Dorylus (Dorylus) affinis Shuckard

Male Type location Gambia (Shuckard, 1840c: 316, male; Emery, 1901c: 189, worker; van Boven, 1975: 189, queen) from Gambia River; denudatus (Dorylus denudatus n. sp., Santschi, 1910g: 742, illustrated, male) from Haut Niger, M Claveaux, loewyi (Forel, 1907b: 202, male), Zanzibar, and its variety exilis (Santschi, 1914b: 59, male) from Tanzania; hirsutus (Dorylus affinis Shuck. st. aegyptiaca Mayr var. hirsuta n, var., Santschi, 1917c: 20) from Ethiopia; parapsidalis from Malawi (Dorylus affinis Shuck. v. parapsidalis n. var, Santschi, 1917c: 20, male), Blantyre, Naklin Barat, 31.x.1907, G Arnold; and, ugandensis from Uganda (D. affinis, var. ugandensis, nov., Santschi, 1914b: 59, male); junior synonyms brevinodosus (Typholopone oraniensis variety brevinodosa, Mayr, 1862: 737, worker; synonymy Emery, 1901c: 189) from Ghana, Quittah and Accra, by Dr Brauns; and planiceps (Haldeman, 1849b: 204, male; synonymy Emery, 1895j: 719) from " West Africa"; unavailable name badior (Dorylus (Dorylus) affinis st. exilis v. Santschi,1939b: 237, male) from Zimbabwe; all forms known (see Bolton (1995) .

As shown on the linked page, fresh males from Sudan match Mayr's description of aegyptiacus and are quite distinct from the type. Thus, I have raised the variety to species status Dorylus (D.) aegyptiacus, including the "brevinodosus" workers from Eritrea (Emery, 1915g).

As shown on the linked page, fresh males from the Central African Republic match Santschi's description of pulliceps and are quite distinct from the type. Thus, I have raised the variety to species status Dorylus (D.) pulliceps.

As shown on the linked page, fresh males from Mali match Santschi's description of sudanicus and are quite distinct from the type. Thus, I have raised the variety to species status Dorylus (D.) sudanicus.

I suspect the same separation of distinct species is likely to hold also for the East African forms but without fresh specimens or sight of the type form, I cannot determine that.

Shuckard's (1840c) description is at . Haldeman's (1849b) description of the male planiceps (spelt plancipes) is at . Mayr's (1862) brief note on brevinodosus is at . Emery (1901c: 189, summarised and illustrated the worker polymorphism, this is at . Emery (1895j: 720) gave a full, illustrated, description of the male, plus abyssinicus; this is at . Emery (1895j) provided the images (right) drawn from the types of brevinodosus in Mayr's collection, with a description at . Forel's (1907b) description of the loewyi male is at . Santschi's (1910g) description of exilis is at . Santschi's (1910g) description of denudatus is at . Santschi's (1914b) description of ugandensis is at . Santschi (1917c) constructed a key to the males of the numerous varieties already known by that time; this, with his description of pulliceps, sudanica is at . Santschi's (1939b) description of badior is at from Zimbabwe.

Arnold (1915: 120) had the following description -
"The minors of this species are very similar to those of helvolus and brevipennis; helvolus is more strongly and closely punctured on the head, and does not reach to such a large size in majors or maxima. From brevipennis, the workers of this species can be distinguished only with difficulty, the main distinction being the shape of the petiole, as given in the key above [petiole not much wider behind than in front; brevipennis wider behind].
TL of maxima 10-11 mm. Head, from 3.3 mm long x 2.6 mm wide, to 3.7 mm long x 2.8 mm wide.
The colour is like that of helvolus, the abdomen is lighter than the thorax. Head shining, mandibles finely reticulate and sparsely punctured; dorsum of the pro- and mesonotum smooth, propodeum reticulate and dull, the opacity being due to a microscopic rugulosity. The puncturation of the gaster is shallower and less abundant than on the head. The petiole is duller than the thorax, and the puncturation feebler and less regular. The gaster is shining, shallowly and sparsely punctured. All the punctures bear short hairs, intermixed with which on the gaster are some longer semi-erect hairs. There are a few pilous hairs on the ventral surface of the gaster, the clypeus, mandibles and pygidium; the hairs on the legs are comparatively longer and more abundant than in helvolus.
The head is sub-rectangular, the posterior margin deeply excised, the sides more or less feebly bisinuate. The mandible is acute at the apex, with a pre-apical tooth at about the middle of the inner margin, and a rudiment of a sub-apical tooth. The frontal carinae are a little separated in front, but converge abruptly above the antennal sockets, and each ends in a sharp spine pointing obliquely backwards. The petiole is wider than long, widest posteriorly; it is comparatively larger than in helvolus. The tooth-like projections of the pygidium are not quite so prominent, otherwise similar to helvolus.
Worker minor - TL 8-5.5 mm. Head, 2.6 mm long x 3 mm wide, to 1.7 mm long x l.4 mm wide. The posterior margin of the head is less deeply excised, the sub-apical tooth of the mandible larger, nearly equal to the pre-apical. The puncturation is finer, and the pubescence a little more distinct, and the colour lighter than in the major.
Worker minima - TL 3.5 mm or less. In these the anterior margin of the clypeus is more projecting, the frontal carinae are closer together and less acute posteriorly, or in examples 3 mm long, with the spinous processes entirely obsolete. Antennae with 7-8 joints, all the joints of the funiculus, except the 1st and last, much wider than long. The whole body is shining, and the colour dirty ochreous.
I am not aware of this species having been recorded so far from the region (Southern Africa) dealt with in this work, but have included it as it may perhaps be found in the future within the species, but has been recorded from the southern Belgian Congo, (G.A. coll.)".

A very widely distributed species from throughout tropical Africa; West African records include Senegal (Dakar, F. Silvestri), Guinea Bissau (Bamabaya, by Lucas), Guinea (Conakry and Camayenne, F. Silvestri), Liberia (Cape Palmas, by Savage), Ghana (at Kitta and Accra, H. Brauns) and Cameroun (by Conradt).

Bernard (1952) reported it as "frequent" in Lamotte's collections on the Mt. Nimba massif, Guinea:- T44 (Nion); T42, Mount Tô, Camp I, 1600 m (the richest number of workers). He noted it had a dark mahogany colour and head shape like that of race loewyi and puncturation and petiole form of variety pulliceps.

J. van Boven (1975: 189) gave notes on the queen and gave a better illustration (right) of the major; see .

The photomontage is of a male from the Central African Republic, 13.x.2008 17h30-3h; Camp 1; 03°03'58.3" N 16°08'59.6" E 528 m; A la base de l'Ayous (Triplochiton scleroxylon, Sterculiaceae) à 50 m du Camp; collector Philippe Annoyer. Other images can be seen in the folder at -

The photomontage is of a second male from the Central African Republic, 06.x.2008 Nuit; Camp 1; 04°22'19.4" N 18°35'49.7" E 360 m; Bangui après la corniche direction N'garagba; collector Philippe Annoyer. Other images can be seen in the folder at -