Pheidole excellens, Mayr, 1862

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. excellens group:

Species with square-like heads in both, minor and major workers, shorter appendages (minor worker SI: 86–115, n=32), often extensive and coarse body sculpture (sometimes only on pronotum), abundant and fine pilosity and small postpetioles, in major workers with a lateral process.

Minor workers: characterized by wide, square head with straight posterior margin and subangulate to angulate corners, relatively short scape, barely to moderately exceeding occipital margin. Postpetiole very short, lower than petiole, about as wide as long. Body often deeply punctate-rugulose/rugose [e.g. excellens Mayr , liengmei Forel ], with coarse ridges along dorsopropodeum, but some species mostly smooth [ sculpturata rhodesiana Forel ], to superficially sculptured [ sculpturata ]. Usually with high amount of very thin and moderately short body pilosity, often pelt-like, at least on the head. Spines short to long, linearly spinose. Major workers: head usually elongate, much longer than wide, or at least square-like with parallel to subparallel sides, sometimes wider anteriorly than posteriorly. Submedian and outer hypostomal teeth well-developed to large, median tooth absent. Promesonotal dome high, spines quasi-vertical, often thick, blunt or truncated. Postpetiole laterally with an (often strongly) extended, wing-like, posteriorly curved process. Pilosity and sculpture similar to minor workers. The group can be subdivided into two different complexes, one with small species ( katonae complex; minor worker HW: 0.57–0.63, n=8), possessing short legs and spines, and relatively larger eyes [ katonae Forel , sculpturata zambeziana Forel ]. The other complex consists of larger species ( excellens complex; minor worker HW: 0.69–0.93, n=24), which possess longer legs and spines, and relatively smaller eyes [ excellens Mayr , liengmei Forel , njassae Viehmeyer , sculpturata Mayr , sculpturata welgelengensis Forel ]. The described species belonging to this group are: Pheidole arnoldi Forel , P. excellens Mayr , P. excellens weissi Santschi , P. katonae Forel , P. liengmei Forel , P. liengmei micrartifex Forel , P. liengmei shinsendensis Forel , P. njassae Viehmeyer , P. sculpturata Mayr , P. sculpturata areolata Forel , P. sculpturata berthoudi Forel , P. sculpturata dignata Santschi , P. sculpturata rhodesiana Forel , P. sculpturata welgelengensis Forel , P. sculpturata zambeziana Forel. Several probably undescribed morphospecies are located in the collections of BMNH, CASC and ZFMK.