Pheidole mentita pullata

Pheidole mentita pullata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Pheidole
Species:	P. mentita
Subspecies:	P. mentita pullata
Trinomial name
	Pheidole mentita pullata; Santschi, 1914

Taylor et al. (2018) observed this taxon foraging on the ground in a Mangifera indica (mango) orchard in Benin.

Identification

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Benin, Guinea (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.

pullata. Pheidole mentita var. pullata Santschi, 1914d: 339 (s.w.) GUINEA.

Taxonomic Notes

Taylor et al. (2018) - Santschi noted this as: TL 4.2 mm. Differing from the type (P. mentita, type major CASENT0913348) in being black, the mandibles partly dull red, the tibiae and tarsi brown. More matt and also a little more strongly sculptured, the base of the gaster lightly punctate. The occiput slightly less impressed.

They then raise this taxon to species-level. This proposal has not been followed by subsequent authors.

Description

References

Santschi, F. 1914d. Formicides de l'Afrique occidentale et australe du voyage de Mr. le Professeur F. Silvestri. Boll. Lab. Zool. Gen. Agrar. R. Sc. Super. Agric. 8: 309-385 (page 339, soldier, worker described)
Taylor, B., Agoinon, N., Sinzogan, A., Adandonon, A., Kouaguou, Y. N., Bello, S., Wargui, R., Anato, F., Ouagoussounon, I., Houngbo, H., Tchibozo, S., Todjihounde, R., Vayssieres, J.F. 2018. Records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Republic of Benin, with particular reference to the mango farm ecosystem. Journal of Insect Biodiversity 8(1): 6-29 (doi:10.12976/jib/2018.08.1.2).