Pheidole sexspinosa

Pheidole sexspinosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Pheidole
Species:	P. sexspinosa
Binomial name
Pheidole sexspinosa Mayr, 1870 Specimen labels
Subspecies
Pheidole sexspinosa biroi Emery, 1900 Pheidole sexspinosa fuscescens Emery, 1900
Synonyms
Pheidole sexspinosa adamsoni Wheeler, W.M., 1932

In Singapore, this species has been found in mangrove back forest or swamp forest. Colonies were found nesting inside a decayed stem of Rhizophora sp. and cable roots of Excoecaria agallocha. The latter is a common mangrove tree species in Singapore, and secretes milky latex, which is toxic to animals including insects (Mendhulkar et al., 2017; Wang et al., 2018).

Identification

Keys including this Species

• Key to Micronesian Ants

Distribution

Wang et al. (2018): Pheidole sexspinosa can be found throughout the Oceanian realm sensu Holt et al. (2013), including, New Guinea, and the Solomon, Palau, Caroline, Fiji, Samoa, Tuvalu, Austral, Society and Marquesas Islands (antmaps.org, accessed on 24 October 2018; Guénard et al., 2017). The only record in Fiji is for a single worker (AntWeb v7.53, CASENT0194651) – this might indicate an incipient or transient occurrence of the species (Sarnat & Economo, 2012). It has also been recorded once in New Zealand as an exotic human-introduced species (Ward et al., 2006). With its discovery from Singapore in this paper, the distribution range of this species can thus be expanded to include the Oriental realm as well.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 13.906° to -18.698149°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Micronesia (Federated States of), New Guinea, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tuvalu (type locality), Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna Islands.

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

Images from AntWeb

Worker. Specimen code casent0178467. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by BNM, Koror, Palau.

Nomenclature

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

• sexspinosa. Pheidole sexspinosa Mayr, 1870b: 977 (s.w.) TUVALU. Combination in P. (Pheidolacanthinus): Mann, 1919: 307. Senior synonym of adamsoni: Wilson & Taylor, 1967: 52. Current subspecies: nominal plus biroi, fuscescens.
• adamsoni. Pheidole (Pheidolacanthinus) sexspinosa subsp. adamsoni Wheeler, W.M. 1932c: 157 (s.w.q.m.) FRENCH POLYNESIA (Marquesas Is). Junior synonym of sexspinosa: Wilson & Taylor, 1967: 52.

Type Material

• Pheidole sexspinosa – syntype, major, CASENT0919761, Tuvalu, Oceania, only part of head and thorax being intact.
• Pheidole sexspinosa adamsoni – cotype, major, CASENT0249104, Marquesas Is.; cotype, major, LACMENT182082, Marquesas Is.
• Pheidole sexspinosa biroi – syntype, major, CASENT0904306, New Guinea; syntype, minor, CASENT0904307, New Guinea.

References

• Clouse, R. M. 2007. The Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Micronesia. Micronesica. 39(2): 171–296.

