Pheidole caffra Emery

Major - Minor - Type location South Africa (Emery, 1895h: 33, major; Santschi, 1939b: 239, minor); subspecies amoena (Pheidole caffra Em. v. amoena n. var., Forel, 1911d: 365, major) from Eritrea, and montivaga (Pheidole caffra Em. v. montivaga n. var., Santschi, 1939b: 240, illustrated, all forms) from Zimbabwe; all forms described (see Bolton, 1995) .

Emery's (1895h) description is at . Arnold (1920a: 478) gave a translation, this is at Forel's (1911d) description of amoena is at . Santschi's (1939b) description of montivaga is at . Santschi (1939b) gave an illustrated comparison of the type with montivaga and abyssinica, this is at .

The last indicates that abyssinica is not a subspecies of caffra.

It is quite clear from the original Emery description that true caffra does not have strongly marked sculpturation on the occiput and the frontal carinae reach the posterior quarter of the head; the colour also is given as ferruginous dull with the gaster piceous and shiny. It is my view that the common fault of Forel in defining subspecies or varieties rather than species led to confusion. Therefore, I have raised the quite distinctive Pheidole bayeri Forel and with at least Pheidole senilifrons Wheeler to species (the latter with thysvillensis as a probable junior synonym). The availability of cotype photographs of abyssinica show that also to be a separate species Pheidole abyssinica Forel

The photomontage is of a major specimen from Gabon, Pongara National Park; Gabon 31; 26.v.2006; N 0°03.195' E 9°23.058'; degraded forest and under closed canopy; collector S Latour. Other images can be seen in the folder at -

The photomontage is of a major specimen from Ethiopia, Meta Ambo; from Peter Hlavác. Other images can be seen in the folder at -

The photomontage is of a minor specimen from Ethiopia, Meta Ambo; from Peter Hlavác.

The photomontage is of a male specimen from Ethiopia, Meta Ambo; from Peter Hlavác.