Pheidole nimba

Pheidole nimba
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Pheidole
Species group:	pulchella
Species:	P. nimba
Binomial name
Pheidole nimba Bernard, 1953 Specimen Labels

Pheidole nimba was found in the Mount Nimba Nature Reserve in Guinea, close to the border of Ivory Coast, on the Nion crest and at an altitude of 1300 m. It was described on the basis of four minor workers.

Identification

A member of the pulchella species group.

In habitus and amount of punctate sculpture Pheidole dea is the species that most closely resembles Pheidole nimba. However, the clypeus, central area on frons, and posterior dorsopropodeum are smooth to superficially punctate, and standing hairs are relatively rare to almost absent in P. dea. (Fischer, Hita Garcia, & Peters 2012)

Keys including this Species

• Key to Afrotropical Pheidole pulchella-group species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 10.64° to 3.383333333°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Cameroon, 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.

Castes

Images from AntWeb

Syntype of Pheidole nimba. Worker. Specimen code casent0915443. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MNHN, Paris, France.

Nomenclature

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

• nimba. Pheidole nimba Bernard, 1953b: 224, fig. 8 (s.w.) GUINEA. See also: Fischer, et al. 2012: 31.

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

Fischer, Hita Garcia, & Peters (2012) - Pheidole nimba is the species with the most extensive and strongest sculpture in this group. Color is dark brown. Minor worker: head shape rounded (CI: 90), with medially impressed occipital carina. Uniformly and coarsely punctate on all dorsal surfaces from clypeus to anterior half of first gastral tergite, except smooth triangular spot between frontal carinae, and spaces between cross-ribs of metanotal groove. Standing hairs present on head, meso- and metasoma, moderately long and stiff. Scape and metatibia pilosity decumbent.

Description

Worker

Fischer, Hita Garcia, & Peters (2012) - minor: Measurements (syntype): HL: 0.856, HW: 0.767, SL: 0.989, MDL: 0.578, EL: 0.189, MFL: 1.133, MTL: 0.889, WL: 1.156, PSL: 0.233, PTH: 0.178, PPH: 0.211, PTL: 0.356, PPL: 0.233, PTW: 0.122, PPW: 0.222, PW: 0.517; CI: 90, SI: 129, MDI: 75, PSLI: 27, PWI: 67, FI: 148, PpWI: 182, PpLI: 152.

Head longer than wide (CI: 84–90), almost elliptical, with posterior margin weakly compressed. Face strongly punctate, median part of clypeus weakly punctate, median carina conspicuous and short, lateral carinae well-developed. Punctures on malar area overlain by weak to irregular rugulae, ending at eye-level. Occipital carina narrow, medially conspicuously impressed, scapes relatively short (SI: 129), with decumbent pilosity. Promesonotal outline weakly convex in lateral view, subangulate towards posterior declivity. Mesonotal process flatly produced, angulate, declivity long and straight. Second mesonotal process more shallowly produced, similar in shape to first process, metanotal groove conspicuous and deep. Dorsopropodeum in lateral view distinctly declining towards propodeal declivity. Mesosoma strongly punctate except small superficially sculptured spot on posterior lateropronotum, punctures on anteropronotum overlain with weak and irregular transverse rugulae. Propodeal spines and metafemur moderately short (PSLI: 27, FI: 148), metatibia with decumbent pilosity. Petiole and postpetiole densely punctate dorsally, except anterodorsal surface of petiole ventrally punctate. Anterior half of first gastral tergite punctate, posterior half shagreened. Standing hairs moderately long and stiff, partly with blunt to truncate apices and relatively scarce on head and on pronotum. Pilosity on mesonotum and propodeum subdecumbent and shorter, additional short decumbent to subdecumbent pubescence present. Color uniformly brown.

Type Material

Fischer, Hita Garcia, & Peters (2012) - Syntypes (2 minor workers): GUINEA, Nion, 1300 m, maqun crête lamothe (F. Bernard) “No. 228 types” (Musee National d'Histoire Naturelle) [examined].

References

• Bernard, F. 1953b [1952]. La réserve naturelle intégrale du Mt Nimba. XI. Hyménoptères Formicidae. Mém. Inst. Fr. Afr. Noire 19: 165-270 (page 224, fig. 8 soldier, worker described)
• Fischer, G., Hita Garcia, F., & Peters, M.K. 2012. Taxonomy of the ant genus Pheidole Westwood (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Afrotropical zoogeographic region: definition of species groups and systematic revision of the Pheidole pulchella group. Zootaxa, 3232, 1-43.
• Gómez, K., Kouakou, L.M., Fischer, G., Hita-Garcia, F., Katzke, J., Economo, E.P. 2022. Pheidole klaman sp. nov.: a new addition from Ivory Coast to the Afrotropical pulchella species group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae). ZooKeys 1104: 129-157 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.1104.81562).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Bernard F. 1953. La réserve naturelle intégrale du Mt Nimba. XI. Hyménoptères Formicidae. Mémoires de l'Institut Français d'Afrique Noire 19: 165-270.
• Fischer, G., F. Hita García, and M. K. Peters. "Taxonomy of the ant genus Pheidole Westwood (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Afrotropical zoogeographic region: definition of species groups and systematic revision of the Pheidole pulchella group." Zootaxa 3232 (2012): 1-43.