Pheidole tuculutan

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Pheidole tuculutan
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Pheidole
Species: P. tuculutan
Binomial name
Pheidole tuculutan
Longino, 2019

Pheidole tuculutan CASENT0612793 p.jpg

Pheidole tuculutan CASENT0612793 d.jpg

Paratype Labels

This species is known from one site in Guatemala. It was an area of dry scrub habitat. Minor and major workers recruited to a ground bait placed in a stream gully.

Identification

Minor: face smooth and shiny; promesonotal groove absent; pronotal dorsum smooth and shiny, lateral pronotum smooth medially, foveolate peripherally, mesonotum weakly foveolate, dorsal face of propodeum foveolate, katepisternum foveolate; propodeal spines short, upturned, about one fifth length of posterior face of propodeum; gaster smooth and shining; mesosomal dorsum and gaster with abundant, short, stiff setae; tibiae without erect setae; color dark brown to black.

Major: inner hypostomal teeth present, closely spaced; scape base terete; antennal scrobes weakly impressed, not sharply delimited; head elongate, subrectangular; face mostly smooth and shiny, space between eye and antennal fossa foveolate, overlain with rugulae; medial frons between frontal carinae faintly foveolate, overlain with fine, widely spaced longitudinal carinulae; propodeal spines about one fifth length of posterior face of propodeum; gastral dorsum smooth and shining; sides of head with erect setae; dorsal mesosoma, gaster, and tibiae with abundant flexuous erect setae; color dark brown.

Measurements, minor worker: HW 0.47, HL 0.52, SL 0.41, EL 0.09, WL 0.62, PSL 0.04, PTW 0.10, PPW 0.14, CI 90, SI 88, PSLI 8, PPI 135 (n=4).

Measurements, major worker: HW 0.79, HL 1.22, SL 0.48, EL 0.13, WL 0.88, PSL 0.06, PTW 0.17, PPW 0.23, CI 65, SI 61, PSLI 8, PPI 136 (n=4).

This small, black species with very elongate head of the major is distinctive, not morphologically close to other species. In Economo et al. (2019) this species (as JTL201) is on a long branch, distantly related to other species. The closest relatives in that phylogeny bear little morphological resemblance.

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 15.04367° to 15.04367°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Guatemala (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.
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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

Worker

Minor

Images from AntWeb

Pheidole tuculutan CASENT0612788 h.jpgPheidole tuculutan CASENT0612788 p.jpgPheidole tuculutan CASENT0612788 d.jpgPheidole tuculutan CASENT0612788 l.jpg
ParatypeWorker (minor). Specimen code CASENT0612788. Photographer M. Pierce.

Nomenclature

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

  • tuculutan. Pheidole tuculutan Longino, 2019: 63, fig. 16 (w.) GUATEMALA.

Type Material

  • HOLOTYPE: 1 major worker, Guatemala, Zacapa: 7.5km NE Teculután, 15.04367 -89.67501 ±30 m, 475 m, 28-Jun-2009, stream gully in dry scrub, at bait (J. Longino, JTL6785-s) [MCZC, unique specimen identifier CASENT0612794].
  • PARATYPES: major, minor workers: same data as holotype [CAS, DZUP, JTLC, MCZC, USNM, UVGC].

Description

Etymology

From the type locality.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Longino J. T. 2019. Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Middle American wet forest. Zootaxa 4599: 1-126