Pheidole lucioccipitalis

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Pheidole lucioccipitalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Pheidole
Species: P. lucioccipitalis
Binomial name
Pheidole lucioccipitalis
Eguchi, 2001

Pheidole lucioccipitalis casent0901645 p 1 high.jpg

Pheidole lucioccipitalis casent0901645 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Heterick & Kitching (2022) collected this species in the canopy and on trunks within a lowland dipterocarp forest in Brunei.

Identification

Eguchi (2001) - This species is characterised among Indo-Chinese and Indo-Malayan congeners by a combination of the following characteristics: vertex and occipital lobe of the major smooth and shining; hypostoma of the major only with an indistinct median process (the process sometimes almost absent); promesonotal dome weakly or very weakly margined laterally, without any prominence on its posterior declivity in both the subcastes; petiole of the minor 1.7-1.9 times as long as postpetiole; occipital carina of the minor weak but complete.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Southern Malay Peninsula, Borneo and Sumatra.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 4.95° to 3.698055556°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Borneo (type locality), Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia.

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 lucioccipitalis casent0901644 h 1 high.jpgPheidole lucioccipitalis casent0901644 p 1 high.jpgPheidole lucioccipitalis casent0901644 d 1 high.jpgPheidole lucioccipitalis casent0901644 l 1 high.jpg
Paratype of Pheidole lucioccipitalisWorker. Specimen code casent0901644. Photographer Ryan Perry, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.
Pheidole lucioccipitalis casent0106275 h 1 high.jpgPheidole lucioccipitalis casent0106275 p 1 high.jpgPheidole lucioccipitalis casent0106275 d 1 high.jpgPheidole lucioccipitalis casent0106275 l 1 high.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0106275. Photographer Marek Borowiec, uploaded by UC Davis Ant Group. Owned by UCDC, Davis, CA, USA.
Pheidole lucioccipitalis casent0284033 h 1 high.jpgPheidole lucioccipitalis casent0284033 h 2 high.jpgPheidole lucioccipitalis casent0284033 p 1 high.jpgPheidole lucioccipitalis casent0284033 d 1 high.jpgPheidole lucioccipitalis casent0284033 l 1 high.jpg
Not ProvidedWorker. Specimen code casent0284033. Photographer Adam Lazarus, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by EPEC.

Nomenclature

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

  • lucioccipitalis. Pheidole lucioccipitalis Eguchi, 2001b: 73, fig. 26 (s.w.m.) BORNEO.

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

Description

Worker

Eguchi 2001. Figure 26.

Eguchi (2001) - Major (n=6): TL 2.4-2.5 mm, HL 1.06-1.14 mm, HW 1.02-1.08 mm, SL 0.55-0.61 mm, FL 0.75-0.80 mm, CI 94-96, SI 53-57, FI 72-76. Head broadest at 1/3-2/3 distance of head (as measured from the mid-point of a transverse line spanning the anteriormost and posteriormost projecting points, respectively) (Fig. 26A), in profile not impressed on vertex (Fig. 26B). Hypostoma with an indistinct median process (the process sometimes almost absent). Clypeus with a median longitudinal carina, with anterior margin emarginate medially. Eye situated at about 1/3 distance of head; distance between mandibular insertion and anterior margin of eye 1.5-1.8 times as long as maximal diameter of eye. Frontal carina inconspicuous, extending backward to at most 2/3 distance of head. Antennal scrobe present only around antennal insertion. Antenna with 3-segmented club; scape extending backward to 3/5-7/10 distance of head; terminal segment ca. 1.1 times as long as preceding two segments together. Masticatory margin of mandible with apical and preapical teeth, and a denticle in front of basal angle. Promesonotal dome without any prominence on its posterior declivity (Fig. 26C); dorsal portion of the dome occasionally bordered anterodorsally with 2-3 transverse rugulae, weakly margined laterally. Mesopleuron divided by a distinct transverse impression into two parts, of which lower part occasionally margined dorsally. Propodeal spine horn-like, straight, almost twice as long as diameter of propodeal spiracle. Petiole cuneiform, 1.7-1.8 times as long as postpetiole (excluding helcium); petiolar node high, in posterior view not or slightly emarginate at apex. Postpetiole in dorsal view subhexagonal, 1.8-2.1 times as broad as petiolar node.

Dorsal and lateral faces of head excluding vertex and occipital lobe longitudinally rugose; remainder of head smooth and shining; promesonotal dome smooth and shining; mesopleuron and lateral face of propodeum punctured and weakly shining; lateral faces of petiolar pedicel and postpetiole weakly punctured; dorsa of petiole and postpetiole, and gaster smooth and shining. Outer face of mandible sparsely covered with appressed hairs, which are 0.05-0.07 mm in length and almost as long as distance between piligerous punctures; submarginal zone of masticatory margin of mandible with a row of longer decumbent hairs. Body yellowish-brown to brown, with darker gaster (sometimes mandibles and clypeus also darker); legs a little lighter than alitrunk.

