Pheidole creightoni

William S. Creighton (in Gregg 1955) found 18 earthen nests of creightoni at the type locality, frequently near nests of the much larger ant Messor (= Veromessor) andrei. The entrances were surrounded by large rings of chaff, indicating that seeds are an important part of the diet. Tissue of freshly killed ground squirrels was also accepted by the majors and minors, which foraged in files. Soil nests have also been recorded on museum labels, in California by Diane W. Davidson and in Nevada by Philip S. Ward. Nuptial flights were recorded in August and September by Davidson and by Creighton respectively; they occurred about an hour before sunset. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Northern California to Oregon and Nevada. (Wilson 2003)

This taxon was described from the United States.

Nomenclature

 *  creightoni. Pheidole creightoni Gregg, 1955a: 19, pl. 2, figs. a-c; pl. 3, figs. a-c (s.w.q.m.) U.S.A. See also: Wilson, 2003: 573.

Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS A member of the “pilifera complex” of the larger pilifera group; for a characterization of the complex, see under Pheidole pilifera. P. creightoni is distinguished within the complex by the following combination of traits.

Major: occiput in side view very broad, as much as 1.5X the anterior cephalic capsule border; promesonotum forms a smooth, single convexity; petiolar node tapering to a blunt point in side view and with a deeply concave border seen from behind; postpetiole from above spinose.

Minor: yellowish brown; eye very large; humerus subangulate in dorsal-oblique view; petiolar node tapers to a blunt point in side view; postpetiole seen from above trapezoidal.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Paratype major: HW 1.22, HL 1.32, SL 0.58, EL 0.16, PW 0.48. Paratype minor: HW 0.54, HL 0.60, SL 0.52, EL 0.14, PW 0.32.

COLOR Major: most of body and head, as well as mandibles, light reddish yellow; gaster plain light brown; legs clear dark yellow.

Minor: body light yellowish brown, appendages clear dark yellow.



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

Type Material
- as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
OREGON: Applegate, Jackson Co. (Wilson 2003)

Etymology
Named after the pioneering American myrmecologist William S. Creighton. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
[[Media:Gregg 1955a.pdf|Gregg, R. E. 1955. A new species of ant belonging to the Pheidole pilifera complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Psyche (Camb.) 62: 19-28 PDF]]

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