• Economo EP, Klimov P, Sarnat EM, Guénard B, Weiser MD, Lecroq B & Knowles LL. 2015. Global phylogenetic structure of the hyperdiverse ant genus Pheidole reveals the repeated evolution of macroecological patterns. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 282(1798): 20141416.
• Fournier, D., Tindo, M., Kenne, M., Mbenoun Masse, P.S., Van Bossche, V., De Coninck, E., Aron, S. 2012. Genetic structure, nestmate recognition and behaviour of two cryptic species of the invasive Big-Headed Ant Pheidole megacephala. PLoS ONE 7(2): e31480 (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0031480).
• Liu, K., Tseng, S., Tatsuta, H., Tsuji, K., Tay, J., Singham, G.V., Yang, C.S., Neoh, K. 2022. Population genetic structure of the globally introduced big‐headed ant in Taiwan. Ecology and Evolution 12, e9660 (doi:10.1002/ece3.9660).
• Mann, W. M. 1919. The ants of the British Solomon Islands. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 63: 273-391 (page 307, Combination in P. (Pheidolacanthinus))
• Mayr, G. 1870b. Neue Formiciden. Verh. K-K. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 20: 939-996 (page 977, soldier, worker described)
• Wang, W.Y., Soh, E.J.Y., Yong, G.W.J., Wong, M.K.L., Benoit Guénard, Economo, E.P., Yamane, S. 2022. Remarkable diversity in a little red dot: a comprehensive checklist of known ant species in Singapore (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with notes on ecology and taxonomy. Asian Myrmecology 15: e015006 (doi:10.20362/am.015006).
• Wang, W.Y., Yamada, A., Eguchi, K. 2018. First discovery of the mangrove ant Pheidole sexspinosa Mayr, 1870 (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) from the Oriental region, with redescriptions of the worker, queen and male. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 66:652–663.
• Wilson, E. O.; Taylor, R. W. 1967b. The ants of Polynesia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Pac. Insects Monogr. 14: 1-109 (page 52, senior synonym of adamsoni)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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• Abbott KL, Greaves SNJ, Ritchie PA, Lester PJ. 2007. Behaviorally and genetically distinct populations of an invasive ant provide insight into invasion history and impacts on a tropical ant community. Biological Invasions 9:453-463
• Abbott, K.L., M. Sarty and P.J. Lester. 2006. The ants of Tokelau. New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 33:157-164.
• Chapman, J. W., and Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327
• Clouse R. M. 2007. The ants of Micronesia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Micronesica. 39: 171-295.
• Clouse, R.M. 2007. The ants of Micronesia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Micronesica 39(2): 171-295.
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• Dlussky G.M. 1994. Zoogeography of southwestern Oceania. Zhivotnoe naselenie ostrovov Iugo-Zapadnoi Okeanii ekologo-geograficheskie issledovanii 48-93.
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• Field Museum Collection, Chicago, Illinois (C. Moreau)
• Forel A. 1901. Formiciden aus dem Bismarck-Archipel, auf Grundlage des von Prof. Dr. F. Dahl gesammelten Materials. Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berl. 2: 4-37.
• Greenslade P.J.M. and Greenslade Penelope. 1977. Some Effects of Vegetation Cover and Disturbance on a Tropical Ant Fauna. Insectes Sociaux 24(2): 163-182
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• Kami K.S., and S. E. Miller. 1998. Samoan insects and related arthropods: checklist and bibliography. Bishop Museum Technical Report 13, pp 121.
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• Mann W. M. 1919. The ants of the British Solomon Islands. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 63:273-391.
• Mann William. 1916. The Ants of the British Solomon Islands. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College 63(7): 273-391
• Mann, W.M. 1919. The ants of the British Solomon Islands. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology of Harvard College 63: 273-391
• Morrison L. W. 1996. The ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Polynesia revisited: species numbers and the importance of sampling intensity. Ecography 19: 73-84.
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• Perrault G.H. 1988. Les fourmis de Tahiti. Bull. Soc. Zool. France 112(3-4): 430-446.
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• Sarty, M., Abbott, K. L. and Lester, P. J. 2006. Habitat complexity facilitates coexistence in a tropical ant community. Oecologia. 149:465-473
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• Wang W. Y., A. Yamada, and K. Eguchi. 2018. First discovery of the mangrove ant Pheidole sexspinosa Mayr, 1870 (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) from the Oriental region, with redescriptions of the worker, queen and male. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 66: 652-663.
• Wetterer, James K. 2002. Ants of Tonga. Pacific Science. 56.2: 125-135.
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• Wheeler, William Morton. 1932. Ants of the Marquesas Islands. Bernice P. Bishop Museum-Bulletin. 98:155-63
• Wheeler, William Morton. 1936. Ants from the Society, Austral, Tuamotu, and Mangareva Islands. Bernice P. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 7.18.
• Wheeler, William Morton.1935.Checklist of the Ants of Oceania.Occasional Papers 11(11): 3-56
• Wilson E. O.; Taylor, R. W. 1967. The ants of Polynesia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Pacific Insects Monograph 14:1-109.
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• Wilson EO, Hunt GL. 1967. Ant fauna of Futuna and Wallis Islands, stepping stones to Polynesia. Pacific Insects 9.4: 563-584.
• Wilson EO, Taylor RW. 1967. The ants of Polynesia. Pacific Insects Monograph 14:1-109.
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