Pheidole innupta

Pheidole innupta
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Pheidole
Species:	P. innupta
Binomial name
Pheidole innupta Menozzi, 1931

This species occurs only in cloud forest habitats, where it nests in large epiphyte mats in the canopy, and occasionally in dead wood near ground level.

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 10.3° to 10.23617°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Costa Rica (type locality), Peru.

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

Longino (2009) - Foundress queens occur under epiphyte mats, and in some cases pleometrosis occurs (a group of over five queens together with brood and small workers has been observed). Colonies are large, with many workers pouring forth when the nest is disturbed. Soldiers tend to stay deep within the colony. The feeding habits of this species are unknown. Foragers have never been observed outside of the nests. Observations have been almost entirely during the day, so they could forage nocturnally. Alternatively, they may have specialized and perhaps plant-derived food sources within the nests. Scattered mealybugs may be found on epiphyte roots in the nests.

Both species (in reference to Pheidole alfaroi) are so far only known from Costa Rica, although similar montane species occur in the mountains of Colombia. Pheidole innupta workers are dark brown to black; P. alfaroi workers are light orange brown. Pheidole innupta occurs in cloud forest habitats in the northern cordilleras of Costa Rica, from the Cordillera Volcanica Central to the Cordillera de Guanacaste. Pheidole alfaroi is only known from the Cordillera Volcanica Central. Pheidole innupta occurs in heavily forested areas, nesting under thick epiphyte mats either in the canopy or in gaps where epiphyte-laden branches have fallen. Pheidole alfaroi occurs more on the ground, either under second growth forest or in cloud forest pastures, nesting under dead wood.

In the Project ALAS quantitative sampling along the Barva Transect in Costa Rica, intensive sampling was carried out at 1100m, 1500m, and 2000m elevation. The 1100m site was all dense primary forest. The 1500m site was an ecotone between primary forest and actively maintained cow pastures. The 2000m site was a mosaic of primary forest and regenerating second growth vegetation. Ants were collected using Winkler samples of sifted litter from the forest floor, flight intercept traps, and Malaise traps. At the 1100m site, P. alfaroi was moderately abundant in all sample types, while P. innupta was rare, occurring in only one of 20 Malaise traps. At the 1500m site P. alfaroi was one of the most abundant ants, occurring in all sample types and in many hand collections of nests under dead wood, and P. innupta was absent. At the 2000m site, P. innupta workers were collected occasionally in Malaise traps and flight intercept traps, but never in Winkler samples from the forest floor litter. Pheidole alfaroi was absent. These observations suggest that P. innupta and P. alfaroi are ecological replacements, with P. innupta being arboreal and adapted to the coldest conditions and highest elevations, while P. alfaroi is ground-nesting and adapted to slightly warmer, lower elevation, and/or more disturbed habitats. This is an interesting species pair to observe with respect to climate change.

Castes

Images from AntWeb

Syntype of Pheidole innupta. Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0913343. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by NHMB, Basel, Switzerland.

Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code jtlc000001496. Photographer J. Longino, uploaded by University of Utah.	Owned by JTLC.

Nomenclature

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

• innupta. Pheidole innupta Menozzi, 1931d: 200, fig. 7 (s.w.q.) COSTA RICA. Junior synonym of alfaroi: Wilson, 2003: 165. Revived from synonymy: Longino, 2009: 38.

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

Type Material

Longino (2009) - Syntype major, minor worker, gyne: Costa Rica, Vara Blanca (Schmidt) DEIB (examined).

References

• Longino, J.T. 2009. Additions to the taxonomy of New World Pheidole. Zootaxa 2181: 1-90. PDF
• Menozzi, C. 1931d. Qualche nuova formica di Costa Rica (Hym.). Stett. Entomol. Ztg. 92: 188-202 (page 200, fig. 7 soldier, worker , queen described)
• Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, [ix] + 794 pp.: 794pp (page 165, Junior synonym of alfaroi)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
• Kusnezov N. 1952. El género Pheidole en la Argentina (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Acta Zoologica Lilloana 12: 5-88.
• Longino J. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/
• Menozzi C. 1931. Qualche nuova formica di Costa Rica (Hym.). Stettiner Entomologische Zeitung. 92: 188-202.
• Weber N. A. 1943. The ants of the Imatong Mountains, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 93: 263-389.