Pheidole gilvescens

In southern California, Snelling and George (1979) found gilvescens common at 150–1500 m in grassland, creosote bush scrub, wash woodlands, and joshua tree woodlands. Small crater nests are built in sand and are often surrounded by chaff. The colonies contain up to 500 workers. The ants are primarily granivorous but also collect arthropods, apparently as scavengers. Repletes are occasionally found. Foraging begins at dusk, continues through the night, and ends early in the morning. Winged queens have been found in nests in late May, and males in May and September. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Creighton and Gregg (1955) and Wheeler and Wheeler (1986) report the species (and I have mostly confirmed) as occurring from south-central Arizona through southern Nevada to the eastern slope of the California Sierras. (Wilson 2003)

This taxon was described from the United States.

Nomenclature

 *  gilvescens. Pheidole gilvescens Creighton & Gregg, 1955: 5 (s.w.) U.S.A. [First available use of Pheidole xerophila subsp. tucsonica var. gilvescens Wheeler, W.M. 1908e: 448; unavailable name.] See also: Wilson, 2003: 577.

Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS A small, large-eyed member of the pilifera group, close to Pheidole xerophila and distinguished from it as follows.

Major: body almost entirely reddish yellow; postpetiolar node transversely oval in shape; sides of pronotum carinulate.

Minor: entirely yellow (as opposed to yellowish brown).

With xerophila, the entire head of the major tapers conspicuously from midlevel to the occiput in side view.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.42, HL 1.48, SL 0.66, EL 0.22, PW 0.66. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.58, HL 0.80, SL 0.52, EL 0.18, PW 0.32.

COLOR Major: body and appendages dark reddish yellow; gaster partly light brown.

Minor: body medium yellow, appendages pale yellow.



'''Figure. Lectotype, major. Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Material
and - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
From Wilson (2003): ARIZONA: Tucson, col. W. M. Wheeler.

Etymology
L gilvescens, pale yellow, pertaining to the color of the minor, distinguishing the species from Pheidole xerophila. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Creighton, W. S. and R. E. Gregg. 1955. New and little-known species of Pheidole (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Univ. Colo. Stud. Ser. Biol. 3: 1–46.

Snelling, R. R. and C. D. George. 1979. The taxonomy, distribution and ecology of California desert ants. Report to California Desert Plan Program, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Dept. Interior., 335 + 89 pp.

Wheeler, G. C. and J. Wheeler. 1986. The Ants of Nevada. Los Angeles: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, vii + 138 pp.

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