Anisopheidole

These ants, which are limited to drier areas of Australia, can be locally common, nesting in open soil or under rocks. Although little is known about their biology they are thought to be specialist predators on termites.

Identification
The antennae are 12 segmented (including the scape). The front margin of the clypeus has short to long hairs which straddle the mid-line of the head and lacks a single central hair or seta. The eyes are small, with at most 5 facets (ommatidia) in their greatest diameter. The upper surface of the propodeum is approximately even with the pronotum and mesonotum, so that the upper surface of the mesosoma forms a uniform arch interrupted only by the shallow metanotal groove. The size of workers is highly variable between majors and minors (polymorphic).

Anisopheidole is most similar to species of Adlerzia, Machomyrma or possibly Pheidole because of the generally similar body size and shape and the presence of major workers. They can be separated by their 12 segmented antennae, very small eyes, relatively flat upper surface of the mesosoma and the polymorphic worker caste.

Species richness
Species richness by country based on regional taxon lists (countries with darker colours are more species-rich). View Data



Nomenclature

 *  ANISOPHEIDOLE [Myrmicinae: Pheidolini]
 * Anisopheidole Forel, 1914c: 616 (footnote) [as subgenus of Pheidole]. Type-species: Pheidole froggatti (junior synonym of Atta antipodum), by monotypy.
 * [Anisopheidole also described as new by Forel, 1915b: 61.]
 * Anisopheidole raised to genus: Ettershank, 1966: 129.

Additional References

 * Bolton, B. (1994) Identification guide to the ant genera of the world. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. 222 pp.
 * Ettershank, G. (1966) A generic revision of the world Myrmicinae related to Solenopsis and Pheidologeton (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Australian Journal of Zoology, 14: 73–171.
 * Forel, A. (1914) Einige amerikanische Ameisen. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, 1914: 615–620.
 * Greenslade, P. J. M. (1979) A guide to ants of South Australia. Adelaide: South Australian Museum (Special Educational Bulletin Series). 44 pp.
 * Kugler, C. (1986) Stings of ants of the tribe Pheidologetini (Myrmicinae). Insecta Mundi, 1: 221–230.