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Pheidole gagates
| Pheidole gagates | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Attini |
| Genus: | Pheidole |
| Species: | P. gagates |
| Binomial name | |
| Pheidole gagates Wilson, 2003 | |
At Cuzco Amazónico, Peru, Cover and Tobin found colonies nesting in small rotten tree branches lying in leaf litter on the floor of rainforest. (Wilson 2003)
Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Known from the type locality and from Yasuni National Park, Puerto Tipugini, Ecuador. (Wilson 2003)
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: -0.6258° to -12.56903°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Ecuador, 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. |
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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
Images from AntWeb
 
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| Paratype Pheidole gagates. Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code jtlc000016381. Photographer Skyler Oswald, 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.
- gagates. Pheidole gagates Wilson, 2003: 192, 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
Distinguished within the diligens group by the following set of traits.
Major: body concolorous blackish brown; pilosity extremely sparse, and completely absent from the mesosoma and waist; mesosomal convexity low, especially in dorsal-oblique view; postpetiolar node bell-shaped; patches of rugoreticulum present just mesad to the eyes; carinulae limited to lateral margins of the frontal lobes and sides of head anterior to the posterior margins of the eyes.
Minor: body concolorous blackish brown; occiput narrow, with nuchal collar; sculpturing very sparse, limited to circular carinae around the antennal fossae and patches of foveolation as illustrated.
See also Pheidole anima, Pheidole diligens, Pheidole insipida, Pheidole nubila, Pheidole piceonigra, Pheidole radoszkowskii, Pheidole stigma, Pheidole triconstricta, Pheidole venatrix and Pheidole zelata.
MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.92, HL 0.96, SL 0.62, EL 0.16, PW 0.50. Paratype minor: HW 0.46, HL 0.56, SL 0.68, EL 0.12, PW 0.32.
COLOR See description above in Diagnosis.
Figure. Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.
Type Material
PERU: Cuzco Amazónico, 15 km northeast of Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, col. Stefan Cover and John E. Tobin. Museum of Comparative Zoology
Etymology
Gr gagates, jet (black), referring to the color of the workers.
References
- Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 192, fig. major, minor described)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Donoso D. (personal communication, database containing the species by locality info included the catalogue of Ecuadorian ants to be published at Sociobiology 2015)
- Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.