Pheidole aurivillii, Mayr, 1896

FISCHER, GEORG., GARCIA, FRANCISCO HITA & PETERS, MARCELL K., 2012, Taxonomy of the ant genus Pheidole Westwood (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Afrotropical zoogeographic region: definition of species groups and systematic revision of the Pheidole pulchella group, Zootaxa 3232 (1), pp. 1-43 : 6

P. aurivillii group:

Larger species (minor worker HW: 0.52–0.79 mm, n=52) with relatively long appendages (SI: 107–145, FI: 142– 247). Minor workers: characterized by oval head that is longer than wide, long promesonotum, declining slowly to metanotal groove, absent or inconspicuous mesonotal process. Sculpture on mesonotum, mesopleuron and propodeum uniform, pilosity relatively long, erect and flexous. Postpetiole with shallow ventral process. Major workers: head with mostly irregular rugose-punctate sculpture. Frontal carinae and antennal scrobe absent or inconspicuous, inner hypostomal teeth developed to large, mesonotal process and postpetiole ventral process present. Pilosity as in minor and very abundant. Four described subspecies ( Pheidole aurivillii Mayr , P. aurivillii attenuata Santschi , P. aurivillii kasaiensis Forel , P. aurivillii rubricalva Forel ), plus other potentially related species and several undescribed morphospecies probably belong to this group.