Pheidole indosinensis

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

This species seemingly prefers woody habitats. Majors serve as repletes (Eguchi 2008).

At a Glance

• Replete Workers

Identification

This species is characterized among Indo-Chinese species by a combination of the following characteristics:

in the major dorsal and lateral faces of vertexal lobe rugoso-reticulate or reticulate
in the major frontal carina relatively well developed
in the minor preoccipital carina conspicuous dorsally and laterally
in the major submedian processes of hypostoma well developed
in the major posterior slope of promesonotal dome with a low prominence/mound
in the major and minor petiole longer than postpetiole

This species is similar to Pheidole elongicephala and Pheidole ochracea. However, in the major of the latter two vertexal lobes in full-face view relatively close to each other; and submedian processes of hypostoma is usually (but not always) very small or inconspicuous. (Eguchi 2008)

Keys including this Species

Key to the Pheidole of North Vietnam

Distribution

Known from N. Vietnam and S. China.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 24.913791° to 24.913791°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: 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.

indosinensis. Pheidole sulcaticeps subsp. indosinensis Wheeler, W.M. 1928c: 10 (s.w.) CHINA. [P. sulcaticeps subsp. indosinensis Wheeler, W.M. 1927h: 87. Nomen nudum.] Raised to species: Eguchi, 2008: 43.

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

Eguchi (2008) - I was unable to find the type material of the nominotypical taxon of Pheidole sulcaticeps Roger in a possible depository (Zoologisches Museum an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin). According to its original description (Roger, 1863a: 193–194) head of the major is in lateral view strongly impressed at the posterior 1/3 of its dorsum, and dorsum of “mesonotum [= a mound (prominence) on the posterior slope of promesonotal dome]” of the minor is in lateral view horizontal at the begining. These characteristics are not seen in P. sulcaticeps subsp. indosinensis which I recognised based on my examination of the type material of the subspecies. Thus, I here conclude that the two forms are different from each other at the species level, and raise the subspecies indosinensis to the species rank.

Description

Worker

Eguchi (2008) - Major (n=5). — HL 1.65–1.80 mm; HW 1.58–1.78 mm; CI 94–99; SL 0.91–0.99 mm; SI 55–59; FL 1.27–1.36 mm; FI 76–84. Minor (n=5). — HL 0.70–0.78 mm; HW 0.59–0.67 mm; CI 83–86; SL 0.87–0.96 mm; SI 143–149; FL 0.89–1.00 mm; FI 149–157.

Major — Body deep yellowish-brown with paler appendages. Head in lateral view not or hardly impressed on vertex; vertexal lobes in full-face view relatively widely separated from each other; frons and anterior part of vertex rugose longitudinally-obliquely; posterior part of vertex and dorsal and dorsolateral faces of vertexal lobe rugoso-reticulate or reticulate; median longitudinal carina of clypeus usually conspicuous but sometimes very weak or inconspicuous; frontal carina relatively well developed; antennal scrobe present as a shallow impression; median process of hypostoma poorly developed or almost absent; submedian processes developed well; lateral processes conspicuous; antenna with a 3-segmented club; maximal diameter of eye shorter than or almost as long as antennal segment X (sometimes a little longer than antennal segment X). Promesonotal dome in dorsal view sparsely rugose or rugoso-reticulate transversely, with interspaces smooth, in lateral view with a low prominence/mound on its posterior slope; humerus hardly or very weakly produced laterad; the dome at the humeri as broad as or narrower than at the bottom. Petiole longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole not massive. First gasteral tergite smooth over the surface or very weakly punctured in its anterior 1/3.

Minor — Body yellowish-brown. Frons and vertex smooth and shining or shagreened, or sometimes weakly rugoso-reticulate; dorsolateral and lateral face of head usually rugoso-reticulate dimly or weakly; median portion of clypeus smooth and shining, with a weak or conspicuous median longitudinal carina; preoccipital carina conspicuous dorsally and laterally; antenna with a 3-segmented club; scape extending far beyond posterolateral margin of head; maximal diameter of eye shorter than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome largely smooth and shining, in lateral view usually with an inconspicuous mound on its gentle posterior slope; humerus in dorso-oblique view usually (but not always) produced very weakly; mesopleuron, metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum weakly punctured; propodeal spine elongate-triangular. Petiole longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole not massive.

Type Material

Eguchi (2008) - Pheidole sulcaticeps subsp. indosinensis. Syntypes: 6 minors, “Yi Liang, Indochina, F. Silvestri leg.” [China], Museum of Comparative Zoology cotype-20665, examined.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Cheng D., Z. Chen, and S. Zhou. 2015. An analysis on the ant fauna of Jinzhongshan Nature Reserve in Gunagxi, China. Journal of Guangxi Normal University: Natural Science Edition 33(3): 129.137.
Eguchi K. 2008. A revision of Northern Vietnamese species of the ant genus Pheidole (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Zootaxa 1902: 1-118.
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.
Fontanilla A. M., A. Nakamura, Z. Xu, M. Cao, R. L. Kitching, Y. Tang, and C. J. Burwell. 2019. Taxonomic and functional ant diversity along tropical, subtropical, and subalpine elevational transects in southwest China. Insects 10, 128; doi:10.3390/insects10050128
Huong N. T. T., P. V. Sang, and B. T. Viet. 2015. A preliminary study on diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) at Hon Ba Nature Reserve. Environmental Scientific Conference 7: 614-620.
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.