Dorylus (Dorylus) brevipennis Emery

Male Type locality Tanzania (Dorylus brevipennis n. sp., Emery, 1895j: 721, illustrated, male - on linked males page; Emery 1901c: 192, worker; Boven, 1975: 193, queen) types collected at Tabora, Orniyaneimbe, by René Oberthür, wrongly noted as "Westafrika"
subspecies
marshalli (Dorylus brevipennis Em. var. Marshalli, Emery 1901c: 193, worker & male, illustrated) from Zimbabwe, Salisbury & Mashonaland, H Brauns - on linked worker page
zimmermanni (Dorylus brevipennis Em. stirps Zimmermanni n. st., Santschi, 1910g: 738, illustrated, soldier, worker & male, illustrated) from Congo, Madingou, Rev. P. Zimmermann - see below and linked worker page
unavailable name bulawayensis (Dorylus affinis Shuck r. Zimmermanni Sant. v. bulawayensis n. v., Forel, 1914d: 215, worker) from Zimbabwe, coll G Arnold - no images on Antweb (June 2014)
all forms known (see Bolton, 1995) .

Emery's (1895j) description of the male is at . Emery's (1901c) description of the worker and marshalli is at . Santschi's (1910g) description of zimmermanni is at and . Forel's (1914d) description of bulawayensis is at . J. van Boven (1975: 189) described the queen from Rubona, Rwanda, collected by H. Neel, 19.iv.1973, and gave an illustration (right) of the major; see

Wheeler (1922) listed many findings from eastern Africa (from Sudan south to Zululand) and from Zaïre (Kohl; at Medje, Lang & Chapin).

Bernard (1952) reported it as common at Banco, Ivory Coast, and a probable identification of a single small worker from Guinea, Nion (T44, Lamotte).

Arnold (1915: 122) provided a description of the type, from Emery (1895j, 1901c) -
"Worker - TL 8.5 mm. This worker is deceptively like that of affinis, differing only in its smaller size in the major forms, and in having the petiole shorter and wider behind than in that species."
He noted that it had not been recorded from southern Africa but he gave a description of the variety marshalli, which was originally found at Salisbury, Zimbabwe (from Emery, 1901) -
"Worker maxima - TL 8.5 mm; head, 2.8 mm long X 2.3 mm wide. The colour is a little darker than the type species, and the puncturation of the petiole, which is less shining, is more abundant. Otherwise like the type".
On race zimmermani, Arnold wrote -
Major - TL 8 mm. Colour, puncturation and general characters exceedingly similar to those of helvolus. The sides of the head are, however, slightly sinuate; the teeth of the mandible more acute, and the petiole a very little wider. The ventral lamella of the petiole is produced behind into a short spine, pointing downwards (the lamella is truncate in helvolus majors.
Worker media - TL 6-3.4 mm. These do not present any appreciable differences to distinguish them from helvolus of the same size; the ventral lamella is not spinously produced as in the major. Of the smallest (2 mm) described by Sanstchi, I have seen no examples; they have 8-joined antennae".
He noted there was nothing, other than the ventral lamella of the major petiole that separated them from helvolus. He also cited Santschi's descriptions of males from Madingou, French Congo.

Arnold gave a translation of the male description - "A small species, of a somewhat stumpy build. Particularly noticeable on the head are the small but slightly projecting eyes, which are separated from the base of the mandibles by a distance about equal to the thickness of the scape. The mandibles are plainly smaller than in affinis. The antennae are long, the scape shorter than the first 5 joints of the flagellum, or about as long as one-third of the latter. Thorax stout, petiole as in affinis. There are some erect hairs on the pronotum; on the mesonotum and scutellum only a long, adpressed pubescence, which is hardly glossy and does not conceal the chitin. Colour brownish-yellow, head excepting the mandibles dark brown; on the mesonotum in front the is a short median band of darker colour, and also two lateral bands which do not reach the anterior margin; the femora and petiole brown; the margins of the abdominal segments brownish. Wings noticeably short, glassy and with brown nervures; the transverse nervule joins the middle of the root of the cubital. The genital organs are constructed much as in affinis, but the outer parameres are markedly broad, not excised at all laterally. Length 20-21 mm; head and thorax, 8 mm; width of thorax, 4 mm; anterior wings, 12.5 mm.

The various morphs are shown in detail on the Polymorphism morphs page, with fresh specimens from the Central African Republic, Cameroun and Sudan.

A separate page shows Males.

Polymorphism

This photomontage of zimmermanni cotypes is collated from The Smithsonian Institute images at http://ripley.si.edu/ent/nmnhtypedb/public/specimeninfopage.cfm?publicconsumption=1&typespecimenID=972.

Oxford University Museum specimens

Dorylus (Dorylus) brevipennis B Taylor det.	Cameroun A Fotso Kuate Sample 36	5.vii.2008 Matomb 03°54'30" N 11°25'58" E	.	4
Dorylus (Dorylus) brevipennis B Taylor det.	Central African Republic P Annoyer Di-08	20.i.2005 Dzanga-Sangha 03°55’13.2" N 16°36’46.1" E	U.V : 2h-6h, après Sefka (entre Bambio et croisement Nola/Berberati), dans layon forestier; from on a reduviid bug; in forest, 1st hour of the morning; 536m asl	1
Dorylus (Dorylus) brevipennis B Taylor det. Male	Central African Republic P Annoyer KT	23.x.2008 Dzanga-Sangha 03°01'49.5" N 16°08'31.7" E	18h-6h; Camp 2; 567 m; Sur plate-forme à 40 m du sol dans un kungu, à 50 m du camp	1
Dorylus (Dorylus) brevipennis B Taylor det.	Sudan Awatif Omer 22	2012 Dinder NP 11° N 35° E	Major & media workers	4
Dorylus (Dorylus) brevipennis B Taylor det.	Sudan Awatif Omer 2013.02.36	Damazeen 11˚47'09" N 34˚20'12" E	range of workers	3

Polymorphism

This photomontage is of specimens from Cameroun; collector A Fotso Kuate (Sample 36).