Mesosoma of minor worker.
Face of major worker.
Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
|
|
|
Range
Costa Rica: Atlantic lowlands.
Identification
With same characters as P. indagatrix, but major worker with yellow head. Minor workers tend to have the nuchal collar thinner relative to indagatrix.
Similar species: indagatrix.
Natural History
This species is arboreal at La Selva Biological Station. It is known from two canopy fogging samples and one collection of major and minor workers on a recent treefall.
Comments
This appears to be an arboreal version of Pheidole indagatrix. The most distinctive separatory character is the yellow head of the major. All P. indagatrix majors have dark brown heads. I cannot reliably distinguish minor workers of indagatrix, JTL-153, and JTL-154.
Pheidole rubiceps is an indagatrix-like species from Venezuela that has a contrasting read head. But the minor worker of this species has a flared nuchal collar.
Literature Cited
Kempf, W. W. 1972. Catalogo abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical. Studia Entomologica 15:3-344.
Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A Dominant, Hyperdiverse Ant Genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA. longinoj@evergreen.edu
Go back to top