Dorylus (Anomma) congolensis Santschi
Type locality Congo (Dorylus (Anomma) kohli var
congolensis, nov., Santschi, 1910c: 352, illustrated,
workers, collected at Brazzaville, by Weiss, ; also Santschi,
1912b; raised to species by Boven & Lévieux, 1970:
376); soldier only known (see Bolton (1995); Raignier & van
Boven considered minor (Santschi, 1911g: 206) from Angola
as having no significant differences to the media worker, TL ca 8,
of congolensis, therefore, it is included here as a junior
synonym .
Santschi's (1910c) description is at
and
(the comparison was with D. kohli). Santschi's (1911g)
description of minor is at
Described by Wheeler as "head of workers measuring (TL) 7
mm is as broad as long, whereas in the typical kohli it is
longer than broad, with somewhat less pointed posterior angles".
Also from Congo at N'Douna, A. Weiss; and Zaïre, at
Leopoldville, under a piece of tin on the shore of Stanley Pool by
Lang & Chapin, and Thysville, by J. Bequaert, "marching
in a subterranean burrow in a forest gallery" (Wheeler, 1922,
under kohli). |
 Raignier
& van Boven (1955) noting that Santschi's description (1910c)
was very detailed, gave the key characteristics. Apparently, at
the time the major of kohli was unknown so Santschi
compared his new variety with emeryi and gerstaeckeri.
Head matt and more sculptured than emeryi, with an
irregular shiny triangle on the vertex; scape and funiculus
segments shorter; petiole wider than long; differed from kohli
type by posterior of head being narrower, shorter and laterally
more convex, head square (HW = HL in 7 mm workers) whereas kohli
is longer than wide. Also they felt a key separation from congolensis
is the mandible in kohli being longer relative to the head
length, index > 160 ; ca 150 in congolensis.
In their field studies in the essentially shady forest area of
Yangambi, Raignier & van Boven made 14 collections of congolensis,
a figure bettered only by the most common wilverthi. There
was a consistency of form and shape and their notes show -
TL 11-2.1, CI 91; head with posterior strongly scalloped;
mandibles short and quite straight, variably with subapical tooth
and denticles; funiculus segments 1-5 differing little in length
petiole wider than long; major head blackish red-brown (darker
than kohli) and spiculate with a shiny frontal area on
some specimens, cheeks darker, some specimens from shaded forest
clear brown; mandibles and gaster shiny. Smaller morphs (TL 5 mm)
with shinier head, anterior finely punctate, posterior shiny.
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