Pheidole nigritella Bernard

Type location Guinea (Bernard, 1952, illustrated) from Mt. Nimba, 3 majors and 9 minors, from three forest locations; Ziéla, F 80 Gouéla, B8-10 Zouépo, 1215 m (Lamotte); major & minor described (see Bolton, 1995) .

Bernard's (1952) description is at . This translated is -
MAJOR - TL 3.6-3.8 mm, HL 1.5, HW 1.15; head and thorax pitch brown, often black posteriorly, petiole and gaster pure black, shiny. Head matt, finely and entirely recticulo-striated, with fine reticulation between the striations. Thorax and abdomen smooth. Fine yellow hairs common on the head and body. Appendages yellow-brown, short and thick, save the antennae which are slender by comparison with related species. Head parallel sided, slightly enlarged posteriorly. Clypeus straight, brown, puncturated, a little concave anteriorly but frontal area without a median carina. Frontal groove well developed large on the posterior part. Antennae slender, segments longer than wide. Mandibles brown, finely and regularly striated. In profile, prothorax very convex, metanotal groove very wide. Petiole small and elevated. Postpetiole shiny, finely puncturated, slightly wider than long. Head illustrated in scanned photocopy of photo (left).

Bernard's drawing exaggerates the density of the striation on the mandibles, as these can be seen easily only with oblique light and are very fine.

MINOR - TL 2.0-2.1 mm; black, very shiny, puncturation fine and serrated, appendages brown. Head slightly longer than wide, very rounded posteriorly; occiput is straight, bordered and wide. Antennae slender, in the funiculus segments 2 and 3 are equal, three times longer than wide, segment 4 twice as long as wide. Prothorax as convex as the soldier; propodeum puncturate except on anterior third. Petiole slender, node less elevated than that of the soldier. Postpetiole as the soldier. All body parts are more elongated than those of the other minute Pheidole in the termitophila group (after Bernard, 1952).

Bernard (1952) described this as the only black species among the minute Pheidole of Africa, other than Ph. capensis from southern areas.

The photomontage of the type major worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0915441.

The photomontage of the type minor worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0913735.

Specimens in OUMNH Collection

Pheidole nigritella B Taylor det.	Liberia E Poirier Yekepa PF 19	29.iii.2013 Nimba County 07°33’38" N 08°32’33" E	Pitfall trap Degraded secondary forest 518 m asl minor	2
Pheidole nigritella B Taylor det.	Liberia E Poirier Yekepa Camp 4 PF 4	6.iv.2013 Nimba County 07°33’04" N 08°33’17" E	Pitfall trap Floodplain & marsh 501 m asl minor	2
Pheidole nigritella B Taylor det.	Liberia E Poirier Yekepa Camp 4 PF 14	6.iv.2013 Nimba County 07°33’04" N 08°33’17" E	Pitfall trap Floodplain & marsh 501 m asl minor	1
Pheidole nigritella B Taylor det.	Ghana S Sky Stephens 06G0073	2006	In personal collection of S Sky Stephens	1
Pheidole nigritella B Taylor det.	Ghana S Sky Stephens 06G0075	2006	In personal collection of S Sky Stephens	1
Pheidole nigritella B Taylor det.	Benin J-F Vayssieres RVA 2918	17.ix.2012 Korobourou 09°22'13'' N 02°40'16'' E	Mangifera indica orchard Quadrat  1, tube 1, variété: Ifac Ground nesting (nuit) Minor workers	2
Pheidole nigritella B Taylor det.	Benin J-F Vayssieres RVA 2923.1	2.ix.2012 Korobourou 09°37'01'' N 02°67'08'' E	Mangifera indica orchard Quadrat  mixte 1-3, tube 1, Ground nesting Minor workers	2
Pheidole nigritella B Taylor det.	Central African Republic P Annoyer DK	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 majors & minors	4
Pheidole nigritella B Taylor det.	Congo Y Braet t-1-16, t 1-17, t1-18	19.viii.2007 Brazzaville 4° 15' 33" S 15° 17' 5" E	24h pitfall traps; forest around the GERDIB laboratories; 317 m asl (three traps)	5

Major - The photomontage is of a major worker from the Central African Republic; Dzanga-Sangha National Park; location DK; collector Philippe Annoyer.

TL ca 4.3 mm, HL 1.08, HW 1.00, SL 0.55, PW 0.52, CI 90, SI 55, EI (eye length/HL) 0.10; postpetiole width 1.52 X length;

Major - the photomontage is of a minor worker from the Central African Republic; Dzanga-Sangha National Park; location DK; collector Philippe Annoyer.

TL ca 1.7 mm, HL 0.47, HW 0.40, SL 0.41, PW 0.18: CI 85, SI 105; clypeus without a distinct median carina, all striations on front of head straight; mahogany red, extremities more brown.

The photomontage is of a worker from Liberia, Yekepa Camp 4; collector E Poiriet (Yekepa Camp 4 PF 14). Collection area within the Mt Nimba range.

The photomontage is of a worker from Benin, Korobouro; collector J-F Vayssieres (RVA 2918).

The photomontage is of a worker from Ghana, collected by Sky Stephens (06G0075).