Pheidole caltrop

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

Pheidole caltrop casent0619558 p 1 high.jpg

Pheidole caltrop casent0619558 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

“From large thorns hollowed out on living tree” (A. E. Emerson, collection note 13 April 1935). (Wilson 2003)

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Known from Costa Rica and Panama.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 10.35° to 10.33333°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Costa Rica, Honduras, 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

Worker

Minor

Images from AntWeb

Pheidole caltrop casent0619559 h 1 high.jpgPheidole caltrop casent0619559 p 1 high.jpgPheidole caltrop casent0619559 d 1 high.jpgPheidole caltrop casent0619559 p 4 high.jpgPheidole caltrop casent0619559 l 1 high.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0619559. Photographer Jeremy Pilllow, uploaded by University of Utah. Owned by JTLC.

Major

Images from AntWeb

Pheidole caltrop casent0619558 p 4 high.jpg
Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0619558. Photographer Jeremy Pilllow, uploaded by University of Utah. Owned by JTLC.

Nomenclature

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

  • caltrop. Pheidole caltrop Wilson, 2003: 270, 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

A unique member of the fallax group characterized as follows.

Major: yellow; occiput, genae, and promesonotal dorsum rugoreticulate; large “sharkfin” protrusion on humerus extends beyond the boundaries of the rest of the pronotum when viewed from above; dorsum of postpetiolar node carinulate.

Minor: large “sharkfin” angle protrudes from humerus; all of body except gaster foveolate and opaque; very thin nuchal collar present.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.22, HL 1.18, SL 0.64, EL 0.14, PW 0.62. Paratype minor: HW 0.60, HL 0.66, SL 0.66, EL 0.10, PW 0.42.

COLOR Major: concolorous dark yellow.

Minor: concolorous medium yellow.


Pheidole caltrop Wilson 2003.jpg

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

Type Material

PANAMA: Barro Colorado Island, col. Alfred E. Emerson. Museum of Comparative Zoology

Etymology

ML caltrop, a four-pointed weapon placed on the ground to impede movement.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Adams B. J., S. A. Schnitzer, and S. P. Yanoviak. 2016. Trees as islands: canopy ant species richness increases with the size of liana-free trees in a Neotropical forest. Ecography doi: 10.1111/ecog.02608
  • Adams B. J., S. A. Schnitzer, and S. P. Yanoviak. 2019. Connectivity explains local ant community structure in a Neotropical forest canopy: a large-scale experimental approach. Ecology 100(6): e02673.