Pheidole rochai

Pheidole rochai
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Pheidole
Species:	P. rochai
Binomial name
Pheidole rochai Forel, 1912 Specimen Labels

Nothing is known about the biology of P. rochai.

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Pheidole diligens group

Distribution

Known with certainty only from the Ceará type series. I have not seen the series described by Santschi (1923d: 46) as “var. deflexa” from Paraguay. (Wilson 2003)

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -12.66027778° to -26.808285°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Brazil (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

Worker

Minor

Images from AntWeb

Syntype of Pheidole lemur rochai. Worker. Specimen code casent0904393. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.

Paralectotype of Pheidole rochai. Worker. Specimen code casent0908225. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Major

Images from AntWeb

Lectotype of Pheidole rochai. Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0908224. 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.

• rochai. Pheidole lemur r. rochai Forel, 1912f: 226 (s.w.) BRAZIL. [Pheidole rochai Forel, 1908e: 65. Nomen nudum.] Raised to species: Wilson, 2003: 225.

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

Description

From Wilson (2003): A small yellow member of the diligens group whose major has a moderately prominent mesonotal convexity as part of a bilobous promesonotal outline seen in dorsal-oblique view; short, equilaterally triangular propodeal spine; overall mostly smooth and shiny body with sculpturing on the head confined to the eye level and anterior to it, and composed exclusively of longitudinal carinulae; and abundant medium-length, erect pilosity.

Close to Pheidole blumenauensis, Pheidole longiscapa, Pheidole perryorum, Pheidole tanyscapa and Pheidole vafra, but differing variously in head shape, eye size, sculpturing, and color. See also the less similar Pheidole lemur, Pheidole pubiventris, Pheidole seeldrayersi and Pheidole variegata (= Pheidole pubiventris), as illustrated.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Lectotype major: HW 0.92, HL 0.96, SL 0.76, EL 0.14, PW 0.56. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.50, HL 0.60, SL 0.74, EL 0.12, PW 0.34.

COLOR Major and minor: concolorous yellow.

Figure. Upper: lectotype, major. Lower: paralectotype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Lectotype Specimen Labels

Type Material

BRAZIL: Ceará. Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Etymology

Eponymous. (Wilson 2003)

References

• Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 225, raised to species; new status)
• Forel, A. 1912g. Formicides néotropiques. Part III. 3me sous-famille Myrmicinae (suite). Genres Cremastogaster et Pheidole. Mém. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 19: 211-237 (page 226, soldier, worker described)
• Franco, W., Ladino, N., Delabie, J.H.C., Dejean, A., Orivel, J., Fichaux, M., Groc, S., Leponce, M., Feitosa, R.M. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674, 509–543 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4674.5.2).
• Santschi, F. 1923d. Pheidole et quelques autres fourmis néotropiques. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 63: 45–69.
• Ulysséa, M.A., Brandão, C.R.F. 2013. Ant species (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from the seasonally dry tropical forest of northeastern Brazil: a compilation from field surveys in Bahia and literature records. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 57, 217–224 (doi:10.1590/s0085-56262013005000002).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
• Forel A. 1908. Catálogo systemático da collecção de formigas do Ceará. Boletim do Museu Rocha 1(1): 62-69.
• Forel A. 1912. Formicides néotropiques. Part III. 3me sous-famille Myrmicinae (suite). Genres Cremastogaster et Pheidole. Mémoires de la Société Entomologique de Belgique. 19: 211-237.
• Franco W., N. Ladino, J. H. C. Delabie, A. Dejean, J. Orivel, M. Fichaux, S. Groc, M. Leponce, and R. M. Feitosa. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674(5): 509-543.
• Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
• Kusnezov N. 1952. El género Pheidole en la Argentina (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Acta Zoologica Lilloana 12: 5-88.
• Kusnezov N. 1978. Hormigas argentinas: clave para su identificación. Miscelánea. Instituto Miguel Lillo 61:1-147 + 28 pl.