Pheidole juniperae

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

Pheidole juniperae casent0104741 profile 1.jpg

Pheidole juniperae casent0104741 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen Label

The species was found by Stefan Cover in juniper-oak-pinyon savanna with a grassy understory. The nest openings were cryptic and in most cases surmounted by a minute turret of vegetable fibers. No seeds were found in the nests. (Wilson 2003)

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Known from several collections at the type locality at 1660–1675 m. (Wilson 2003)

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 31.488986° to 19.4794444°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Nearctic Region: United States (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Pheidole juniperae casent0104745 head 1.jpgPheidole juniperae casent0104745 profile 1.jpgPheidole juniperae casent0104745 dorsal 1.jpgPheidole juniperae casent0104745 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0104745. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Nomenclature

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

  • juniperae. Pheidole juniperae Wilson, 2003: 440, figs. (s.w.) U.S.A.

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

Description

DIAGNOSIS Similar in various traits to Pheidole chalca of Mexico, Pheidole mera of Texas, and Pheidole neolongiceps of Cuba, differing as follows.

Major: yellow; shallow antennal scrobe present; carinulae originating on frontal lobes travel posteriorly all the way to but not across the occiput, which is smooth and sprinkled with foveae; space between eye and antennal fossa on each side of head rugoreticulate; almost all of mesosoma smooth and shiny; center of promesonotal dorsum in side view flat; postpetiole from above elliptical, with angulate lateral margins.

Minor: eye large, Eye Length almost a fourth of Head Width, and nearly as long as distance from eye to anterior clypeal margin; occiput very broad, its margin weakly concave; propodeal spines small, in side view equilaterally triangular.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.80, HL 0.94, SL 0.42, EL 0.14, PW 0.50. Paratype minor: HW 0.44, HL 0.46, SL 0.38, EL 0.08, PW 0.26.

COLOR Major: concolorous medium yellow, with mandibles a slightly darker shade.

Minor: concolorous medium yellow.


Pheidole juniperae Wilson 2003.jpg

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

Type Material

ARIZONA: 11 km west-northwest of Montezuma Pass, Huachuca Mts., Cochise Co., 1660 m, col. Stefan Cover. Museum of Comparative Zoology

Etymology

Named after the prevailing tree of the type locality habitat.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics