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Pheidole polymorpha
| Pheidole polymorpha | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Attini |
| Genus: | Pheidole |
| Species: | P. polymorpha |
| Binomial name | |
| Pheidole polymorpha Wilson, 2003 | |
Collected in upland desert. Comment by Stefan Cover (personal communication): “A very interesting beast; it is like Pheidole artemisia (=Pheidole pilifera) or Pheidole cavigenis on steroids.” (Wilson 2003)
Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Known only from the type locality and from Chapulco, Puebla, Mexico. (Wilson 2003)
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 29.24768° to 18.635364°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Mexico (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. |
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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.
- polymorpha. Pheidole polymorpha Wilson, 2003: 592, figs. (s.w.) MEXICO.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
DIAGNOSIS A member of the “pilifera complex” of the larger pilifera group, comprising Pheidole calens, Pheidole californica, Pheidole carrolli, Pheidole cavigenis, Pheidole clementensis, Pheidole creightoni, Pheidole hoplitica, Pheidole littoralis, Pheidole micula, Pheidole pilifera, Pheidole polymorpha, Pheidole rugulosa, Pheidole senex, Pheidole soritis, Pheidole tepicana and Pheidole torosa, which complex is distinguished by the following traits. Major: dorsal head surface extensively sculptured; occipital lobes transversely rugulose (or, in carrolli smooth, in littoralis foveate, and in micula and soritis carinulate); postpetiole from above diamond-shaped, trapezoidal, or spinose. Minor: eye medium-sized to large.
P. polymorpha is distinguished within the complex by the following combination of traits. Worker caste trimorphic, with major, supermajor, and minor.
Major: humerus very pronounced and subtriangular in shape in dorsal-oblique view; propodeal spines stout and vertical to the basal propodeal face; postpetiole from above with sharp right-angular margins; pilosity, long and dense.
Minor: all of mesosoma and almost all of the dorsal head surface foveolate and opaque.
Both major and minor: dorsal margin of petiole seen from behind strongly convex.
MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.34, HL 1.46, SL 0.62, EL 0.20, PW 0.60. Paratype minor: HW 0.54, HL 0.60, SL 0.56, EL 0.14, PW 0.38.
COLOR Major and minor: brownish yellow.
Figure. Upper: holotype, major; partial head in full-face view of paratype, supermajor. Lower: paratype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.
Type Material
From Wilson (2003): MEXICO: Highway 57, km 127, Estado México, col. Cornell University Field Party, 1965. Museum of Comparative Zoology
Etymology
Gr polymorpha, many forms, referring to the coexistence of major and supermajor castes.
Worker Morphology
Explore: Show all Worker Morphology data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.
- Caste: trimorphic
References
- Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 592, fig. major, minor described)
- Alatorre-Bracamontes, C.E., Vásquez-Bolaños, M. 2010. Lista comentada de las hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) del norte de México. Dugesiana 17(1): 9-36.
- Vazquez-Franco, C.M., Castano-Meneses, G., Rios-Casanova, L., Morrone, J.J. 2024. Three new species of Pheidole Westwood, 1839 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Attini) from central Mexico. Zootaxa 5523(2), 192–210 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5523.2.3).
- Vázquez-Franco, C.M., Morrone, J.J. 2022. The genus Pheidole (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) in Puebla, Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 93: e933820 (doi:10.22201/ib.20078706e.2022.93.3820).
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
- Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133
- Wilson, E.O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A Dominant, Hyperdiverse Genus. Harvard University Press