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Pheidole triplex
| Pheidole triplex | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Attini |
| Genus: | Pheidole |
| Species: | P. triplex |
| Binomial name | |
| Pheidole triplex Wilson, 2003 | |
The type colony was found in mature montane rainforest, nesting beneath a rock in clay soil. A seed cache was present. (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: -0.631944444° to -0.6383°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Ecuador, Trinidad and Tobago (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. |
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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.
- triplex. Pheidole triplex Wilson, 2003: 767 (s.w.) TRINIDAD.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
DIAGNOSIS Major: virtually identical with Pheidole subarmata major except for its much smaller size (HW about 0.8 mm versus more than 0.9 mm in subarmata) and strikingly different color (see below). Stefan Cover, who has examined this species and subarmata in detail, reports that the head of the triplex major is also slightly narrower.
Minor: virtually identical with Pheidole subarmata minor except for its strikingly different color (see below). Another possible difference is habitat: the triplex types were collected in mature mountain rainforest, while subarmata prefers open, even disturbed habitats.
MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.80, HL 1.06, SL 0.44, EL 0.12, PW 0.46. Paratype minor: HW 0.42, HL 0.46, SL 0.42, EL 0.09, PW 0.28.
COLOR Major: strongly tricolorous, with head and mandibles uniformly medium brown; mesosoma, waist, and appendages yellow; and gaster light brown.
Minor: concolorous clear light yellow.
Type Material
TRINIDAD: Aripo Ridge, Arima Valley, 550-650 m, col. Stefan Cover and Mark W. Moffett. Museum of Comparative Zoology
Etymology
L triplex, three parts, referring to the tricolorous condition of the major.
References
- Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 767, major, minor described)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Mertl A. L., J. F. A. Traniello, K. Ryder Wilkie, and R. Constantino. 2012. Associations of two ecologically significant social insect taxa in the litter of an amazonian rainforest: is there a relationship between ant and termite species richness? Psyche doi:10.1155/2012/312054