Pheidole cursor

Pheidole cursor
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Pheidole
Species:	P. cursor
Binomial name
Pheidole cursor Wilson, 2003 Specimen Labels

According to Stefan Cover (personal communication), cursor was common in both terra firme and seasonally flooded rainforest at Cuzco Amazónico, Peru, nesting in both small and large pieces of rotten wood on the forest floor. Colonies were monogynous and relatively small, containing fewer than 300 workers. The workers were predaceous, and no seed caches or other evidences of seed harvesting were found. (Wilson 2003)

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Pheidole fallax group

Distribution

From Wilson (2003): In addition to the types and numerous other series from Cuzco Amazónico, I have seen collections from Benjamin Constant, and Iraboca, near Belém, Amazonian Brazil, col. W. L. Brown.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 3.1° to -12.497473°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Brazil, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru (type locality).

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.

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.

Castes

Worker

Minor

Images from AntWeb

Paratype Pheidole cursor. Worker. Specimen code jtlc000016357. Photographer Jeremy Pilllow, uploaded by University of Utah.	Owned by MCZC.

Major

Images from AntWeb

Paratype Pheidole cursor. Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0627922. Photographer Jeremy Pilllow, uploaded by University of Utah.	Owned by MCZC.

Nomenclature

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

• cursor. Pheidole cursor Wilson, 2003: 281, figs. (s.w.) PERU.

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

Description

A very distinctive member of the fallax group recognizable by the following traits.

Major: posterior third of dorsal head profile lined with a dense carpet of very short, suberect hairs of about equal length; the occipital margin in full-face view lined with similar, subrecumbent hairs; a similar layer of short subrecumbent hairs lines the ventral profile of the first gastral sternite; nadir of occipital cleft deep; rugoreticulum on each side of head extends from eye to antennal fossa and frontal carina; humerus in dorsal-oblique view prominent above rest of pronotum; postpetiole seen from above diamond-shaped.

Minor: bicolored (see below); propodeal spine reduced to denticle; occiput constricted to a neck, with very broad nuchal collar.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.50, HL 1.56, SL 1.00, EL 0.22, PW 0.68. Paratype minor: HW 0.54, HL 0.74, SL 1.02, EL 0.16, PW 0.38.

COLOR Major: body and mandibles light reddish brown, legs reddish yellow.

Minor: bicolorous, with head medium brown, mesosoma light brown, and gaster and appendages dark yellow.

Paratype Specimen Labels

Type Material

Museum of Comparative Zoology

Type Locality Information

PERU: Cuzco Amazónico, 15 km northeast of Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, col. Stefan Cover and John E. Tobin.

Etymology

L cursor, runner.

References

• Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 281, fig. major, minor described)
• Albuquerque, E., Prado, L., Andrade-Silva, J., Siqueira, E., Sampaio, K., Alves, D., Brandão, C., Andrade, P., Feitosa, R., Koch, E., Delabie, J., Fernandes, I., Baccaro, F., Souza, J., Almeida, R., Silva, R. 2021. Ants of the State of Pará, Brazil: a historical and comprehensive dataset of a key biodiversity hotspot in the Amazon Basin. Zootaxa 5001, 1–83 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5001.1.1).
• Casadei-Ferreira, A., Fischer, G., Economo, E.P. 2020. Evidence for a thoracic crop in the workers of some Neotropical Pheidole species (Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Arthropod Structure, Development 59, 100977 (doi:10.1016/J.ASD.2020.100977).
• Franco, W., Ladino, N., Delabie, J.H.C., Dejean, A., Orivel, J., Fichaux, M., Groc, S., Leponce, M., Feitosa, R.M. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674, 509–543 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4674.5.2).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Delabie J. H. C., R. Céréghino, S. Groc, A. Dejean, M. Gibernau, B. Corbara, and A. Dejean. 2009. Ants as biological indicators of Wayana Amerindian land use in French Guiana. Comptes Rendus Biologies 332(7): 673-684.
• Franco W., N. Ladino, J. H. C. Delabie, A. Dejean, J. Orivel, M. Fichaux, S. Groc, M. Leponce, and R. M. Feitosa. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674(5): 509-543.