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Pheidole arachnion
| Pheidole arachnion | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Attini |
| Genus: | Pheidole |
| Species: | P. arachnion |
| Binomial name | |
| Pheidole arachnion Wilson, 2003
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| Synonyms | |
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Workers, minors and majors, can be moderately abundant in Winkler or Berlese samples of forest floor litter but are rarely collected at baits. The lack of occurrence at baits suggests largely nocturnal foraging or foraging restricted to areas beneath litter or in rotten wood. One nest is known, from rotten wood on the forest floor. (Longino 2009)
Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 13.7695496° to 8.407045°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Costa Rica (type locality), Nicaragua.
Distribution based on AntMaps
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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Habitat
This species occurs in wet forest habitats, from sea level to 1100m elevation.
Biology
Castes
Worker
Minor
Images from AntWeb
    
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| Worker. Specimen code inbiocri001253863. Photographer J. Russ, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by JTLC. |
Major
Images from AntWeb
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| Specimen code inbiocri001253864. . | |
Queen
   
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Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- arachnion. Pheidole arachnion Wilson, 2003: 656, figs. (s.w.) COSTA RICA. Senior synonym of iradunca: Longino, 2009: 13.
- iracunda. Pheidole iracunda Wilson, 2003: 712, figs. (s.w.) COSTA RICA. Junior synonym of arachnion: Longino, 2009: 13.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
DIAGNOSIS A member of the tristis group characterized by the following combination of traits.
Major: dark reddish brown; sides of head covered by loose rugoreticulum (i.e. with large interspaces); humeri and postpetiolar nodes seen from above comulate (hom-shaped); lacking any trace of antennal scrobes.
Minor: propodeal spine reduced to an obtuse angle; body entirely smooth and shiny except for several carinulae on anterior half of dorsal surface of head, one of which loops on each side of the head in a semicircle from the end of the frontal lobe to the anterior clypeal border; a thin nuchal collar present.
Very similar to Pheidole iracunda, also of Costa Rica, but differing in details in the characters as listed and illustrated.
MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.80, HL 1.98, SL 0.76, EL 0.18, PW 0.90. Paratype minor: HW 0.60, HL 0.62, SL 0.74, EL 0.10, PW 0.40.
COLOR Major: body and mandibles dark reddish brown, other appendages light reddish brown. Minor: body plain medium brown, appendages brownish yellow.
Figure. Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.
Type Material
COSTA RICA: Rio Reventazon, 3-5 km east of Turrialba, Cartago, col. William L. Brown. Museum of Comparative Zoology
Longino (2009) - Pheidole iracunda Wilson, 2003: 712, figs. Holotype major worker and associated paratype minor worker: Costa Rica, Prov. Heredia, La Selva Biological Station (Cover, Moffett, Tobin) MCZ (examined).
Etymology
Gr arachnion, cobweb, alluding to the loose rugoreticulum on the head of the major.
References
- Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 656, fig. major, minor described)
- Guerrero, R.J., García, E., Fernández, F. 2022. The Pheidole Westwood, 1839 ants (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) in Colombia: new records including two species with remarkable morphology. Zootaxa 5154 (3): 319-332 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5154.3.5).
- Longino, J.T. 2009. Additions to the taxonomy of New World Pheidole. Zootaxa 2181: 1-90. PDF
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Longino J. T. 2009. Additions to the taxonomy of New World Pheidole (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 2181: 1-90.
- Longino J. T. L., and M. G. Branstetter. 2018. The truncated bell: an enigmatic but pervasive elevational diversity pattern in Middle American ants. Ecography 41: 1-12.
- Longino J. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/