Anomma rubella

Smith, F., 1858, Catalogue of the hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae., London: British Museum : 199

3. Anomma rubella .

Anomma rubella, Savage , Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. iv. 196 [[worker]] (1850).

Hab. Africa (West Coast of the Gaboon River).

At page 200 of the Proceedings of the Academy is a paper, which suggests the identity of Anomma with Dorylus ; this is founded on the fact of Dr. Savage having found specimens of Dorylus in company with Anomma rubella ; and in a small phial forwarded to the Society, containing the Anomma , were three spe- cimens of Dorylus planiceps , which Dr. Savage considers to he the perfect insect. Notwithstanding this opinion and the details which follow, I must state my doubts of there being any con- nexion between these insects; they were not found together in a nest, but on the ground; and I am at present ignorant of any such disparity in size, or even an approach to it, occurring in the whole group of the Formicidae, more particularly between males and workers. I must add, that I do not consider the evidence suffi- cient: I should certainly expect to find the male possessing the same number of joints in the palpi as the worker, which in this case is not so: Anomma has 2 joints in both the labial and max- illary palpi; in Dorylus I can only discover 1 labial and 2 max- illary joints. In India, where Dorylus is common, Anomma has not been discovered. Should, however, the opinion of Dr. Savage prove to be correct, we may reasonably expect that Labidus may prove to be the male of Eciton . I think it is more probably its parasite.