Dorylus (Anomma) titan Santschi

Type locality Zaïre (Santschi, 1923e: 271, worker major); also subspecies vinalli (Santschi, 1933b: 97, worker) from Zaïre, soldier and worker described (see Bolton, 1995) .

Santschi's (1923e) description is at and . Santschi's (1933b) description of vinalli is at .

Described by Santschi (1923e) from Kondue, Zaïre [Belgian Congo], collected by Luja. Raignier & van Boven (1955) examined the type and found Santschi's description to be accurate:-
Major with head rectangular, sides more or less parallel with irregular undulations; posterior angles extended as in opacus, Frontal notch distinct on vertex, whereas it is vague in opacus, and continuing up to the occiput as a brilliant, glabrous line; mandibles longer, narrower and more slender than opacus; petiole a little longer than wide and rounded posteriorly. Red wine colour; head matt but with a silky reflection; totally lacking in opacus. In emery the head is almost all shiny.

The variety vinalli was described by Santschi (1933b) from four specimens from Basankusu, Bongandanga, Zaïre [Belgian Congo], as having a sombre colour and more marked sculpturation. Raignier & van Boven (1955) remarked that such simple variations were not uncommon within single colonies of Anomma and this variety might well be of no merit. Their attempt to compare gerstaeckeri, titan and opacus (p 85) gives titan as TL 9.1 and CI 92; clearly, like my description of the specimen I came across in the CRIN collection (see below), they cannot have seen the very distinctive true major (TL >14 mm, which is illustrated and described here and matches the Santschi description).

Polymorphism

The photomontages are of specimens collected at Bossou, south eastern Guinea by Tatyana Humle (Humle 4, 12.ix.2001).

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

Full new description - Humle 4
Overall - matt, except shiny occiput dark brown head, alitrunk more orange, extremities orange-brown
TL 14.25 HW 3.8 HL 4.25 HD 2.0 CI 89 SL 1.3 SI 31 AL 4.4 PW 1.9 PL 1.0 GL 4.6 MFL 2.6
Head - rectangular, very noticeably longer than wide, sides parallel but with wavy or undulations notably just past the mid-point ; posterior margin, shallow scallop with raised median area; sculpturation densely spiculate, although near-effaced on vertex which is shiny; median line variably visible for whole length of face, with impressed areas after the clypeal notch, mid-face and on the occiput[ clypeal margin slightly sinuous with coarse moderately long median hair and shorter lateral hairs; mandible short and stout, polished but with faint striations and minute hair pits, no subapical teeth or crenulations, large triangular basal tooth; scape very stout, matt due to fine spiculation and minute hair pits; funiculus thick, segments barely longer than wide, bristly but with fine decumbent hairs; head profile flattened with large, rounded posterior processes; minute stout hairs arising from hair pits.
Alitrunk - altogether flat, concave on dorsum of pronotum distinct but shallowly convex "saddle"; spiracle a relatively small, rearward facing oval; propodeum near flat with slight downward slope to declivity; declivity itself vertical with inturn to base; metapleural gland upper flange no longer than lower; sculpturation densely and quite coarsely spiculated all over; stout minute hairs all over dorsum; several coarse moderately long erect hairs on posterior of dorsal propodeum.
Petiole - short and bulky, with well developed posteroventral lobes and small anterior lobes; in dorsal view a globular cube; spiracle very small and low down; subpetiolar process a broad based triangle filling anterior half; sculpturation as alitrunk; several coarse hairs on posterior dorsum and below.
Gaster - all segments densely but more finely spiculate than alitrunk; moderate waisting; coarse hairs on dorsum of 1, fringes of others and ventrally.
Legs - coxae long relative to rest of leg segments, densely spiculated; femora short, wide and shiny, distinctly flattened, fine decumbent pilosity; tibiae relatively short, fine and quite sparse bristles; tarsi relatively short, moderate claws for the overall large size.

Minima morph
Very small relative to major; head distinctively rectangular, densely spiculate, matt, colour dull yellow; dorsum with sparse fine, short pilosity; scape yellow, short and broad; funiculus very stout and bristly.