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 Author FISCHER, GEORG. Systematic Zoology, Zoological Research Museum A. König, Adenaueralle 160, D- 53113 Bonn, Germany georg.fischer@gmx.de Author GARCIA, FRANCISCO HITA Entomology, California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118, U. S. A. Author PETERS, MARCELL K. Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, D- 97074 Würzburg, Germany text Zootaxa 2012 2012-03-13 3232 1 1 43 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3232.1.1 journal article 45253 10.11646/zootaxa.3232.1.1 e51f5db9-0fae-41c9-97c3-f5cee298cc0d 1175-5326 280354 P. nigeriensis group: Very small species (minor worker HW: 0.41–0.56 mm , n=60), with short scapes and legs (SI: 90–114, FI: 95–122). Minor workers: posterior head margin straight to weakly concave and eyes small with a maximum of six ommatidia in the longest row. Promesonotal dome well-rounded to slightly angulate in profile view, propodeum, spines and postpetiole relatively short. Postpetiole not higher than petiolar node and without ventral process. Major worker: head longer than wide, very large compared to the rest of the body, anteriorly weakly longitudinally rugulose. Upper half of head mostly smooth (similar to megacephala group), inner hypstomal teeth well-developed to relatively large. Mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole similar to minor workers. The group contains Pheidole nigeriensis Santschi and several morphospecies collected from different localities.