Pheidole pygmaea

Pheidole pygmaea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Pheidole
Species:	P. pygmaea
Binomial name
	Pheidole pygmaea; Wilson, 2003

This species is only known from type specimens. Nothing is known about its biology.

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Key to Pheidole flavens group

Distribution

Known from the type locality and from localities in Chocó and Cundinamarca, Colombia. (Wilson 2003)

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 3.437222° to -4.1°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Colombia (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.

pygmaea. Pheidole pygmaea Wilson, 2003: 490, figs. (s.w.) COLOMBIA.

Description

DIAGNOSIS Similar to Pheidole christopherseni, Pheidole exquisita, Pheidole nigricula, Pheidole nitella, Pheidole olsoni, Pheidole protensa and Pheidole sagittaria, differing as follows.

Major: yellow; eye large, oval, set far forward on head; head elongate; occipital cleft broad, deep, its nadir semicircular; propodeal spines reduced to right angles; propodeal spiracle large, as wide as base of spines; petiolar node tapers to a point; carinulae mesad to eyes extend almost halfway to occipital lobes; carinulae originating at rear of frontal lobes spread laterally, away from the midline; small patches of foveolae present on mesopleuron and petiolar peduncle, and mesosoma, waist, and gaster otherwise smooth and shiny.

Minor: eye very large, set far forward, tapered slightly toward anterior end; anterior half of head partly carinulate and foveolate, and entire remainder of head and body smooth and shiny.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.74, HL 0.90, SL 0.40, EL 0.10, PW 0.40. Paratype minor: HW 0.44, HL 0.50, SL 0.40, EL 0.08, PW 0.26.

COLOR Major: body dark yellow, appendages medium yellow.

Minor: concolorous medium yellow.

Figure. Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Type Material

COLOMBIA: TV Tower Road, Saldido, west of Cali, Valle, 1900–2100 m, col. W. L. Brown and R. B. Root. Museum of Comparative Zoology

Etymology

L pygmaea, dwarf.

References