Pheidole microgyna

P. microgyna appears to be a social parasite of Pheidole minutula. The latter species is abundant in the Amazonian and Guianan rainforests of South America, where it nests in the swollen leaf bases of the melastome understory shrub Maieta guianensis. In an earlier analysis (Wilson 1984b), I pointed out that microgyna may have its own workers, which are anatomically somewhat different from those of minutula, or workers identifiable as minutula. This circumstance suggests that microgyna is a temporary social parasite of minutula or some related free-living species. The small size of the microgyna queens also suggests such a life cycle. However, the status of this unusual form will not be solved until additional collections are made, preferably with field observations, allowing the taxonomy of the minutula complex to be more fully clarified. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Only known from the type locality.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Guyana.

Nomenclature

 *  microgyna. Pheidole microgyna Wheeler, W.M. 1928b: 186 (w.q.m.) GUYANA. See also: Wilson, 1984: 323; Wilson, 2003: 456.

Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS A member of the flavens group similar to Pheidole minutula but the queen much smaller, close in size to the worker caste of minutula. Body form as illustrated above.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Lectotype queen: HW 0.46, HL 0.48, SL 0.40, EL 0.20, PW 0.36.

COLOR Concolorous light reddish brown, appendages yellowish brown.



'''Figure. Lectotype, queen. Outline of frontal view of head of minutula worker shown to left of that of the queen. Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Locality Information
GUYANA: Kartabo. (Wilson 2003)

Etymology
Gr microgyna, small female. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Wheeler, W. M. 1928b. Mermis parasitism and intercastes among ants. J. Exp. Zool. 50: 165–237.

Wilson, E. O. 1984b. Tropical social parasites in the ant genus Pheidole, with an analysis of the anatomical parasitic syndrome (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Ins. Soc. 31: 316–334.

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