Pheidole rabo

Pheidole rabo
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Pheidole
Species:	P. rabo
Binomial name
Pheidole rabo Forel, 1913 Specimen Labels
Synonyms
Pheidole concinna Wheeler, W.M., 1928 Pheidole tsailuni Wheeler, W.M., 1929

This species inhabits usually well-developed forests but sometimes forest edges or bamboo forests, and nests under shelters (e.g., stones) or rarely in rotting logs on the ground.

Identification

Eguchi (2008) - This species is distinguishable among Indo-Chinese species by the combination of the following characteristics: in the minor head punctured dorsally and laterally; in the major frontal carina absent or inconspicuous (present just as rugulae); in the major antennal scrobe absent; in the major submedian processes of hypostoma well developed; in the minor maximal diameter of eye almost as long as or a little shorter than antennal segment X; in the minor scape exceeding posterior margin of head usually by almost the length of antennal segment II or more; in the minor mesosoma punctured; in the major and minor promesonotal dome in lateral view at most with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope.

This species is very similar to Pheidole parva, but distinguishable from the latter of which the minor has the following characteristics: scape exceeding posterior margin of head by less than half length of antennal segment II, or not reaching the posterior margin; maximal diameter of eye longer than antennal segment X.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Pheidole majors and minors of Borneo
• Key to Pheidole majors of Borneo
• Key to Pheidole minors of Borneo
• Key to the Pheidole of North Vietnam

Distribution

Widely distributed in Indo-Chinese and Indo-Malayan subregions.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 12.633333° to 3.2726°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Borneo, Indonesia (type locality), Malaysia, Philippines.
Oriental Region: Thailand, Vietnam.
Palaearctic Region: China.

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

Worker

Minor

Images from AntWeb

Syntype of Pheidole rabo. Worker. Specimen code casent0904270. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.

Paralectotype of Pheidole rabo. Worker. Specimen code casent0907990. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Major

Images from AntWeb

Lectotype of Pheidole rabo. Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0907989. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Nomenclature

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

• rabo. Pheidole rabo Forel, 1913k: 28 (s.w.q.) INDONESIA (Sumatra). Senior synonym of tsailuni: Eguchi, Yamane & Zhou, 2007: 276. See also: Eguchi, 2001a: 21; Eguchi, 2001b: 102; Eguchi, 2008: 80.
• concinna. Pheidole concinna Wheeler, W.M. 1928c: 13, fig. 1 (s.w.) CHINA. [Junior primary homonym of concinna Santschi, above.] Replacement name: tsailuni Wheeler, W.M. 1929f: 2.
• tsailuni. Pheidole tsailuni Wheeler, W.M. 1929f: 2. Replacement name for concinna Wheeler, W.M. 1928c: 13. [Junior primary homonym of concinna Santschi, 1910c: 362.] Junior synonym of rabo: Eguchi, Yamane & Zhou, 2007: 276. See also: Eguchi, 2001a: 30.

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

Description

Worker

Eguchi 2001. Figure 41.

Eguchi (2008) - Major (data from Eguchi, Yamane & Zhou 2007). — HL 1.11–1.53 mm; HW 1.06–1.42 mm; CI 91–95; SL 0.49–0.59 mm; SI 42–49; FL 0.65–0.87 mm; FI 58–67. Minor (data from Eguchi, Yamane & Zhou 2007). — HL 0.49–0.60 mm; HW 0.43–0.53 mm; CI 87–91; SL 0.45–0.53 mm; SI 100–108; FL 0.48–0.61 mm; FI 105–116.

