Pheidole zoceana

Pheidole zoceana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Pheidole
Species:	P. zoceana
Binomial name
	Pheidole zoceana; Santschi, 1925 Specimen Labels

This species occurs along forest edges in hilly and mountainous areas, and nests in the soil.

Identification

Eguchi (2008) - This species is distinguished among Indo-Chinese species by the combination of the following characteristics: in the major frontal carina absent or inconspicuous (present just as rugulae); in the major median and submedian processes of hypostoma conspicuous; in the major and minor promesonotal dome in lateral view at most with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope; in the minor dorsum of head punctured; in the minor lateral face of promesonotal dome largely smooth; in the minor propodeal spine elongate-triangular.

The major of P. zoceana is morphologically very similar to that of Pheidole parva Mayr and Pheidole rabo Forel, but the minor of the former is distinguished from that of the latter two in which promesonotal dome is punctured entirely.

Keys including this Species

Key to the Pheidole of North Vietnam

Distribution

Known from Vietnam, China and Thailand.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 21.96608333° to 21.85805556°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: Thailand, Vietnam.
Palaearctic Region: China (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.

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.

Biology

Castes

Liu, C. et al. 2020. Ants of the Hengduan Mountains, Figure 95, Pheidole zoceana, minor.
Liu, C. et al. 2020. Ants of the Hengduan Mountains, Figure 96, Pheidole zoceana, major.

Worker

Images from AntWeb


Syntype of Pheidole zoceana. Worker. Specimen code casent0913374. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by NHMB, Basel, Switzerland.

Nomenclature

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

zoceana. Pheidole nodgii var. zoceana Santschi, 1925f: 83 (s.w.) CHINA (name misspelled as noggii). Raised to species: Eguchi, Yamane & Zhou, 2007: 280. See also: Eguchi, 2008: 110.

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

Description

Worker

Eguchi (2008) - Major (n=4). — HL 1.09–1.20 mm; HW 0.93–1.12 mm; CI 85–93; SL 0.44–0.53 mm; SI 47–49; FL 0.65–0.67 mm; FI 59–70. Minor (n=4). — HL 0.44–0.52 mm; HW 0.38–0.46 mm; CI 86–91; SL 0.41–0.46 mm; SI 97–108; FL 0.44–0.50 mm; FI 105–116.

Major — Head in lateral view not or weakly impressed on vertex; frons longitudinally rugose; anterior part of vertex longitudinally rugose or reticulate; posterior part of vertex and dorsal and dorsolateral faces of vertexal lobe reticulate; frontal carina absent or inconspicuous (present just as rugulae); antennal scrobe absent; median longitudinal carina of clypeus absent, or present but weak; submedian and lateral processes of hypostoma conspicuous; median process relatively developed but lower than submedian processes; outer surface of mandible (excluding area around the base) smooth or dimly rugose, sparsely bearing (very) short appressed hairs; antenna with a 3-segmented club; maximal diameter of eye longer than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome in lateral view at most with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope; humerus of the dome weakly produced laterad; the dome at the humeri a little broader than or almost as broad as at the bottom. Petiole much longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole not massive. First gastral tergite smooth and shining except punctured area around its articulation with postpetiole, or rugoso-punctrued largely.

Minor — Dorsum of head punctured, and often overlain by weak rugoso-reticulation; preoccipital carina inconspicuous or absent dorsally; median part of clypeus smooth or weakly rugoso-reticulate; median longitudinal carina very weak to weak, or absent; antenna with a 3-segmented club; scape usually exceeding posterior margin of head by the half length of antennal segment II or more; maximal diameter of eye almost as long as antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome in lateral view at most with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope; mediodorsal part of the dome variable in sculpture, dimly punctured to smooth sometimes with several rugulae, or rugoso-reticulate but never punctured densely; lateral face of the dome largely smooth; humeral area of the dome rugoso-reticulate or rugoso-punctate, in dorso-oblique view not or weakly produced; mesopleuron, metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum punctured, or sometimes smooth partly; propodeal spine elongate-triangular. Petiole much longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole not massive.

Type Material

Eguchi (2008) - Syntypes: 3 majors & 7 minors, “Chine, Zo-ce, V. Piel, 19.7.24” [China], Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel, examined.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Bui T.V., and K. Eguchi. 2003. Ant survey in Hoang Lien Son Nature Reserve, Lao Cai, N. Vietnam. ANeT Newsletter 5: 4-11.
Chapman, J. W., and Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327
Eguchi K. 2008. A revision of Northern Vietnamese species of the ant genus Pheidole (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Zootaxa 1902: 1-118.
Eguchi K., S. Yamane, and S.Y. Zho. 2007. Taxonomic revision of the Pheidole rinae Emery complex. Sociobiology 50 (1): 275-284.
Eguchi K.; Bui T. V.; Yamane S. 2011. Generic synopsis of the Formicidae of Vietnam (Insecta: Hymenoptera), part I Myrmicinae and Pseudomyrmecinae. Zootaxa 2878: 1-61.
Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
Hua Li-zhong. 2006. List of Chinese insects Vol. IV. Pages 262-273. Sun Yat-sen university Press, Guangzhou. 539 pages.
Li Z.h. 2006. List of Chinese Insects. Volume 4. Sun Yat-sen University Press
Liu C, B. Guénard, F Hita Garcia, S. Yamane, B. Blanchard, and E. Economo. New records of ant species from Yunnan, China. Submitted to Zookeys
Pan Y.S. 2007. Systematic Study on the Ant Genera Pheidole Westwood and Aphaenogaster Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formincidae : Myrmicinae) In China. Guangxi Normal University, Guangxi, China. 73 pages.
Santschi F. 1925. Contribution à la faune myrmécologique de la Chine. Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles 56: 81-96.
Wheeler W. M. 1930. A list of the known Chinese ants. Peking Natural History Bulletin 5: 53-81.