Pheidole gigas

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

The type colony was collected in cerrado, or tropical savanna. A seed cache was found in the nest. (Wilson 2003)

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Pheidole fallax group
• Key to Pheidole pilifera group

Distribution

From Wilson (2003): Known only from the type locality and from Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, col J. C. Trager.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 5.266667° to -29.7°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Brazil (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

Images from AntWeb

Paratype Pheidole gigas. Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code jtlc000016388. 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.

• gigas. Pheidole gigas Wilson, 2003: 293, figs. (s.w.) BRAZIL.

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

Description

A large member of the fallax group most similar to Pheidole obscurithorax of Argentina (and exotic in the southern U. S.), and somewhat less so to the Pheidole fallax, Pheidole jelskii and Pheidole puttemansi, differing as follows.

Major: robust; hypostoma 2-toothed; entire head heavily sculptured, with genae, venter, and broad median strip (including frontal lobes) longitudinally carinulate and most of the remainder, from genae to occiput, rugoreticulate; most of pronotal and propodeal dorsa transversely carinulate; anterior strip of first gastral tergite shagreened; promesonotal convexity in dorsal-oblique view strongly lobose and directed posteriorly; petiolar peduncle very thick, petiolar node low; postpetiole laterally angulate, scape broadened at insertion.

Minor: occiput narrow, with nuchal collar; head and pronotum shiny; propodeal spines reduced to denticles.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 2.00, HL 1.96, SL 1.06, EL 0.24, PW 0.94. Paratype minor: HW 0.60, HL 0.80, SL 1.00, EL 0.16, PW 0.46.

COLOR Major: gaster and postpetiole dark reddish brown, rest of body medium reddish brown. Minor: gaster dark reddish brown, rest of body light to medium reddish brown.

Figure. Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Type Material

BRAZIL: Mun. Anápolis, km 46 on road to Goiania, Goiás, col. William L. and Doris E. Brown. Museum of Comparative Zoology

Etymology

L gigas, giant.

References

• Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 293, 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).
• 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

• 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.
• Groc S., J. H. C. Delabie, F. Fernandez, F. Petitclerc, B. Corbara, M. Leponce, R. Cereghino, and A. Dejean. 2017. Litter-dwelling ants as bioindicators to gauge the sustainability of small arboreal monocultures embedded in the Amazonian rainforest. Ecological Indicators 82: 43-49.