Paedalgus

Wheeler, W. M., 1922, The ants collected by the American Museum Congo Expedition., Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45, pp. 39-269 : 177

Paedalgus Forel

The worker of this peculiar genus which is closely related to Carebara and Oligomyrmex , is monomorphic, minute, brownish yellow, with the eyes reduced to one or two ommatidia placed near the anterior third of the sides of the head. Ocelli absent. Maxillary and labial palpi each 2-jointed. Mandibles rather narrow, with oblique 4-toothed apical borders. Clypeus convex and projecting in the middle, extending back between the frontal carinae, with a pair of longitudinal carinae, which converge somewhat behind but do not terminate in teeth anteriorly. Antennae rather stout, resembling those of Carebara , 9-jointed, with joints 2 to 6 of the funiculus small and transverse, the club large and distinct, 2-jointed. Thorax short and broad; the pronotum with rather angular humeri. Premesonotal suture lacking and, in the African species, with the mesoepinotal suture scarcely indicated. Epinotum sloping, the declivity on each side with a low vesiculate lamina resembling in structure the epinotal laminae of certain species of Strumigenys .

The female is considerably larger than the worker, with well-developed eyes and ocelli and 10-jointed antennae, the club of the latter being 3-jointed and longer than the remainder of the funiculus. Mandibles 5-toothed. Clypeus convex, ecarinate. Thorax short, high, and arched, much broader than the head. Wings unknown.

The male has not been seen.

Forel founded this genus on P. escherichi , a species discovered by Escherich in a small cavity in a mound of Termes obscuriceps at Peradenyia, Ceylon. The minute workers were "running about on the back of their huge queen, like lice." Santschi in 1913 described as Oligomyrmex infimus from French Guinea the worker of a second species, which he later (1914) recognized as a Paedalgus . The following species is very similar.