Aenictus philippinensis

Chapman (1963) - "[The workers discovered at 3600 feet] came from a hole in the ground, climbed up a nearby stump, and spent the next hour in which they were observed building a living pyramid in the center of the stump. Some tried to build out from the edge of the stump in a horizontal direction. The next morning I dug around the hole from which they had come, but I found no trace of their bivouac." [Wilson adds..this was on July 29 and 30, 1942, while Dr. Chapman was in the Horns of Negros hiding from the Japanese occupation troops; see his account of this remarkable adventure in the book Escape to the Hills, by James and Ethel Chapman]

Identification
A member of the pachycerus group.

Key to Aenictus species groups

Distribution
This taxon was described from Philippines.

Nomenclature

 *  philippinensis. Aenictus (Aenictus) philippinensis Chapman, 1963: 247, fig. 1 (w.) PHILIPPINES. See also: Wilson, 1964a: 473; Jaitrong & Yamane, 2012: 70.

Worker
Wilson (1964) - Syntypes: Worker chosen at random: HW 0.78 mm, HL 0.83 mm, SL 0.61 mm; HW of long series of additional workers, 0.79-0.84 mm. Antenna 10-segmented. Mandibles typical. Clypeus rounded, entire, unarmed. Parafrontal ridge indistinct but 0.28 mm long. Occiput straight, lacking collar. Mesonotum demarcated from mesopleuron by a conspicuous ridge; a striking character shared within the genus only by the Philippine species rabori Chapman. Metanotum strongly impressed. Basal face of propodeum convex. Propodeal junction right-angular. Subpetiolar process a low, inconspicuous, forward-directed lobe. Pilosity less abundant and shorter than in the related pachycerus; length of longest pronotal hairs only 0.25 mm.

Cephalic and mesosomal sculpturing similar to that of pachycerus (q. v.). Postpetiolar dorsum feebly shining; remainder of pedicel microreticulate and opaque. Concolorous medium reddish brown.

Type Material
Type locality: Horns of Negros, 450 and 1080 m, Negros, Philippines.