Pheidole alacris

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Pheidole alacris
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Pheidole
Species: P. alacris
Binomial name
Pheidole alacris
Santschi, 1923

Pheidole alacris casent0913319 p 1 high.jpg

Pheidole alacris casent0913319 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Synonyms

This species is only known from type specimens. Nothing is known about its biology.

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Only known from the type locality.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -27.331° to -31.736°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Argentina (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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 alacris casent0913320 h 1 high.jpgPheidole alacris casent0913320 p 1 high.jpgPheidole alacris casent0913320 d 1 high.jpgPheidole alacris casent0913320 l 1 high.jpg
Paralectotype of Pheidole alacrisWorker. Specimen code casent0913320. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMB, Basel, Switzerland.
Pheidole alacris casent0913322 h 1 high.jpgPheidole alacris casent0913322 p 1 high.jpgPheidole alacris casent0913322 d 1 high.jpgPheidole alacris casent0913322 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Pheidole flavens mediorubraWorker. Specimen code casent0913322. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMB, Basel, Switzerland.

Major

Images from AntWeb

Pheidole alacris casent0913321 h 1 high.jpgPheidole alacris casent0913321 p 1 high.jpgPheidole alacris casent0913321 d 1 high.jpgPheidole alacris casent0913321 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Pheidole flavens mediorubraWorker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0913321. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMB, Basel, Switzerland.

Nomenclature

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

  • alacris. Pheidole flavens st. alacris Santschi, 1923d: 61 (s.w.) ARGENTINA. Raised to species and senior synonym of mediorubra: Wilson, 2003: 366.
  • mediorubra. Pheidole flavens var. mediorubra Santschi, 1933e: 107 (s.w.) ARGENTINA. Junior synonym of alacris: Wilson, 2003: 366.

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): Similar in various traits to Pheidole atticola, Pheidole dinophila, Pheidole hazenae, Pheidole lucaris and Pheidole ulothrix, distinguished as follows.

Major: brown, with yellow legs; entire dorsum of head except for frontal triangle and midclypeus carinulate; anterior third of pronotal dorsum covered by broken transverse carinulae; all of dorsal surface of head and all of mesosoma foveolate; in side view mesonotal convexity present, although very low; postpetiole seen from above elliptical.

Minor: eye set well forward on head; propodeal spine equilaterally triangular; all of head and mesosoma foveolate; occiput narrowed somewhat, its margin straight; nuchal collar absent.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Lectotype major: HW 0.94, HL 0.96, SL 0.52, EL 0.12, PW 0.50. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.42, HL 0.48, SL 0.42, EL 0.08, PW 0.28.

COLOR Major: body and mandibles medium brown; other appendages dark yellow.

Minor: concolorous light brown.


Pheidole alacris Wilson 2003.jpg

Figure. Upper: lectotype, major. Lower: paralectotype, minor.

Type Material

ARGENTINA: Estación Sosa, Entre Rios. Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Etymology

L alacris, active, eager.

References

  • Santschi, F. 1923d. Pheidole et quelques autres fourmis néotropiques. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 63: 45-69 (page 61, soldier, worker described)
  • Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 366, Raised to species; senior synonym of flavens mediorubra; fig. major, minor described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Cuezzo, F. 1998. Formicidae. Chapter 42 in Morrone J.J., and S. Coscaron (dirs) Biodiversidad de artropodos argentinos: una perspectiva biotaxonomica Ediciones Sur, La Plata. Pages 452-462.
  • Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
  • Santschi F. 1933. Fourmis de la République Argentine en particulier du territoire de Misiones. Anales de la Sociedad Cientifica Argentina. 116: 105-124.
  • Vittar, F. 2008. Hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de la Mesopotamia Argentina. INSUGEO Miscelania 17(2):447-466