Dorylus (Dorylus) helvolus (Linnaeus)

Male Type locality South Africa (Vespa helvola, Linnaeus, 1764: 412, male; illustrated by Coquebert, 1798, Plate XVI) from Cape of Good Hope, Tulbagh - no images on Antweb (December 2017).
junior synonyms
dorylus (Mutilla dorylus, Lamarck, 1817: 101, male; minimal description, apparently simply reporting the Linnaeus description but using a different name) from "Africa" - no images on Antweb (December 2017).
europaea (Typhlopone europaea, Roger, 1859: 248, illustrated clypeus, worker; synonymy by Emery, 1888b: 350) from Italy (location of insect collection not of source?; from Königl collection in Berlin) - see the set of workers at https://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=focol1083 etc.
planifrons (Dorylus planifrons nov. sp., Mayr, 1865: 74, male, illustrated) from South Africa, Cape of Good Hope - no images on Antweb (December 2017).
punctata (Typhlopone punctata, F Smith, 1858b: 112, worker) from South Africa, Cape of Good Hope - no images on Antweb (December 2017).
subspecies pretoriae (Dorylus helvolus L. subsp. pretoriae n. subsp., Arnold, 1946: 59, all forms, illustrated) from South Africa - no images on Antweb (December 2017).
all forms described (see Bolton, 1995).

Linnaeus's (1764) brief description of the male is at ; The Fabricius (1793: 365) genus definition and description of D. helvolus, as type species is at . Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau (1835: 213) gave a description, this is at . Emery (1895j: 714) gave a full, illustrated description; this is at ; with the illustrations on . Smith's (1858b) brief description of punctata is at ; Roger's (1859) description of europaea (drawing of the clypeus unavailable) is at ; Mayr's (1865) illustrated description of the planifrons male is at ; Arnold's (1946) illustrated description of pretoriae is at .

Wheeler (1922) listed it also from Togo (Bismarckburg, Büttner), Nigeria (Agege by W.A. Lamborn); plus many mostly southern Africa records.

I suspect the records from countries outside of southern Africa were misidentifications. The Roger description of Typhlopone europaea gave the specimens as several workers apparently collected by Bonelli at Turin and in the Königl. collection in Berlin. In his list of species, Emery (1888b: 349) gave "hab. Africa australis" listing europaea as a junior synonym of helvolus without comment.

Arnold (1915: 116) had the following description and the image (right, apparently of a minor worker) -
"Soldier or worker maxima - TL 8 mm; castaneous, mandibles and anterior portion of head and apical segments of gaster, darker. Legs very scantily pubescent, funiculus moderately pubescent, a few long hairs on the petiole and abdominal segments. Whole body, except the posterior face of the node and the funiculus, very shining, evenly and distinctly punctured. The punctures are larger and deeper on the head and thorax, shallower and smaller on the petiole and gaster. The petiole is reticulate-punctate on its posterior face, from each puncture arises a pale microscopic hair.
Head at least one-quarter longer than it is wide, parallel-sided, slightly narrower behind, posterior angles rounded but very prominent, owing to the deep and almost angular occipital emargination. Mandibles scarcely longer than half the width of the bead, very blunt at the apex, and with a blunt tooth near the middle of the internal margin. Clypeus almost linear, except in the middle, where it is slightly and triangularly extended between the frontal carinae, and produced into a small platform on the anterior margin. The frontal carinae short and narrow, free and raised at the sides into a lobe which ends posteriorly in a sharp spine. Scape of antenna incrassate and flattened towards the apex, about two-thirds as long as the funiculus; the latter 10-jointed, all the joints except the last wider than long. The scape and funiculus together are about three-quarters the length of the head.

Pronotum rounded in front, narrower behind than in front. Pro-mesonotal suture well defined; mesonotum and propodeum rather flattened above, declivity of the propodeum vertical and very short. Node of petiole quadrate-globose, slightly wider behind than in front, the ventral lamella produced in a wide angle. First gastral segment narrow at the base, 2nd and 3rd segments sub-equal, and a little longer than the 1st, 4th segment a little shorter than the preceding, 5th segment widely and semicircularly excavated apically, the dorsal boundary of the excavation forming a sharp edge, ending on each side inferiorly in a short tooth.
Minor worker - TL 5-6 mm. This differs from the major in the following characters. The colour is slightly lighter, and the head is a little narrower behind than in front, and is only arcuately emarginate behind. The apex of the mandible is not blunt, but ends in two sharp teeth, the lower tooth being the larger; the tooth on the inner margin is also acute. The pubescent hairs on the body are longer.
Minima worker - TL 1.7-2 mm. Colour pale dirty yellow. Funiculus 9-jointed. Pilosity and pubescence stronger than in the minor. Mandibles without a tooth on the internal margin, and with the upper apical tooth almost obsolete, making the mandible an elongate triangle.
This species has been recorded from the larger part of the South African region. In Zimbabwe it is common, and more frequently met with than any other species of the genus. (S.A.M., R.M., G.A. colls.)"

Oxford University Museum specimens

Dorylus (Dorylus) helvolus B Taylor det. Male	Central African Republic P Annoyer 1998-05	16.vi.1998 Dzanga-Sangha	Bayanga-Lidjombo; U.V. 19h-05h; LAYON PK 21 5.0 RCA	1
Dorylus (Dorylus) helvolus B Taylor det.	South Africa Peter Hlavác	25-26.i.2004 Grootvadersbosch 33°59.39' S 20°48.32' E	Western Cape, Grootvadersbosch N.R., S  E ; 350 m	5
Dorylus (Dorylus) helvolus B Taylor det.	Uganda A W McCrae OUMNH-2006-077	18.v.1965 Lolui I Lake Victoria	on dead monkey	1

Polymorphism

The photomontages are of workers from South Africa; Grootvadersbosch National Reserve, Western Cape; collector Peter Hlavac; nest under bark. These match the europaea workers available on Antweb/Focol (see link above).

The various morphs are shown in detail on Dorylus (Anomma) helvolus morphs page.

Major

MALES

The photomontage is of a male from the Central African Republic, 1Bayanga-Lidjombo; collector Philippe Annoyer (CAR 1998-05).