Pheidole perpilosa
Pheidole perpilosa | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Formicidae |
Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
Tribe: | Attini |
Genus: | Pheidole |
Species: | P. perpilosa |
Binomial name | |
Pheidole perpilosa Wilson, 2003 |
Cover found colonies nesting in forests containing various combinations of pine, oak, and juniper, often in valleys, nesting under rocks or in open soil. Colonies are monogynous and large, containing up to 1500 minors and majors. The workers are predaceous; seed caches have not been found in the nests. (Wilson 2003)
Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Stefan Cover has collected several colonies at 1400–1850 m in the mountains of central and southern Arizona south of the Mogollon rim, in particular Cochise, Gila, and Yavapai Counties. He reports a colony intermediate between perpilosa and Pheidole vallicola from Rucker Canyon, Cochise Co. (Wilson 2003)
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 33.70138889° to 31.339824°.
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
Association with Other Organisms
- Explore: Show all Associate data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.
- This species is a host for the phorid fly Apocephalus brunneiventris (a parasite) (phorid.net) (attacked).
Castes
Minor
Images from AntWeb
Worker. Specimen code casent0102889. Photographer Jen Fogarty, 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.
- perpilosa. Pheidole perpilosa Wilson, 2003: 336, 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
A member of the fallax group similar to Pheidole cockerelli and Pheidole gulo in some characters, distinguished as follows.
Major: yellow; densely covered by long erect to suberect hairs (many as long as Eye Length); rugoreticulum covers most of space between each eye and antennal fossa, area behind (ventral to) eye, and a broad, continuous band across the dorsal surface of the head posterior to the eyes; frontal lobes and dorsal surface of occiput carinulate; all of head, mesosoma, and waist foveolate and opaque; mesonotal convexity subangulate in dorsal-oblique view; apex of petiolar node tapered in side view; postpetiole from above diamond-shaped.
Minor: entire body densely covered by erect to suberect hairs, many longer than Eye Length; entire head and most of mesosoma foveolate and opaque; most of dorsal surface of head carinulate; anterior margin of pronotum rugulose; occipital margin in frontal view broad, lacking nuchal collar.
MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.34, HL 1.40, SL 0.80, EL 0.22, PW 0.70. Paratype minor: HW 0.70, HL 0.82, SL 0.92, EL 0.16, PW 0.52.
COLOR Major: body yellowish brown except for gaster, which is light brown.
Minor: body plain medium brown except for genae, which are brownish yellow; appendages brownish yellow.
Figure. Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.
Type Material
Type Locality Information
ARIZONA: Pinal Mt., Gila Co., 1600 m, col. Stefan Cover.
Etymology
L perpilosa, very hairy.
References
- Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, [ix] + 794 pp.: 794pp (page 336, fig. major, minor described)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Cover S. P., and R. A. Johnson. 20011. Checklist of Arizona Ants. Downloaded on January 7th at http://www.asu.edu/clas/sirgtools/AZants-2011%20updatev2.pdf
- Johnson R. Personnal Database. Accessed on February 5th 2014 at http://www.asu.edu/clas/sirgtools/resources.htm
- LaBrun, E.G. and D.H. Feener Jr. 2007. When trade-offs interact: balance of terror enforces dominance discovery trade-off in a local ant assemblage. Journal of Animal Ecology 76:58-64
- LeBrun, E.G. 2005. Who Is the Top Dog in Ant Communities? Resources, Parasitoids, and Multiple Competitive Hierarchies. Oecologia 142(4):643-652
- Wilson, E.O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A Dominant, Hyperdiverse Genus. Harvard University Press