Pheidole aberrans

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Pheidole aberrans
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Pheidole
Species group: aberrans
Species: P. aberrans
Binomial name
Pheidole aberrans
Mayr, 1868

Pheidole aberrans casent0178005 profile 1.jpg

Pheidole aberrans casent0178005 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen Label

Synonyms

Bruch (1916) describes typical nests of aberrans in San Luis Province, Argentina, as excavated in open ground, comprising a single conspicuous hole, surrounded by a ring of excavated soil, and leading to a succession of flat-bottomed chambers about 5 cm across and up to 2 cm high, which are connected by vertical galleries. Trager (unpublished specimen data) has collected Pheidole aberrans in cactus scrub, overgrazed pasture, a residential backyard, and on roadsides. (Wilson 2003)

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Recorded by Kempf (1972b) from Buenos Aires and San Luis provinces of Argentina north to Goiás and Pernambuco states in central Brazil. It has also been collected near Cuzco in Peru, and near Cochabamba, Bolivia (MCZ). (Wilson 2003)

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -9.4333° to -42.666°.

     
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Argentina (type locality), Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru.

Distribution based on AntMaps

AntMapLegend.png

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.
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Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.
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Biology

Castes

Worker

Minor

Images from AntWeb

Pheidole aberrans casent0178006 head 1.jpgPheidole aberrans casent0178006 profile 1.jpgPheidole aberrans casent0178006 dorsal 1.jpgPheidole aberrans casent0178006 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0178006. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by ALWC, Alex L. Wild Collection.

Major

Pheidole-aberrans-MCZ001H.jpg
.

Male

Images from AntWeb

Pheidole aberrans casent0178007 head 1.jpgPheidole aberrans casent0178007 profile 1.jpgPheidole aberrans casent0178007 dorsal 1.jpgPheidole aberrans casent0178007 profile 2.jpgPheidole aberrans casent0178007 profile 3.jpgPheidole aberrans casent0178007 label 1.jpg
Male (alate). Specimen code casent0178007. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by ALWC, Alex L. Wild Collection.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

  • aberrans. Pheidole aberrans Mayr, 1868b: 172 (s.w.) ARGENTINA. Emery, 1906c: 142 (q.); Forel, 1913l: 232 (m.). Combination in P. (Elasmopheidole): Forel, 1913k: 43. Senior synonym of diversiceps, fartilia, mutica: Wilson, 2003: 131. See also: Bruch, 1914: 219; Bruch, 1916: 312.
  • mutica. Pheidole aberrans var. mutica Emery, 1906c: 142, fig. 19 (s.) ARGENTINA. Combination in P. (Elasmopheidole): Emery, 1922e: 111. Junior synonym of aberrans: Wilson, 2003: 131.
  • fartilia. Pheidole (Elasmopheidole) aberrans var. fartilia Forel, 1913l: 233 (s.) ARGENTINA. Junior synonym of aberrans: Wilson, 2003: 131.
  • diversiceps. Pheidole (Elasmopheidole) aberrans var. diversiceps Santschi, 1916e: 374 (s.w.q.) ARGENTINA. Junior synonym of aberrans: Wilson, 2003: 131.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

From Wilson (2003): A member of the aberrans group, closest to Pheidole cavifrons, Pheidole longior, and Pheidole obnixa, distinguished as follows.

Major: frontal lobes seen from above bilaterally symmetrical, coming to a point an Eye Length from the anterior clypeal border; all of dorsal surface of head carinulate, except for a broad space posterior to the demarcating occipital carina; all pre-carina carinulae turnaway (laterad) as they approach the carina; pronotum in dorsal-oblique view very high above smaller but well-developed mesonotal convexity, and semicircular in outline; hypostoma 2-toothed; propodeal spines well developed.

Minor: promesonotal dorsum covered with semicircular carinulae; posterior dorsal surface of head smooth or partially carinulate; propodeal spines well developed.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Major (Tucumán): HW 1.40, HL 1.64, SL 0.56, EL 0.14, PW 0.86. Minor (Tucumán): HW 0.68, HL 0.70, SL 0.46, EL 0.10, PW 0.44.

COLOR Major: light reddish brown except for clypeus and edges of frontal lobes, which are plain medium brown.


Pheidole aberrans Wilson 2003.jpg

Figure. Upper: major. Lower: minor. ARGENTINA: Tucumán, col. N. Kusnezov. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Type Material

Buenos Aires, Argentina. col. P. de Strobel. Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Etymology

L aberrans, wandering, astray, with possible reference to unusual major head. (Wilson 2003)

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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