Aenictus aitkenii Forel

Shattuck, Steven O., 2008, Review of the ant genus Aenictus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Australia with notes on A. ceylonicus (Mayr), Zootaxa 1926, pp. 1-19 : 16

Aenictus aitkenii Forel , rev. stat.

Aenictus aitkenii Forel, 1901: 475 (junior synonym of A. aratus by Wilson, 1964: 446; revised status as valid species). Aenictus aratus var. asiatica Forel, 1911: 453 (junior synonym of aratus by Wilson, 1964: 446; removed from synonymy with A. aratus , new synonym of A. aitkenii ).

Types. Aenictus aitkenii : Worker syntypes from Kanara, Thana and Travancore, India (not examined). Aenictus aratus var. asiatica : Worker syntype from Sri Lanka (not examined).

Comments. This species is similar to A. aratus (with which it has been treated as a junior synonym) and A. nesiotis but differs in having a broader head (CI> 87 versus CI <88 in nesiotis ), and broader and more bulbous petiole and postpetiole (both are narrower in aratus and nesiotis ). The scape is also relatively longer than in the others (SI> 115 versus SI <115). It is similar to levior in the shape of the head but differs in having longer scapes. This species is so far known only from India and Sri Lanka.