Pheidole descolei

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Pheidole descolei
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Pheidole
Species: P. descolei
Binomial name
Pheidole descolei
Kusnezov, 1952

Nothing is known about the biology of descolei.

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Known from Argentina and Brazil.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -26.808285° to -26.808285°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Argentina (type locality), Brazil.

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.

  • descolei. Pheidole descolei Kusnezov, 1952b: 76 (s.w.) ARGENTINA. See also: Wilson, 2003: 680.

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

Description

From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS A medium-sized, yellowish species of uncertain affinities.

Major: head moderately elongate, its anterior dorsal surface carinulate and with no rugoreticulum; pilosity sparse, nearly absent from margin of the head in full-face view; entire mesosoma and waist foveolate and opaque; humeri in dorsal-oblique view prominently raised and narrowly lobate; postpetiole from above elliptical.

Minor: occiput broad, lacking nuchal collar; entire head, mesosoma, and waist foveolate and opaque; pilosity sparse, largely absent from margin of head in full-face view.

The sparse pilosity in both castes may be due to decomposition.

MEASUREMENTS (rom) Major (Campo Limpo, Sao Paulo): HW lAO, HL 1.54, SL 0.66, EL 0.20, PW 0.68. Minor (Campo Limpo, Sao Paulo): HW 0.56, HL 0.62, SL 0.58, EL 0.10, PW 0.36.

COLOR Major: head and mandibles clear reddish yellow; meso soma brownish yellow; gaster medium brown; antennae and legs clear dark yellow.

Minor: head medium yellowish brown; mesosoma, waist, and appendages light yellowish brown; gaster medium brown.


Pheidole descolei Wilson 2003.jpg

Figure. Upper: major (Campo Limpo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; associated with minors that were compared with type minors). Lower: minor (Campo Limpo, Sao Paulo, compared with types, which are badly decomposed and fragmented). Scale bars = 1 mm.

Type Material

Apolimirio Saravia, Salta, Argentina. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo and Fundacion e Instituto Miguel Lillo - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Etymology

Eponymous. (Wilson 2003)

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Cuezzo, F. 1998. Formicidae. Chapter 42 in Morrone J.J., and S. Coscaron (dirs) Biodiversidad de artropodos argentinos: una perspectiva biotaxonomica Ediciones Sur, La Plata. Pages 452-462.
  • Kusnezov N. 1978. Hormigas argentinas: clave para su identificación. Miscelánea. Instituto Miguel Lillo 61:1-147 + 28 pl.