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Pheidole distorta
| Pheidole distorta | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Attini |
| Genus: | Pheidole |
| Species: | P. distorta |
| Binomial name | |
| Pheidole distorta Forel, 1899
| |
Nothing is known about the biology of distorta.
Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Known only from Magdalena, northern Colombia. (Wilson 2003)
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 11.242° to 11.242°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Colombia (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. |
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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
   
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| Syntype of Pheidole distorta. Worker. Specimen code casent0901583. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by NHMUK, London, UK. |
   
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| Syntype of Pheidole distorta. Worker. Specimen code casent0908310. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland. |
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- distorta. Pheidole distorta Forel, 1899c: 74 (footnote) (s.w.) COLOMBIA. Combination in P. (Trachypheidole): Emery, 1915i: 190. See also: Wilson, 2003: 253.
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): A bizarre member of the distorta group, closest to Pheidole monstrosa, Pheidole reclusi and Pheidole scapulata, distinguished from these and other species in the group by the absence of propodeal spines and, in the major, by an extreme bulging, “humpback” promesonotal profile, with the mesonotum descending to the basal propodeal face by a long vertical plane. Also remarkable in the contrast between the heavily sculptured major, with the dorsa of the head and promesonotum rugoreticulum, and the entirely smooth and shiny minor.
MEASUREMENTS (mm) Major (Parque Tayrona, Colombia): HW 1.16, HL 1.36, SL 0.56, EL 0.14, PW 0.82. Minor (Parque Tayrona): HW 0.60, HL 0.60, SL 0.56, EL 0.12, PW 0.38.
COLOR Major: body concolorous dark reddish brown except for gaster, which is blackish brown.
Minor: body concolorous medium reddish brown except for gaster, which is blackish brown; mandibles yellow.
Figure. Upper: major. Lower: minor. COLOMBIA: Parque Tayrona, Magdalena. (Minor compared with syntype in Forel Collection, Mus. Hist. Nat. Genève.) Scale bars = 1 mm.
Type Material
Santa Marta, Magdalena. Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève - as reported in Wilson (2003)
Etymology
L distorta, misshapen, deformed. (Wilson 2003)
References
- Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 253, fig. major, minor described)
- Emery, C. 1915g. Noms de sous-genres et de genres proposés pour la sous-famille des Myrmicinae. Modifications à la classification de ce groupe (Hymenoptera Formicidae). Bull. Soc. Entomol. Fr. 1915: 189-192 (page 190, Combination in P. (Trachypheidole))
- Forel, A. 1899e. Formicidae. [part]. Biol. Cent.-Am. Hym. 3: 57-80 (page 74, soldier, worker 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).
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).