Solenopsis orbuloides André

Type location Sierra Leone (André, 1890: 321, worker; Santschi, 1914d: 354, queen) collected by Mocquerys; worker and queen described see Bolton, 1995) .

André's (1890) description is at - comparison with Solenopsis orbula (Mediterranean species). Santschi (1914d) gave a fuller description (wrongly denoted as worker but refers to wing bases) - .

The description of Solenopsis canariensis by Forel (as a race of orbuloides, 1893d: 466, worker, possible male) has added comments on orbuloides; this is at . In translation -
"With orbuloides, the clypeal carinae are very short and divergent, they do not terminate in two angles and the clypeus, which is quite truncate is only very feebly produced anteriorly in the centre. ... The last segment of the funiculus is enlarged and obtuse. ... The eyes are quite large, as in fugax. ... The petiole pedicel is quite long. ... The base of the gaster is quite strongly attenuated. ... Colour clear yellow".

Wheeler (1922) listed it also from Nigeria (Lagos and Olokemeji, by F. Silvestri - the Santschi report).

Solenopsis orbula images

Nigeria specimens (as Solenopsis species 1, Taylor, 1980a: 43). WORKER.
TL 1.40 mm, HL 0.34, HW 0.34, SL 0.25, PW 0.22
Colour golden yellow. Sculpturation restricted to reticulation of the propodeum, lower lateral mesonotum and petiole. Eye small. Propodeum an uninterrupted curve from metanotal groove to base. Erect hairs fine, moderately long and abundant, semiprone on the head; a few long erect hairs on the dorsal pronotum. This is suggestive of orbuloides but appears also to resemble Solenopsis ugandensis, as described for ssp congolensis by Santschi (1935).
Collected from soil at the Cocoa research Institute of Nigeria, Idi Ayunre, by B. Bolton.