Pheidole metallescens

From Wilson (2003): Naves (1985) reports metallescens as common in Florida, preferring to nest in the shade of trees. Nests are in the soil, surrounded by small craters of excavated earth, and comprising small chambers connected by a central vertical gallery to a depth of up to 40 cm. Each colony has a single queen. The minor workers, often accompanied by majors, collect small grass seeds and scavenge for dead arthropods. In Texas, Stefan Cover found the species in similar habitats, nesting variously in the soil and in rotting logs.

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
From central Florida through the Gulf States to Oklahoma and southern Texas. (Wilson 2003)

This taxon was described from the United States.

Nomenclature

 *  metallescens. Pheidole metallescens Emery, 1895c: 294 (w.) U.S.A. Wheeler, W.M. 1908e: 476 (s.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1960b: 12 (l.). Senior synonym of splendidula: Wilson, 2003: 453.
 * splendidula. Pheidole metallescens subsp. splendidula Wheeler, W.M. 1908e: 474, pl. 26, figs. 20, 21 (s.w.q.m.) U.S.A. Junior synonym of metallescens: Wilson, 2003: 453.

Description
DIAGNOSIS From Wilson (2003): A distinctive species, similar in some traits to Pheidole ceibana, Pheidole harrisonfordi and Pheidole lignicola, distinguished as follows.

Major: reddish brown; occiput rugoreticulate, with the reticulum extending partway anteriorly down the side of the head to near the eye, and another, small patch of rugoreticulum occurs between the eye and antennal fossa on each side; humerus prominent, subangulate from above and lobate in dorsal-oblique view; propodeal spine long and thin; postpetiole wide and elliptical from above, and with subangulate anterior ventral margin.

Minor: body blackish with bluish reflections; often most of mesosoma foveolate and opaque.

Minors of some series have entirely foveate heads and may represent a distinct species.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Major (Archbold Station, Florida): HW 0.84, HL 0.94, SL 0.42, EL 0.12, PW 0.44. Minor (Archbold Station): HW 0.42, HL 0.46, SL 0.40, EL 0.10, PW 0.26.

COLOR Major: bicolored, with head and appendages light reddish brown, and rest of body medium to dark brown.

Minor: body concolorous blackish brown, with metallic bluish reflections; central parts of femora and tibiae medium brown; distal and proximal portions brownish yellow.



'''Figure. Upper: major. Lower: minor. FLORIDA: Archbold Station, near Sebring, Highlands Co. Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Material
- as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
St. George (Cape or Island), Florida. (Wilson 2003)

Etymology
L metallescens, metallic, alluding to the gun-metal blue reflections from the body of the minor. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Emery, C. 1895d. Beiträge zur Kenntniss der nordamerikanischen Ameisenfauna. (Schluss). Zool. Jahrb. Abt. Syst. Geogr. Biol. Tiere 8: 257–360.

Naves, M. A. 1985. A monograph of the genus Pheidole in Florida, USA (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Insecta Mundi 1: 53–90.

Text and images from this publication used by permission of the author.