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Pheidole speculifera ascara
| Pheidole speculifera ascara | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Attini |
| Genus: | Pheidole |
| Species: | P. speculifera |
| Subspecies: | P. speculifera ascara |
| Trinomial name | |
| Pheidole speculifera ascara Emery, 1901 | |
Taylor et al. (2018) observed this taxon in a Mangifera indica (mango) orchard in Benin, as prey of Oecophylla longinoda.
Identification
A member of the speculifera species group.
Distribution
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Benin, Eritrea, Ethiopia (type locality), Kenya.
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.
- ascara. Pheidole speculifera var. ascarus Emery, 1901e: 62 (s.) ETHIOPIA. Santschi, 1930c: 268 (w.m.).
Taxonomic Notes
Taylor et al. (2018) note that the type of this taxon is darker red-brown than Pheidole speculifera, has distinctly dark mandibles, a more ovoid head in full face view and a deeper occipital impression. Because of these differences they propose treating this taxon as a full species. However, this has not been accepted by later authors.
Description
References
- Emery, C. 1901e. Spicilegio mirmecologico. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 33: 57-63 (page 62, soldier described)
- Santschi, F. 1930c. Trois notes myrmécologiques. Bull. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 70: 263-270 (page 268, worker, male described)
- Taylor, B., Agoinon, N., Sinzogan, A., Adandonon, A., Kouaguou, Y. N., Bello, S., Wargui, R., Anato, F., Ouagoussounon, I., Houngbo, H., Tchibozo, S., Todjihounde, R., Vayssieres, J.F. 2018. Records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Republic of Benin, with particular reference to the mango farm ecosystem. Journal of Insect Biodiversity 8(1): 6-29 (doi:10.12976/jib/2018.08.1.2).