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Pheidole kukrana
| Pheidole kukrana | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Attini |
| Genus: | Pheidole |
| Species: | P. kukrana |
| Binomial name | |
| Pheidole kukrana Wilson, 2003
| |
In Costa Rica, kukrana is very adaptable, occurring in seasonal dry forest, and mature and secondary lowland rainforest, and nesting opportunistically in small cavities both on the ground and in the canopy; it occasionally builds carton walls (Longino 1997).
Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
From Wilson (2003): Known from the type locality, from both the Atlantic and Pacific lowlands of Costa Rica (J. T. Longino), and from Venezuela (4 km northeast of Biscucuy, Portuguesa, 670 m; W. L. Brown and J. Lattke).
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 15.692937° to 2.233°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Costa Rica, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Nicaragua (type locality), Venezuela.
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. |
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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
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- kukrana. Pheidole kukrana Wilson, 2003: 310, figs. (s.w.) NICARAGUA.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
A member of the fallax group close to Pheidole caribbaea and Pheidole obscurior (=Pheidole susannae), possibly synonymous with the latter, and somewhat less similar to Pheidole cardinalis, Pheidole mantilla and Pheidole rubiceps, distinguished as follows.
Major: dark brown; antennal scape just attaining the occipital corner; humerus angulate in dorsal-oblique view; occiput in frontal view and ventral half of head in side view smooth and shiny; all of pronotum covered by transverse, “wraparound” carinulae; rugoreticulum on head extends on each side from eye to antennal fossa, posteriorly to halfway between eye and occipital corner, and anteriorly to halfway between eye and anterior border of head. Dorsal and lateral surfaces of head coated with dense, long, subdecumbent yellowish hairs.
Minor: occiput drawn into neck, with nuchal collar; propodeal spines reduced to denticles; anterior strip of pronotal dorsum foveolate and opaque.
MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.06, HL 1.16, SL 0.98, EL 0.20, PW 0.56. Paratype minor: HW 0.52, HL 0.66, SL 0.96, EL 0.14, PW 0.36.
COLOR Major: body dark brown, appendages medium brown.
Minor: body medium brown, appendages light to yellowish brown.
Figure. Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.
Type Material
NICARAGUA: Kukra River, col. Ivette Perfecto. Museum of Comparative Zoology
Etymology
Named after the type locality.
References
- Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 310, fig. major, minor described)
- 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).
- Meurgey, F. 2020. Challenging the Wallacean shortfall: A total assessment of insect diversity on Guadeloupe (French West Indies), a checklist and bibliography. Insecta Mundi 786: 1–183.
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.
- Galkowski C. 2016. New data on the ants from the Guadeloupe (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Bull. Soc. Linn. Bordeaux 151, 44(1): 25-36.
- Leponce M., J. H. C. Delabie, J. Orivel, J. Jacquemin, M. Calvo Martin, and A. Dejean. 2019. Tree-dwelling ant survey (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in Mitaraka, French Guiana, in Touroult J. (ed.), “Our Planet Reviewed” 2015 large-scale biotic survey in Mitaraka, French Guiana. Zoosystema 41 (10): 163-179.
- Longino J. T. L., and M. G. Branstetter. 2018. The truncated bell: an enigmatic but pervasive elevational diversity pattern in Middle American ants. Ecography 41: 1-12.