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Pheidole ursus
| Pheidole ursus | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Attini |
| Genus: | Pheidole |
| Species: | P. ursus |
| Binomial name | |
| Pheidole ursus Mayr, 1870
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| Synonyms | |
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The Teoviscocla minor worker figured was collected in tropical forest with plantings of coffee. (Wilson 2003)
Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 19.1897222° to 9.5802747°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico (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
Worker
Minor
Images from AntWeb
  
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| Worker. Specimen code inbiocri001280928. Photographer J. Longino, uploaded by University of Utah. | Owned by JTLC. |
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- ursus. Pheidole ursus Mayr, 1870b: 986 (s.w.) MEXICO. Senior synonym of cressoni, gracilinoda: Brown, 1981: 528. See also: Wilson, 2003: 773.
- cressoni. Macromischa cressoni André, 1887: 296 (w.) MEXICO. Combination in Aphaenogaster: Emery, 1896a: 103; in Pheidole: Emery, 1915d: 67. Junior synonym of ursus: Brown, 1981: 528.
- gracilinoda. Pheidole ursus var. gracilinoda Forel, 1904d: 172 (w.) MEXICO. Junior synonym of ursus: Brown, 1981: 528.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS A very large, unique species similar in various traits to Pheidole horribilis, Pheidole minax, Pheidole terribilis and Pheidole macromischoides.
Major: very long propodeal spine, largely rugoreticulate surface of the meso soma and dorsal surface of the head, shallowly concave profile of the posterior half of the head in side view, completely foveolate and opaque surfaces of the gastral tergites.
Minor: extremely long propodeal spine and petiolar peduncle, rugoreticulate promesonotum, and somewhat narrowed occiput with a thin nuchal collar.
MEASUREMENTS (mm) Syntype major: HW 2.64, HL 2.54, SL 1.22, EL 0.26, PW 1.02. Minor: HW 0.88, HL 0.86, SL 1.00, EL 0.18, PW 0.60.
COLOR Major: body and appendages dark to blackish brown.
Minor: body concolorous blackish brown with reddish overtones; appendages, including mandibles, a lighter shade of medium reddish brown; tarsi yellowish brown.
Figure. Upper: syntype, major. Mexico, no further locality (collected by "Prof. Bilimek"). Lower: minor. MEXICO: Santa Teoviscocia, near Cuichapa, Veracruz, 1600 m (col. Cornell University Mexico Field Party, August 1960). Scale bars = 1 mm.
Type Material
Mexico, col. Prof. Bilimek. Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna and Museum of Comparative Zoology - as reported in Wilson (2003)
Etymology
L ursus, bear, undoubtedly alluding to the large, rough-surface properties and dark color of the major. (Wilson 2003)
References
- Brown, W. L., Jr. 1981. Preliminary contributions toward a revision of the ant genus Pheidole (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Part I. J. Kans. Entomol. Soc. 54: 523-530 (page 528, senior synonym of cressoni and gracilinoda)
- Mayr, G. 1870b. Neue Formiciden. Verh. K-K. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 20: 939-996 (page 986, soldier, worker described)
- Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 773, fig. major, minor described)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Ahuatzin D. A., E. J. Corro, A. Aguirre Jaimes, J. E. Valenzuela Gonzalez, R. Machado Feitosa, M. Cezar Ribeiro, J. Carlos Lopez Acosta, R. Coates, W. Dattilo. 2019. Forest cover drives leaf litter ant diversity in primary rainforest remnants within human-modified tropical landscapes. Biodiversity and Conservation 28(5): 1091-1107.
- Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
- Horvitz, C.C. and A.J. Beattie. 1980. Ant Dispersal of Calathea (Marantaceae) Seeds by Carnivorous Ponerines (Formicidae) in a Tropical Rain Forest. American Journal of Botany 67(3):321-326.
- Longino J. T. L., and M. G. Branstetter. 2018. The truncated bell: an enigmatic but pervasive elevational diversity pattern in Middle American ants. Ecography 41: 1-12.
- Longino J. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/
- Smith M. A., W. Hallwachs, D. H. Janzen. 2014. Diversity and phylogenetic community structure of ants along a Costa Rican elevational gradient. Ecography 37(8): 720-731.
- Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133