies berlandi (Dorylus (Alapone) conradti Em. v. berlandi n. var., Santschi, 1926b: 209, worker) from Ivory Coast, collected at Bingerville by L. Berland - see below
workers and queen known (see Bolton, 1995) .

I have associated the male shown below with this species as it is the only named Alaopone species for which the male is undescribed and this specimen is quite distinct from all the described males. The yellow clay base colour matches that given for the queen and major worker, with a reddish head

TL - Emery's specimens to 6.5 mm, Wheeler's note (1922) was for specimens with TL only 4.5-5.0 mm; the soldier having a coarsely punctate thorax and a very elongate head, which with closed mandibles was nearly twice as long as broad.
Emery's (1895j) description is at and of the queen at . Santschi's (1926b) of berlandi is at .

Also from Cameroun, at Soppo (van Rothkirch) and Zaïre, Niangara, Lang & Chapin, from the stomach of a frog (in Wheeler, 1922). The last were found in the stomach of a frog.

Nigeria species (as Dorylus (Alaopone) species 1, Taylor, 1980b: 9)
TL 6.71-2.74 mm. Largest morph HL 2.09, HW 1.28, SL 0.49, PW 0.72
Colour orange-brown, mandibles darker. Sculpturation all over of scattered hair-pits, giving rise to fine pilous hairs. Erect hairs only at anterior and posterior apices of body. Head of larger morphs elongated and near rectangular. Alitrunk completely flat dorsally. Subpetiolar process a triangular spine, slightly hooked to the rear in largest morph, straight in medium morphs and blunt in smallest.
Collected from under bark (presumably of dead wood) at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Idi Ayunre, by B. Bolton.

Earlier (i.e. pre-July 2014), I felt the drawn worker from Nigeria might be D. aethiopicus. From Forel's (1907b) description of aethiopicus and his comparative notes between the known workers of Alaopone, notably conradti, it seemed the head of aethiopicus is longer and more deeply impressed posteriorly, with the thorax dorsum flatter and its sides parallel. Also with aethiopicus seen from above the sides of the pro- and mesonotum are slightly convex, such as to give a median concavity in the sides of the thorax. Then with conradti the thorax has a more dense and elongated puncturation, also the petiole is less trapeziform (in dorsal view) and the mandibles are thicker. Thus, the type images and the type location show my drawing to be of conradti.

The photomontage is of a type major worker collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0903713.

The photomontage is of a minima (?) worker from the type collection collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0903714.

The photomontage is of a queen from the type collection collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0903712.

The photomontage is of the berlandi type major worker collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0903713.

Generally similar to the type form (above) but darker and with a distinctly longer head and slightly differently shaped alitrunk and petiole in dorsal view.

Oxford University Museum specimens

Dorylus (Dorylus) braunsi B Taylor det. Male

Central African Republic P Annoyer 1998

16.vi.1998 Dzanga-Sangha

Bayanga-Lidjombo; U.V. 19h-05h; LAYON PK 21 5.0 RCA

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The photomontage is of a speculative male from the Central African Republic, Dzanga-Sangha NP; collector Philippe Annoyer (CAR 1998).

The photomontage is of a further male from the Central African Republic, Dzanga-Sangha NP; collector Philippe Annoyer (CAR 1998).