Pheidole hongkongensis

Pheidole hongkongensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Pheidole
Species:	P. hongkongensis
Binomial name
	Pheidole hongkongensis; Wheeler, W.M., 1928 Type Label

This species usually inhabit woody gardens, forest edges and sometimes open habitats, and nests in the soil (but rarely in rotting wood as in colony VN01-SKY-05).

Identification

Eguchi (2008) - This species is similar to Pheidole taipoana Wheeler, but well separated from the latter which has the following characteristics: head smooth entirely in the minor; longitudinal rugulae on frons weak in the major.

The minor of P. hongkongensis is similar to that of Pheidole planidorsum Eguchi. But in the major both impression on vertex in lateral view and concavity of posterior margin of head in full-face view are shallower in P. planidorsum than in P. hongkongensis. There is a certain possibility that P. planidorsum is just a variant of P. hongkongensis (see also Eguchi, Yamane & Zhou 2007).

Keys including this Species

Key to the Pheidole of North Vietnam

Distribution

Known from N. Vietnam, S. China and Thailand.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 22.1983° to 21.85805556°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: Laos, Thailand, Vietnam.
Palaearctic Region: China (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.

Biology

Castes

Nomenclature

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

hongkongensis. Pheidole rinae subsp. hongkongensis Wheeler, W.M. 1928c: 11 (s.w.q.) CHINA (Hong Kong). Raised to species: Zhou & Zheng, 1999: 87; Zhou, 2001b: 123; subspecies of rinae: Eguchi, 2001a: 23; revived status as species: Eguchi, Yamane & Zhou, 2007: 259. See also: Eguchi, 2008: 40.

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

Description

Worker

Eguchi (2008) - Major (n=7). — HL 0.96–1.11 mm; HW 0.82–0.93 mm; CI 84–87; SL 0.42–0.46 mm; SI 47–53; FL 0.57–0.65 mm; FI 68–71. Minor (n=9 for HL, HW, SL, CI and SI, but n=8 for FL and FI). — HL 0.48–0.53 mm; HW 0.44–0.50 mm; CI 88–96; SL 0.41–0.45 mm; SI 89–96; FL 0.43–0.50 mm; FI 99–107.

Major — Head in full-face view deeply concave posteromedially, in lateral view strongly impressed on vertex; frons and anterior part of vertex longitudinally rugose; posterior part of vertex rugose to reticulate; dorsum of vertexal lobe reticulate, or obliquely or transversely rugoso-reticulate; frontal carina weak but conspicuous, extending beyond midlength of head; antennal scrobe inconspicuous; clypeus without a median longitudinal carina; hypostoma with a conspicuous (or sometimes reduced) median process and conspicuous submedian processes in addition to conspicuous lateral processes; antenna with a 3-segmented club; maximal diameter of eye much longer than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome in dorsal view rugose transversely or rugoso-reticulate, in lateral view at most having an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope; humerus of the dome relatively well produced laterad; the dome at the humeri broader than at the bottom (but sometimes only a little broader than at the bottom). Petiole much longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole not massive. First gastral tergite weakly punctured around its articulation with postpetiole, and smooth or shagreened in the remainder.

Minor — Frons and vertex smooth to weakly punctured, overlain sparsely by weak londigudinal rugulae; median part of clypeus smooth and shining; the median longitudinal carina absent, or sometimes present but weak; preoccipital carina absent dorsally on head; antenna with a 3-segmented club; scape reaching or exceeding posterior margin of head at most by 1.5× length of antennal segment II; maximal diameter of eye as long as or longer than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome with sparse standing hairs, in lateral view relatively poorly convex or almost flat dorsally, often with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope; the mediodorsal part of the dome almost smooth to shagreened, usually overlain by several weak rugulae, or coarsely rugoso-reticulate; humerus in dorso-oblique view very weakly to weakly produced laterad; mesopleuron, metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum punctured; propodeal spine elongate-triangular. Petiole much longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole not massive.

Lectotype Specimen Labels

Type Material

Eguchi (2008) - Lectotype: major, “Hong Kong, Silvestri”, Museum of Comparative Zoology cotype-20668, examined; paralectotypes: 2 majors, 2 minors & 2 queens, same data as lectotype, MCZC cotype-20668, examined.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Chapman, J. W., and Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327
Eguchi K. 2001. A taxonomic study on Asian Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): new synonymy, rank changes, lectotype designations and redescriptions. Insecta Koreana 18: 1-35.
Eguchi K. 2008. A revision of Northern Vietnamese species of the ant genus Pheidole (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Zootaxa 1902: 1-118.
Eguchi K., S. Yamane, and S.Y. Zho. 2007. Taxonomic revision of the Pheidole rinae Emery complex. Sociobiology 50 (1): 275-284.
Eguchi K.; Bui T. V.; Yamane S. 2011. Generic synopsis of the Formicidae of Vietnam (Insecta: Hymenoptera), part I Myrmicinae and Pseudomyrmecinae. Zootaxa 2878: 1-61.
Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
Jaitrong W., B. Guenard, E. P. Economo, N. Buddhakala, and S. Yamane. 2016. A checklist of known ant species of Laos (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Asian Myrmecology 8: 1-32. DOI: 10.20362/am.008019
Jaitrong W.; Nabhitabhata, J. 2005. A list of known ant species of Thailand. The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal 1(1): 9-54.
Leong C. M., S. F. Shiao, and B. Guenard. 2017. Ants in the city, a preliminary checklist of Formicidae (Hymenoptera) in Macau, one of the most heavily urbanized regions of the world. Asian Myrmecology 9: e009014.
Li Z.h. 2006. List of Chinese Insects. Volume 4. Sun Yat-sen University Press
Liu C, B. Guénard, F Hita Garcia, S. Yamane, B. Blanchard, and E. Economo. New records of ant species from Yunnan, China. Submitted to Zookeys
Pan Y.S. 2007. Systematic Study on the Ant Genera Pheidole Westwood and Aphaenogaster Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formincidae : Myrmicinae) In China. Guangxi Normal University, Guangxi, China. 73 pages.
Wheeler W. M. 1928. Ants collected by Professor F. Silvestri in China. Bollettino del Laboratorio di Zoologia Generale e Agraria della Reale Scuola Superiore d'Agricoltura. Portici 22: 3-38.
Wheeler W. M. 1930. A list of the known Chinese ants. Peking Natural History Bulletin 5: 53-81.
Zhang W., G. Liu, P. Zhong, and S. Zhang. 2014. Investigation of Formicidae in Luofushan Mountain. Journal of Huizhou University 34(3): 46-50.
Zhang W., and S. Zhou. 2016. An investigation on Formicidae species of Nanling National Park. Journal of Huizhou University 36(3): 27-30.
Zhou S. Y., and Z. M. Zheng. 1999. Taxonomic study of the ant genus Pheidole Westwood from Guangxi, with descriptions of three new species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica 24: 83-88.
Zhou S.-Y. and Zheng Z. 1999. Taxonomic study of the ant genus Pheidole Westwood from Guangxi, with descriptions of three new species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica24(1): 83-88.