Pheidole tetroides

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Pheidole tetroides
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Pheidole
Species: P. tetroides
Binomial name
Pheidole tetroides
Wilson, 2003

The types were attracted to a bait at night. (Wilson 2003)

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Only known from the type locality.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 22.38031° to 20.9113°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Mexico (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

AntMapLegend.png

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.
pChart

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.
pChart

Biology

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • tetroides. Pheidole tetroides Wilson, 2003: 352, figs. (s.w.) MEXICO.

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

Description

DIAGNOSIS A member of the fallax group resembling Pheidole chiapasana, Pheidole dentata, Pheidole humeridens, Pheidole industa, Pheidole laeviventris, Pheidole madrensis and Pheidole maja in various characters, distinguished as follows.

Major: in full-face view the occipital margin is deep, with a subangular nadir; rugoreticulum of head extends in a swath from eye to antennal fossa; carinulae of dorsal surface of head extend almost to midpoint between level of eyes and level of occiput, and foveolation extends well beyond the midpoint; humerus in dorsal-oblique view angulate, and pronotal profile bilobose; propodeal spines strongly developed; postpetiole from above elliptical, with angulate lateral margins; anterior and posterior margins of pronotal dorsum carinulate.

Minor: closely resembles that of tetra in the crassicornis group (q.v.).

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.16, HL 1.24, SL 0.76, EL 0.18, PW 0.64. Paratype minor: HW 0.56, HL 0.66, SL 0.76, EL 0.14, PW 0.40.

COLOR Major: light reddish brown except for gaster, which is medium reddish brown.

Minor: concolorous plain medium brown; appendages light brown, changing to yellow on the tarsi.


Pheidole tetroides Wilson 2003.jpg

Figure. Holotype, major. [Paratype minors closely resemble minors of Pheidole tetra (q.v.).] Scale bars = 1 mm.

Type Material

MEXICO: 38 km southeast of Tepic, Nayarit, 1220 m, col. R. J. Hamton. Museum of Comparative Zoology

Etymology

Gr tetroides, similar to Pheidole tetra.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
  • Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133
  • Wilson, E.O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A Dominant, Hyperdiverse Genus. Harvard University Press