Minor (n=6): TL 1.6-1.8 mm, HL 0.50-0.53 mm, HW 0.44-0.48 mm, SL 0.55-0.59 mm, AL 0.71-0.78 mm, FL 0.58-0.65 mm, CI 86-89, SI 124-129, FI 131-142. Head in full-face view oval (Fig. 260); occipital carina weak but complete. Clypeus without a median longitudinal carina, with anterior margin in full-face view slightly convex or truncate medially. Eyes situated just in front of midlength of head; distance between mandibular insertion and anterior margin of eye 0.8-1.0 times as long as maximal diameter of eye. Frontal carina and antennal scrobe present only around antennal insertion. Antenna with 3-segmented club; scape extending beyond posterior border of head by its 1/4 length; terminal segment 1.0-1.1 times as long as preceding two segments together. Promesonotal dome without any prominence on its posterior declivity; dorsal portion of the dome relatively flat (Fig. 26E), very weakly margined laterally, bordered anteriorly with 1-2 transverse rugulae. Mesopleuron with a weak transverse impression. Propodeal spine elongatetriangular, ca. 1.5 times as long as diameter of propodeal spiracle. Petiole cuneiform, 1.7-1.9 times as long as postpetiole (excluding helcium); petiolar node in posterior view not emarginate at apex. Postpetiole ca. 1.7 times as broad as petiolar node.

Head including clypeus and promesonotum smooth and shining; mesopleuron and lateral face of propodeum punctured; lateral face of petiolar pedicel very weakly punctured; dorsum of petiole, and postpetiole and gaster smooth and shining. Body yellowish-brown with a little darker gaster; legs a little lighter than alitrunk.

Paratype Specimen Labels

Type Material

Eguchi (2001) - Holotype Major, colony: Eg96-BOR-292, Poring (500-550 malt.), Sabah, E. Malaysia (Borneo), K. Eguchi leg., 1996, deposited in Universiti Malaysia Sabah. Paratypes 7 majors, 11 minors and 4 males from the same colony to which the holotype belongs, deposited in The Natural History Museum, Museum Brunei, Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genoa, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève, Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Milano, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna and UMS.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Berghoff S.M., U. Maschwitz, and K.E. Linsemair. 2003. Hypogaeic and epigaeic ant diversity on Borneo: evaluation of baited sieve buckets as a study method. Tropical Zoology 16: 153-163.
  • Bruhl C.A. 2001. Leaf litter ant communities in tropical lowland rain forests in Sabah, Malaysia: effects of forest disturbance and fragmentation. PHD thesis Wurzburg Universitat, 168 pp.
  • Eguchi K. 2001. A revision of the Bornean species of the ant genus Pheidole (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Tropics Monograph Series 2: 1-154.
  • Eguchi K. 2003. A study on the male genitalia of some Asian species of Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae). Sociobiology 41: 317-355.
  • Hashimoto Y., Y. Morimoto, E. S. Widodo, and M. Mohamed. 2006. Vertical distribution pattern of ants in a Bornean tropical rainforest (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Sociobiology 47(3): 697- 710.
  • Helms J. A., S. M. Helms, N. I. Fawzi, Tarjudin, F. Xaverius. 2017. Ant community of an Acacia mangium forest in Indonesian Borneo. Serangga 22(1): 147-159.
  • Kishimoto-Yamata K., F. Hyodo, M. Matsuoka, Y. Hashimoto, M. Kon, T. Ochi, S. Yamane, R. Ishii, and T. Itioka. 2012. Effects of remnant primary forests on ant and dung beetle species diversity in a secondary forest in Sarawak, Malaysia. Journal of Insect Conservation DOI 10.1007/s10841-012-9544-6
  • Ohasi M., Y. Maekawa, Y. Hashimoto, Y. Takematsu, S. Hasin, and S. Yamane. 2017. CO2 emission from subterranean nests of ants and termites in a tropical rain forest in Sarawak, Malaysia. Applied Soil Ecology 117–118: 147–155.
  • Pfeiffer M., D. Mezger, and J. Dyckmans. 2013. Trophic ecology of tropical leaf litter ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) - a stable isotope study in four types of Bornean rain forest. Myrmecological News 19: 31-41.
  • Pfeiffer M., and D. Mezger. 2012. Biodiversity Assessment in Incomplete Inventories: Leaf Litter Ant Communities in Several Types of Bornean Rain Forest. PLoS ONE 7(7): e40729. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0040813
  • Pfeiffer M., and D. Mezger. 2012. Biodiversity Assessment in Incomplete Inventories: Leaf Litter Ant Communities in Several Types of Bornean Rain Forest. PLoS ONE 7(7): e40729. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041007
  • Pfeiffer M., and D. Mezger. 2012. Biodiversity Assessment in Incomplete Inventories: Leaf Litter Ant Communities in Several Types of Bornean Rain Forest. PLoS ONE 7(7): e40729. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041101
  • Pfeiffer M.; Mezger, D.; Hosoishi, S.; Bakhtiar, E. Y.; Kohout, R. J. 2011. The Formicidae of Borneo (Insecta: Hymenoptera): a preliminary species list. Asian Myrmecology 4:9-58