Pheidole metallescens

Pheidole metallescens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Pheidole
Species:	P. metallescens
Binomial name
Pheidole metallescens Emery, 1895 Specimen Label
Synonyms
Pheidole metallescens splendidula Wheeler, W.M., 1908

Naves (1985) reports metallescens as common in Florida, preferring to nest in the shade of trees. Nests are in the soil, surrounded by small craters of excavated earth, and comprising small chambers connected by a central vertical gallery to a depth of up to 40 cm. Each colony has a single queen. The minor workers, often accompanied by majors, collect small grass seeds and scavenge for dead arthropods. In Texas, Stefan Cover found the species in similar habitats, nesting variously in the soil and in rotting logs. (Wilson 2003)

Identification

The minors of this species can be easily recognized, as they have abundant bluish or purple reflections, which are especially obvious on the head. The majors rarely have bluish reflections, and are relatively small (about 2 mm total length), with short scapes (extend about 1/2 the length of the head), and the entire dorsum of the head is covered with rugae, and is granulose between the rugae. Only the tops of the posterior lateral lobes are smooth and shining. The lateral connules on the postpetiole are well developed, but blunt and rounded. (Mackay and Mackay 2002)

Also see the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Pheidole flavens group
• Key to US Pheidole

Distribution

From central Florida through the Gulf States to Oklahoma and southern Texas. (Wilson 2003)

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 36.06464° to 26.118713°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Nearctic Region: United States (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

This species is known to remove seeds (Atchison & Lucky, 2022; Stamp & Lucas, 1990).

Castes

Worker

Minor

Images from AntWeb

Worker. Specimen code casent0104412. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by ABS, Lake Placid, FL, USA.

Major

.

Images from AntWeb

Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0104411. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by ABS, Lake Placid, FL, USA.

Queen

Images from AntWeb

Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0104410. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by ABS, Lake Placid, FL, USA.

Nomenclature

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

• metallescens. Pheidole metallescens Emery, 1895c: 294 (w.) U.S.A. Wheeler, W.M. 1908e: 476 (s.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1960b: 12 (l.). Senior synonym of splendidula: Wilson, 2003: 453.
• splendidula. Pheidole metallescens subsp. splendidula Wheeler, W.M. 1908e: 474, pl. 26, figs. 20, 21 (s.w.q.m.) U.S.A. Junior synonym of metallescens: Wilson, 2003: 453.

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

Description

DIAGNOSIS From Wilson (2003): A distinctive species, similar in some traits to Pheidole ceibana, Pheidole harrisonfordi and Pheidole lignicola, distinguished as follows.

Major: reddish brown; occiput rugoreticulate, with the reticulum extending partway anteriorly down the side of the head to near the eye, and another, small patch of rugoreticulum occurs between the eye and antennal fossa on each side; humerus prominent, subangulate from above and lobate in dorsal-oblique view; propodeal spine long and thin; postpetiole wide and elliptical from above, and with subangulate anterior ventral margin.

Minor: body blackish with bluish reflections; often most of mesosoma foveolate and opaque.

Minors of some series have entirely foveate heads and may represent a distinct species.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Major (Archbold Station, Florida): HW 0.84, HL 0.94, SL 0.42, EL 0.12, PW 0.44. Minor (Archbold Station): HW 0.42, HL 0.46, SL 0.40, EL 0.10, PW 0.26.

COLOR Major: bicolored, with head and appendages light reddish brown, and rest of body medium to dark brown.

Minor: body concolorous blackish brown, with metallic bluish reflections; central parts of femora and tibiae medium brown; distal and proximal portions brownish yellow.

Figure. Upper: major. Lower: minor. FLORIDA: Archbold Station, near Sebring, Highlands Co. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Synttype Specimen Labels

Type Material

St. George (Cape or Island), Florida, Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genoa - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Etymology

L metallescens, metallic, alluding to the gun-metal blue reflections from the body of the minor. (Wilson 2003)

References

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• Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 453, fig. major, minor described, page 453, Senior synonym of splendidula)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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