Pheidole amabilis

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Pheidole amabilis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Pheidole
Species: P. amabilis
Binomial name
Pheidole amabilis
Wilson, 2003

Pheidole amabilis inbiocri002279941 profile 1.jpg

Pheidole amabilis inbiocri002279941 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

According to Longino (1997), amabilis occurs in wet forest. Nests have been found in Cecropia sapling internodes, in foliar pouches of a myrmecophytic melastome, and in a dead stick in leaf litter. The colony in the dead stick was separated from a colony of Pheidole scrobifera by a plug of woody frass; fighting between the two species ensued when the plug was removed. (Wilson 2003)

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Reported from the Atlantic slope of Costa Rica to 1100 m. (Longino 1997).

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 16.974° to 10.33333°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Costa Rica (type locality), Mexico.

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 amabilis casent0610089 head 1.jpgPheidole amabilis casent0610089 profile 1.jpgPheidole amabilis casent0610089 dorsal 1.jpgPheidole amabilis casent0610089 profile 2.jpgPheidole amabilis casent0610089 label 1.jpg
Paratype Pheidole amabilisWorker. Specimen code casent0610089. Photographer J. Russ, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by INBC.

Major

Images from AntWeb

Pheidole amabilis inbiocri002279941 head 2.jpg
Holotype major Pheidole amabilisWorker (major/soldier). Specimen code inbiocri002279941. Photographer J. Russ, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by INBC.

Queen

Images from AntWeb

Pheidole amabilis casent0610090 head 1.jpgPheidole amabilis casent0610090 profile 1.jpgPheidole amabilis casent0610090 dorsal 1.jpgPheidole amabilis casent0610090 label 1.jpg
Paratype Pheidole amabilisQueen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0610090. Photographer J. Russ, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by INBC.

Nomenclature

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

  • amabilis. Pheidole amabilis Wilson, 2003: 369, figs. (s.w.) COSTA RICA.

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

Description

A medium-sized, concolorous yellow species whose major is distinguished by the slightly concave profile of the posterior half of the head capsule; also possessing a carpet of dense, evenly short, forward-projecting, subdecumbent (45°-angled from surface) hairs on the posterior half of the head and occiput; weak but distinct mesonotal convexity; and short, nearly vertical propodeal spines.

Similar to Pheidole angulifera, Pheidole boliviana, Pheidole crinita, Pheidole melastomae, Pheidole mixteca, Pheidole scitula, Pheidole terresi and Pheidole tysoni but readily distinguished by the above traits as well as by various differences in sculpture and color.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.94, HL 1.14, SL 0.52, EL 0.14, PW 0.48. Paratype minor: HW 0.60, HL 0.66, SL 0.60, EL 0.14, PW 0.36.

COLOR Major: concolorous medium yellow.

Minor: gaster dark yellow, rest of body medium yellow.


Pheidole amabilis Wilson 2003.jpg

Figure. Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Type Material

COSTA RICA: Rio Peñas Blancas, Alajuela, 10°19'N 84°42'W, 800 m, J. T. Longino. Museum of Comparative Zoology

Etymology

L amabilis, lovely.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics