Pheidole vigilans

Pheidole vigilans
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Pheidole
Species:	P. vigilans
Binomial name
Pheidole vigilans (Smith, F., 1858) Specimen labels
Synonyms
Pheidole ampla norfolkensis Wheeler, W.M., 1927 Pheidole ampla parallela Forel, 1902 Pheidole ampla yarrensis Forel, 1902 Pheidole dolichocephala André, 1896 Pheidole vinelandica nebrascensis Forel, 1922

At a Glance

• Limited invasive

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (type locality), New Zealand, Norfolk Island.

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.

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.

Castes

.	Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Images from AntWeb

Worker. Specimen code casent0172952. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MCZ, Cambridge, MA, USA.

Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0172953. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MCZ, Cambridge, MA, USA.

Worker. Specimen code casent0172954. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MCZ, Cambridge, MA, USA.

Male (alate). Specimen code casent0172955. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MCZ, Cambridge, MA, USA.

Nomenclature

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

• vigilans. Atta vigilans Smith, F. 1858b: 166 (w.) AUSTRALIA. Combination in Aphaenogaster: Dalla Torre, 1893:108; in Pheidole: Emery, 1915d: 69. Senior synonym of dolichocephala, norfolkensis, parallela, yarrensis: Brown, 1971b: 13.
• dolichocephala. Pheidole dolichocephala André, 1896b: 262 (s.) AUSTRALIA. Junior synonym of vigilans: Brown, 1971b: 13.
• parallela. Pheidole ampla var. parallela Forel, 1902h: 435 (s.w.m.) AUSTRALIA. Junior synonym of vigilans: Brown, 1971b: 13.
• yarrensis. Pheidole ampla var. yarrensis Forel, 1902h: 434 (s.w.q.) AUSTRALIA. Junior synonym of vigilans: Brown, 1971b: 13.
• norfolkensis. Pheidole ampla subsp. norfolkensis Wheeler, W.M. 1927i: 134, fig. 3 (s.w.) AUSTRALIA. Donisthorpe, 1941e: 91 (q.m.). Junior synonym of vigilans: Brown, 1971b: 13.

Type Material

• Atta vigilans Smith, 1858: Syntype, worker(s), Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, The Natural History Museum and Museum of Comparative Zoology.
• Pheidole ampla norfolkensis Wheeler, 1927: Syntype, 3 workers, Norfolk Island, Australia, Museum of Comparative Zoology.
• Pheidole ampla parallela Forel, 1902: Syntype, 1 worker, New South Wales, Australia, Australian National Insect Collection.
• Pheidole ampla parallela Forel, 1902: Syntype, worker(s), male(s), New South Wales, Australia, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève.
• Pheidole ampla yarrensis Forel, 1902: Syntype, worker(s), queen(s), Yarra districts, Victoria, Australia, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève.
• Pheidole dolichocephala André, 1896: Syntype, worker(s), Western Australia, Australia, Musee National d'Histoire Naturelle.

References

• André, E. 1896d. Fourmis nouvelles d'Asie et d'Australie. Rev. Entomol. (Caen) 15: 251-265.
• Borysenko, L.H. 2022. The male of the ant genus Rhopalothrix (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Neotropical Entomology 51, 413–422 (doi:10.1007/s13744-022-00947-w).
• Brown, W. L., Jr. 1971b. The identity and synonymy of Pheidole vigilans, a common ant of southeastern Australia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). J. Aust. Entomol. Soc. 10: 13-14. (page 13, senior synonym of dolichocephala, norfolkensis, parallela and yarrensis)
• Dalla Torre, K. W. von. 1893. Catalogus Hymenopterorum hucusque descriptorum systematicus et synonymicus. Vol. 7. Formicidae (Heterogyna). Leipzig: W. Engelmann, 289 pp. (page 108, Combination in Aphaenogaster)
• Emery, C. 1915k. Definizione del genere Aphaenogaster e partizione di esso in sottogeneri. Parapheidole e Novomessor nn. gg. Rend. Sess. R. Accad. Sci. Ist. Bologna Cl. Sci. Fis. (n.s.) 19: 67-75 (page 69, Combination in Pheidole)
• Heterick, B.E. 2021. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part I: Systematics. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 86, 1-245 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2021.001-245).
• Heterick, B.E. 2022. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part II: Distribution and biology. Records of the Western Australian Museum, supplement 86: 247-510 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2022.247-510).
• Sarnat, E. M., G. Fischer, B. Guenard, and E. P. Economo. 2015. Introduced Pheidole of the world: taxonomy, biology and distribution. Zookeys. 1-109. doi:10.3897/zookeys.543.6050
• Smith, F. 1858b. Catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae. London: British Museum, 216 pp. (page 166, worker described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Brown W. L., Jr. 1971. The identity and synonymy of Pheidole vigilans, a common ant of southeastern Australia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). J. Aust. Entomol. Soc. 10: 13-14.
• Taylor R. W. 1987. A checklist of the ants of Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) Division of Entomology Report 41: 1-92.
• Taylor R. W., and D. R. Brown. 1985. Formicoidea. Zoological Catalogue of Australia 2: 1-149.