Suggested synonyms:
= Pheidole ebenina Wilson 2003
Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
|
|
|
|
|
|
Identification
Minor worker: head length 0.39mm, head width 0.35mm, scape length 0.34mm, Webers length 0.46mm (n=1). Head flattened and somewhat excavate behind; mesonotal suture absent, promesonotum evenly arched; pronotum with a single transverse carina at anterior border (Figure: small file, large file); propodeal spines very short; face smooth and shining; mesosoma largely smooth and shining, with a few puncta around margins of katepisternum, between propodeal spiracle and spine, and on propodeal dorsum; gaster smooth and shining; dorsal pilosity sparse (8-10 setae on promesonotum), of moderate length, flexuous; color dark brown.
Major worker: head length 0.83mm, head width 0.74mm, scape length 0.40mm (n=1). Anterior half of face with subparallel, longitudinal rugae; rest of face smooth and shining; hypostomal margin gently curved, with small median tooth; on some specimens there are two small teeth about one half distance to recessed teeth flanking mandible bases (Figure), on others these lateral teeth are lacking (Figure); dorsal pilosity abundant; head with abundant, short setae projecting from sides of head in face view.
Range
Costa Rica (type locality), Colombia, Ecuador. Costa Rica: Atlantic lowlands and mid-elevation slopes.
Natural History
Inhabits mature wet forest leaf litter; nests in dead wood on forest floor.
Selected Records
Winkler and Berlese samples from La Selva, Braulio Carrillo National Park (300m), Penas Blancas Valley.
La Selva: Small nest under loose bark on rotten log; rotten sections soft, soil-like.
La Selva: Nest in dead wood on top of large rotten log.
La Selva: Mature forest; under loose bark of rotten log at side of trail.
Braulio Carrillo National Park (500m): mature wet forest; nest in rotten wood.
Comments
Sep'08: The collection at MCZ contains several series from Colombia and one from Ecuador that closely match the morphology of P. laselva, and we identify them as such for now. All of them are from montane areas, above 500m, instead of lowland rainforest like the Costa Rican population.
Page authors:
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA. longinoj@evergreen.edu
Stefan Cover, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138 USA. scover@oeb.harvard.edu
Go back to top
