Pheidole fimbriata

An inhabitant of tropical forests. At La Selva, Costa Rica, Longino (1997) found large numbers of minors and majors foraging at night over the ground from a soil nest. An incipient colony was discovered in a dead stick on the forest floor. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
One of the most widespread of all Neotropical ant species, recorded from Veracruz, Mexico, through Central and South America (including Trinidad) to Misiones, northern Argentina. (Wilson 2003)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela.

Nomenclature

 * diversa. Pheidole diversa Smith, F. 1860c: 74 (s.w.) BRAZIL. Junior synonym of fimbriata: Kempf, 1965: 183.
 *  fimbriata. Pheidole fimbriata Roger, 1863a: 196 (s.) "Rio Paraguay". Mayr, 1887: 598 (w.). Combination in P. (Macropheidole): Emery, 1915i: 190. Senior synonym of diversa, smithii (unnecessary replacement name): Kempf, 1965: 183; of tucumana: Wilson, 2003: 690. [Apparently senior synonym of soesilae.]
 * smithii. Pheidole smithii Dalla Torre, 1892: 90. [Unnecessary replacement name for diversa.] Junior synonym of fimbriata: Kempf, 1965: 183.
 * tucumana. Pheidole fimbriata var. tucumana Forel, 1913l: 228 (s.) ARGENTINA. Forel, 1915c: 355 (w.). Combination in P. (Macropheidole): Emery, 1921f: 81. Junior synonym of fimbriata: Wilson, 2003: 690.

Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS A very large, small-eyed species immediately recognizable in the major by the dense fringe of short, suberect to erect hairs on the petiolar peduncle and entire venters of the petiole and postpetiole; the concave profile of the posterior dorsum of the head in side view; the large, stout propodeal spines; and the spinose postpetiolar node.

Minor: very small eyes, angular humerus in dorsal-oblique view, and with a fringe of short hairs on venter of petiole.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Major (Benjamin Constant, Brazil): HW 2.60, HL 2.88, SL 1.20, EL 0.20, PW 1.06. Minor (Benjamin Constant): HW 0.84, HL 0.90, SL 0.84, EL 0.06, PW 0.52.

COLOR Major: medium to dark reddish brown.

Minor: concolorous brownish yellow.



'''Figure. Upper: major. Lower: minor. BRAZIL: Benjamin Constant, Amazonas, col. W. L. Brown. Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Material
Possibly either Mus. Naturkunde Humboldt-Univ. Berlin, or Paris Museum; not located in this study. (Wilson 2003)

Type Locality Information
Rio Paraguay. (Wilson 2003)

Etymology
L fimbriata, fringed, probably alluding to the pilosity on the venter of the waist. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Roger, J. 1863. Die neu aufgeführten Gattungen und Arten meines Formiciden-Verzeichnisses nebst Ergänzung einiger früher gegebenen Beschreibungen. Berl. Entomol. Z. 7: 131–214.

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