Pheidole perissothrix

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Pheidole perissothrix
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Pheidole
Species: P. perissothrix
Binomial name
Pheidole perissothrix
Longino, 2019

Pheidole perissothrix CASENT0611573 p.jpg

Pheidole perissothrix CASENT0611573 d.jpg

Holotype Labels

This species occurs in lowland wet to dry forest, typically in second growth areas. It is known mostly from Winkler samples of sifted litter and rotten wood. It occurs rarely at ground baits. Two collections from northwestern Costa Rica are a worker from a pitfall trip and a dealate queen from a Malaise trap.

Identification

Minor: face uniformly foveolate; promesonotal groove absent; entire mesosoma foveolate; propodeal spines about one third length of posterior face of propodeum; gaster smooth and shining; setae on face and dorsal mesosoma short, curved; setae on gastral dorsum short, decumbent, often minutely branched (typically trifid); tibiae without erect setae; color orange yellow.

Major: inner hypostomal teeth distinct, closely spaced; scape base terete; face with shallow antennal scrobes, dorsal margin delimited by extension of frontal carinae, ventral margin indistinct; face with subparallel, well-spaced, longitudinal carinae extending to vertex margin, interspaces smooth and shiny or with faint microsculpture; propodeal spines about one quarter length of posterior face of propodeum; gastral dorsum smooth and shining; pilosity on sides of head short, decumbent, other pilosity similar to minor worker.

Measurements, minor worker: HW 0.43, HL 0.47, SL 0.41, EL 0.08, WL 0.46, PSL 0.04, PTW 0.09, PPW 0.11, CI 91, SI 97, PSLI 9, PPI 128 (n=2).

Measurements, major worker: HW 0.72, HL 0.74, SL 0.43, EL 0.11, WL 0.60, PSL 0.05, PTW 0.13, PPW 0.21, CI 97, SI 60, PSLI 6, PPI 154 (n=2).

Pheidole perissothrix in habitus is very similar to Pheidole glomericeps and Pheidole flavens, and it could easily be misidentified as these more common species. It differs in the distinctive short, curved, and often branched pilosity. Other "flavens" type species (Pheidole exigua, Pheidole flavens, Pheidole glomericeps, Pheidole moerens, Pheidole navigans) have typical pilosity, which is longer, less curved, and suberect. COI barcoding on BOLD clusters two specimens from northwestern Costa Rica with a specimen from the Caribbean coast of Honduras. The image of a headless worker on BOLD matches the morphological features described above. The COI cluster is isolated in Pheidole and is not near P. flavens or P. glomericeps.

Distribution

Guatemala to Costa Rica.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 15.51133° to 15.41274°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Costa Rica, Guatemala (type locality), Honduras, Nicaragua.

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 perissothrix CASENT0611576 h.jpgPheidole perissothrix CASENT0611576 p.jpgPheidole perissothrix CASENT0611576 d.jpgPheidole perissothrix CASENT0611576 l.jpg
Paratype Minor. Specimen code CASENT0611576. Photographer Michele Esposito.

Nomenclature

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

  • perissothrix. Pheidole perissothrix Longino, 2019: 53, fig. 9 (w.) GUATEMALA.

Type Material

  • HOLOTYPE: 1 major worker, Guatemala, Izabal: 16km ESE Morales, 15.41764 -88.69683 ±70 m, 410 m, 19-May-2009, 2º lowland rainforest, ex sifted leaf litter (LLAMA, Wm-B-04-2-09) [MCZC, unique specimen identifier CASENT0611573].
  • PARATYPES: major, minor workers: same data as holotype [CAS, MCZC]; same data except 15.41274 -88.71023 ±27 m, 415 m (Wm-B-04-2-05) [DZUP, USNM]; 5km NW Morales, 15.51133 -88.86185 ±35 m, 195 m, 18-May-2009, 2º lowland rainforest, ex sifted leaf litter (LLAMA, Wm-B-04-1-04) [JTLC, UVGC].

Description

Etymology

In reference to the unusual setae.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Longino J. T. 2019. Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Middle American wet forest. Zootaxa 4599: 1-126