Pheidole spilota

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

Pheidole spilota jtlc000016537 p 1 high.jpg

Pheidole spilota jtlc000016537 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Nothing is known about the biology of spilota.

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Only known from the type locality.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 4.85° to 4.85°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Colombia (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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.

  • spilota. Pheidole spilota Wilson, 2003: 233, figs. (s.w.) COLOMBIA.

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

Description

A member of the diligens group similar in various characters to Pheidole coffeicola, Pheidole gagates, Pheidole hoelldobleri, Pheidole insipida, Pheidole peregrina, Pheidole venatrix and Pheidole zelata distinguished as follows.

Major: head yellowish brown with a light brown spot on vertex; antennal scape fails to reach occipital corner by about its own maximum width; mesonotal convexity angulate in side view; propodeal spine stout and a third as long as the basal propodeal face; no rugoreticulum on head; carinulae along frontal carinae spread strongly outward, and those next to dorsal midline reach the occiput; anterior median strip of first gastral tergite lightly shagreened; body densely covered with hairs as long as the eyes or longer.

Minor: yellow; occiput narrowed, with nuchal crest; posterior dorsal head surface sparsely foveolate; mesonotal convexity in side view subangulate.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.16, HL 1.18, SL 0.96, EL 0.20, PW 0.56. Paratype minor: HW 0.60, HL 0.76, SL 0.92, EL 0.14, PW 0.40.

COLOR Major: concolorous yellowish brown, with a slightly contrasting small light brown spot on vertex; also, posterior strips of gastral tergites light brown.

Minor: concolorous dark yellow.


Pheidole spilota Wilson 2003.jpg

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

Type Material

COLOMBIA: Las Salinas, near Restrepo, Meta, col. W. W. Lamar. Museum of Comparative Zoology

Etymology

Gr spilota, spotted, stained, with reference to spot on vertex.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Wilson E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, [ix] + 794 pp.