The Ants of Africa
Genus Pheidole
Pheidole capensis Mayr

capensis-group - postpetiole much wider than long, with elongated lateral processes, head widest posteriorly

{Pheidole capensis}

Pheidole capensis Mayr

Soldier - return to key Minor - return to key {link to the Hymenoptera Name Server} Type location South Africa (Mayr, 1862: 746, soldier & worker; illustrated by Mayr, 1865; Forel, 1913a: 130, queen); subspecies dregei (Ph. megacephala ssp dregei, Emery, 1895h: 34, soldier) from South Africa, modestior (Santschi, 1919a: 337, soldier & worker) and reddenburgensis (Ph. cuitensis r. reddenburgensis, Forel, 1913a: 135, all forms; subspecies of capensis by Emery, 1915j: 246) from South Africa; all forms described (see Bolton, 1995) .

Mayr's (1862) description is at {original description}. Mayr (1865: 100) gave a fuller description, this is at {original description}. Arnold (1920a: 441) gave an illustrated translation, this is at {original description} and {original description}. Emery's (1895a) description of dregei is at {original description}. Santschi's (1919a) description of modestior is at {original description}. Arnold (1926: 287) gave a translation, this is at {original description}. Forel's (1913a) description of reddenburgensis is at {original description}. Arnold (1920a: 450) gave an illustrated translation, this is at {original description} and {original description}.

Unusual in having polymorphic workers, which led Forel (1913a) to suggest a new subgenus Allopheidole. Arnold (1920a) tried to have the name altered to reddersburgensis, so as to accurately reflect the type location, but this was not accepted by Wheeler (1922: 809). Emery (1915j) provided drawings of the heads of capensis{Pheidole capensis reddenburgensis}{Pheidole capensis}

{Pheidole capensis heads}
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© 2007, 2008 - Brian Taylor CBiol FIBiol FRES
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