Pheidole littoralis

Naves (1985) and Stefan Cover (unpublished) found littoralis very common nesting in white-sand scrub at the Archbold Field Station near Lake Placid, Florida, and close to colonies of Pheidole adrianoi and Pheidole metallescens. The excavations are relatively very deep, beneath crescentic crater mounds, and the colonies small. A granary chamber filled with seeds is always found 10 to 20 cm beneath the surface. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Apparently limited to central Florida. (Wilson 2003)

This taxon was described from the United States.

Nomenclature

 *  littoralis. Pheidole sitarches subsp. littoralis Cole, 1952b: 443 (s.w.) U.S.A. Raised to species: Naves, 1985: 64. See also: Wilson, 2003: 581.

Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS L littoralis, of the shore, referring to the habitat at the type locality.

A member of the “pilifera complex” of the larger pilifera group, comprising Pheidole calens, Pheidole californica, Pheidole carrolli, Pheidole cavigenis, Pheidole clementensis, Pheidole creightoni, Pheidole hoplitica, Pheidole littoralis, Pheidole micula, Pheidole pilifera, Pheidole polymorpha, Pheidole rugulosa, Pheidole senex, Pheidole soritis, Pheidole tepicana and Pheidole torosa, which complex is characterized by the following traits. Major: dorsal head surface extensively sculptured; occipital lobes horizontally rugulose (or, in carrolli smooth, in littoralis foveate, and in micula and soritis carinulate; postpetiole from above diamond-shaped, trapezoidal, or spinose. Minor: eye medium-sized to large.

P. littoralis is easily distinguished within the complex by the following combination of traits.

Major: occiput not rugulose, but covered with conspicuous foveae; anterior and lateral margins of pronotum rugoreticulate; mesonotum longitudinally carinulate; triangular subpostpetiolar process present; postpetiole from above diamond-shaped.

Minor: most of head, mesosoma, and waist foveolate and opaque.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Paratype major: HW 1.40, HL 1.52, SL 0.56, EL 0.20, PW 0.58. Paratype minor: HW 0.58, HL 0.50, SL 0.42, EL 0.12, PW 0.28.

COLOR Major: gaster plain medium to dark brown; remainder of body, and appendages, reddish brown.

Minor: most of body light brown, with dark brown gaster and brownish yellow appendages.



'''Figure. Upper: paratype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Material
, and  - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
FLORIDA: Lido Beach, Sarasota. (Wilson 2003)

Etymology
L littoralis, of the shore, referring to the habitat at the type locality. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References

 * [[Media:Cole 1952b.pdf|Cole, A. C., Jr. 1952b. A new Pheidole (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Florida. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 45: 443-444 PDF]]

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.