Major — Head in lateral view not or very weakly impressed on vertex; frons longitudinally rugose; vertex rugoso-reticulate; dorsal and dorsolateral faces of vertexal lobe reticulate, with enclosures smooth to punctured; frontal carina absent or inconspicuous (present just as rugulae); antennal scrobe absent; median longitudinal carina on clypeus absent or conspicuous; hypostoma with low or inconspicuous median and well-developed submedian processes in addition to conspicuous (but sometimes reduced) lateral processes; outer surface of mandible (excluding area around the base) smooth or dimly rugose, sparsely with a (very) short appressed hairs; antenna with a 3-segmented club; maximal diameter of eye (a little) longer than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome in lateral view at most with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope; humerus weakly produced laterad; the dome at the humeri as broad as or broader than at the bottom (or sometimes a little narrower than at the bottom). Petiole much longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole not massive. First gastral tergite weakly rugoso-punctate usually in its anterior 1/2 or more (at least around articulation with postpetiole).

Minor — Dorsum of head punctured dorsally and laterally, and often overlain by weak rugoso-reticulation dorsally; preoccipital carina very weak or inconspicuous dorsally; median part of clypeus smooth, weakly punctured or weakly reticulate; median longitudinal carina absent, inconspicuous or weak; antenna with a 3- segmented club; scape usually exceeding posterior margin of head by almost the length of antennal segment II or more (but sometimes by the half length of II); maximal diameter of eye almost as long as or a little shorter than antennal segment X. Dorsal and lateral faces of mesosoma punctured; punctation on dorsum of promesonotal dome often overlain sparsely by weak rugulae; promesonotal dome in lateral view at most with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope; humerus in dorso-oblique view produced weakly or very weakly; propodeal spine elongate-triangular. Petiole (much) longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole not massive.

Lectotype Specimen Labels

Type Material

Eguchi (2008):

Lectotype: major, “No. 54a Maxwell’s Hill Taiping Malacca (v. Buttel)” [W. Malaysia], Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève, examined; paralectotypes: 1 major & 2 minors, same data as the lectotype, MHNG, examined; 2 queens, “No 643 Bandar Baroe Sumatra Malacca (v. Buttel)”, MHNG, examined; original description also included syntype(s) from “Beras Tagi”, not examined.

Pheidole concinna. Lectotype:? major, “Laokay, Indo-China, 2-22-25, F. Silvestri”, MCZC cotype-20656, examined; paralectotypes: 1 major & 6 minors, same data as the lectotype, Museum of Comparative Zoology cotype-20656, examined.

References

• Eguchi, K. 2001a. A revision of the Bornean species of the ant genus Pheidole (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Tropics Monograph Series. 2:1-154.
• Eguchi, K. 2001b. A taxonomic study on Asian Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): new synonymy, rank changes, lectotype designations and redescriptions. Insecta Koreana. 18:1-35. (page 21, see also)
• Eguchi, K. 2008. A revision of Northern Vietnamese species of the ant genus Pheidole (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Zootaxa 1902:1-118.
• Forel, A. 1913l. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse einer Forschungsreise nach Ostindien ausgeführt im Auftrage der Kgl. Preuss. Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin von H. v. Buttel-Reepen. II. Ameisen aus Sumatra, Java, Malacca und Ceylon. Gesammelt von Herrn Prof. Dr. v. Zool. Jahrb. Abt. Syst. Geogr. Biol. Tiere 36: 1-148 (page 28, soldier, worker, queen described)
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• General, D.E.M., Buenavente, P.A.C., Rodriguez, L.J.V. 2020. A preliminary survey of nocturnal ants, with novel modifications for collecting nocturnal arboreal ants. Halteres 11: 1-12 (doi:10.5281/ZENODO.3707151).
• Khachonpisitsak, S., Yamane, S., Sriwichai, P., Jaitrong, W. 2020. An updated checklist of the ants of Thailand (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 998, 1–182 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.998.54902).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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• Eguchi K. 2001. A taxonomic study on Asian Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): new synonymy, rank changes, lectotype designations and redescriptions. Insecta Koreana 18: 1-35.
• Eguchi K. 2008. A revision of Northern Vietnamese species of the ant genus Pheidole (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Zootaxa 1902: 1-118.
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