Pheidole pilispina

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Pheidole pilispina
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Pheidole
Species: P. pilispina
Binomial name
Pheidole pilispina
Wilson, 2003

Nothing is known about the biology of pilispina.

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Known from the type locality and Barro Colorado Island, Panama. (Wilson 2003)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Panama (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

Nomenclature

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

  • pilispina. Pheidole pilispina Wilson, 2003: 733, figs. (s.w.) PANAMA.

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

Description

DIAGNOSIS Similar to Pheidole pidax of Colombia, distinguished from it and other Pheidole as follows.

Major: yellow; humerus very prominent, in dorsal-oblique view extending from rest of promesonotal profile as a large equilateral triangle; in full-face view occiput much broader than clypeus, and occipital cleft shallow, giving entire head a wedge shape; rugoreticulum extensive from eye to antennal fossa posterior to frontal carina on each side of head; rest of dorsal surface of head carinulate, except for frontal triangle and mid-clypeus; all of mesosoma and waist foveolate; lateral corners of genae in full-face view right-angulate; postpetiole from above oval.

Minor: humeri bluntly spinose, with a long seta emerging form the apex of each; occiput narrow and with a nuchal collar; all of head, mesosoma, and waist foveolate to varying degree; pilosity sparse.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.06, HL 1.12, SL 0.60, EL 0.12, PW 0.54. Paratype minor: HW 0.56, HL 0.60, SL 0.64, EL 0.10, PW 0.40.

COLOR Major and minor: concolorous medium yellow.


Pheidole pilispina Wilson 2003.jpg

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

Type Material

PANAMA: Nusagandi, San Blas, col. Leeanne Tennant-Alonso. Museum of Comparative Zoology

Etymology

L pilispina, hairy spine, alluding to the long setae on apices of humeri in minor caste.

References