Pheidole weissi (Santschi) - new status (speculative)

Type location Congo (Pheidole excellens Mayr, stirps Weissi, n. st., Santschi, 1910c: 361, major; Santschi, 1914d: 335, queen; Santschi, 1930b: 65, minor) Brazzaville, by A. Weiss
unavailable name mbalensis (Pheidole excellens Mayr stirps weissi Sants. v. mbalensis n. var., Santschi, 1930b: 65, illustrated, minor) from Angola
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Santschi's (1910c) description of weissi is at - note Santschi (1914d) corrects major HL to 3.2 not 3.9, and HW 2.3 not 2.4 - see . Santschi's (1930b) description of the weissi minor is at . Santschi's (1930b) description of mbalensis is at .

The photomontage of the type major worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0913308.

The photomontage of the type minor worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0913309.

The photomontage of the mbalensis type minor worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0913310.

Nigeria specimens (as Pheidole species T⁵, Taylor, 1980a: 25).
Minor. TL 3.11 mm, HL 0.72, HW 0.65, SL 0.73, PW 0.47
Colour orange-brown, head and gaster darker. The only sculpturation is spiculation on the lateral mesonotum. Erect hairs light, coarse and moderately abundant, especially on the head. Eyes relatively large. Clypeus with a medial carina and an almost straight anterior margin. Alitrunk without visible sutures. This and the Ghana specimen shown below apparently lack the quite dense sculpturation seen on the above type forms and are a better match for the mbalensis form (Santschi, 1930b).

A nest was found in insolated bare earth at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigera, Idi Ayunre. No soldiers seen. Found foraging on the ground and tending aphids.