Pheidole exarata

Pheidole exarata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Pheidole
Species:	P. exarata
Binomial name
Pheidole exarata Emery, 1896 Specimen labels
Synonyms
Pheidole crassipes grantae Forel, 1908

Pheidole exarata occurs in mature wet forest habitats from 800–1600m elevation. It is arboreal, forming large colonies beneath epiphytes and in live stems. An incipient colony was found in a cavity in a live, 1.5cm diameter stem of a melastomataceous vine; a colony was found in several internodes of a Cecropia insignis sapling, another in an internode of Cecropia angustifolia; a large aggregation of minor and major workers, but no sexuals or brood, was found in a clean hollow stem of Neomirandea angularis (Asteraceae). One colony under epiphytes was observed with multiple dealate queens, evidence of polygyny. (Longino 2009)

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Pheidole tristis group

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 13.1068996° to 10.23617°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Colombia, Costa Rica (type locality), Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela.

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

Syntype Pheidole grantae. Worker. Specimen code jtlc000014081. Photographer John T. Longino, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MHNG.

Nomenclature

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

• exarata. Pheidole exarata Emery, 1896g: 68 (s.w.) COSTA RICA. Senior synonym of grantae: Longino, 2009: 31. See also: Wilson, 2003: 686.
• grantae. Pheidole crassipes r. grantae Forel, 1908b: 53 (s.w.) COSTA RICA. Raised to species: Wheeler, 2003: 700. Junior synonym of exarata: Longino, 2009: 31.

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

The types of P. grantae closely match the drawings of P. exarata in Wilson (2003), the type localities are relatively close, and there is no evidence of distinct sympatric forms of this moderately common species in the central highlands of Costa Rica. Pheidole exarata is an upland version of the closely related lowland species, Pheidole excubitor. A third member of this complex is Pheidole stulta (the oldest name in the complex). Pheidole stulta is similar to P. exubitor but with less sculpture on the face of the major and pronotum of the minor (Wilson 2003). Geographic variation is not well understood in these forms and the distinctness of P. exarata, P. exubitor and P. stulta should be further evaluated. (Longino 2009)

Description

From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS A large, medium brown (major) or plain light brown (minor) member of the tristis group with small propodeal spines, possessing as well a subpostpetiolar process and bell-shaped postpetiolar node.

Major: all of dorsal head surface covered by parallel longitudinal carinulae; and pronotal dorsum by transverse carinulae.

Minor: occiput broad, lacking a nuchal collar; all of dorsal surface of head and mesosoma foveolate and opaque.

Similar to Pheidole alpinensis, Pheidole excubitor, Pheidole germaini, Pheidole grandinodus, Pheidole obrima, Pheidole rogeri, Pheidole stulta, Pheidole tristis and Pheidole zoster, differing in many details of body form, sculpturing, and pilosity, as illustrated, and in color, as described.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.60, HL l.78, SL 0.86, EL 0.20, PW 0.80. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.80, HL 0.86, SL 0.78, EL 0.14, PW 0.50.

COLOR Major: concolorous medium reddish brown.

Minor: concolorous plain light brown.

Figure. Upper: lectotype, major. Lower: paralectotype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Type Material

Longino (2009):

Syntype major, minor worker: Costa Rica, San José: San José Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genoa (not examined). See also: Wilson, 2003: 686.

Pheidole crassipes r. grantae Syntype major, minor worker: Costa Rica, Cartago: Cote Tablazo [a montane site near Cartago] (Biolley) Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève (examined).

Etymology

Unknown.

References

• Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 686, fig. major, minor described)
• Emery, C. 1896g. Studi sulle formiche della fauna neotropica. XVII-XXV. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 28: 33-107 (page 68, soldier, worker described)
• Longino, J.T. 2009. Additions to the taxonomy of New World Pheidole. Zootaxa 2181: 1-90. PDF
• Vázquez-Franco, C.M., Morrone, J.J. 2022. The genus Pheidole (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) in Puebla, Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 93: e933820 (doi:10.22201/ib.20078706e.2022.93.3820).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Emery C. 1896. Studi sulle formiche della fauna neotropica. XVII-XXV. Bullettino della Società Entomologica Italiana 28: 33-107.
• Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
• Forel A. 1908. Fourmis de Costa-Rica récoltées par M. Paul Biolley. Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles 44: 35-72.
• Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
• 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/
• Schonberg, L.A., J.T. Longino, N.M. Nadkarni and S.P. Yanoviak. 2004. Arboreal Ant Species Richness in Primary Forest, Secondary Forest, and Pasture Habitats of a Tropical Montane Landscape. Biotropica 36(3):402-409.