Pheidole cyrtostela

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Pheidole cyrtostela
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Pheidole
Species: P. cyrtostela
Binomial name
Pheidole cyrtostela
Wilson, 2003

Pheidole cyrtostela casent0178014 profile 1.jpg

Pheidole cyrtostela casent0178014 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

The type colony was found nesting in the soil of grazed cerrado (tropical savanna); workers were attracted to bait. (Wilson 2003)

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Only known from the type locality.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -15.647° to -22.809943°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Argentina, Brazil (type locality), Paraguay.

Distribution based on AntMaps

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Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.
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Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.
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Biology

Castes

Worker

Minor

Images from AntWeb

Pheidole cyrtostela casent0178015 head 1.jpgPheidole cyrtostela casent0178015 profile 1.jpgPheidole cyrtostela casent0178015 dorsal 1.jpgPheidole cyrtostela casent0178015 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0178015. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by ALWC, Alex L. Wild Collection.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

  • cyrtostela. Pheidole cyrtostela Wilson, 2003: 184, figs. (s.w.) BRAZIL.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

With Pheidole camptostela, unique within Pheidole for the sharply bent petiole and depressed petiolar node, as seen from the side, in both major and minor. Distinguished from camptostela by the less exaggerated form of the petiolar modification, the presence of rugoreticulum on the head of the major, and the broader, less concave occiput of the minor.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.90, HL 0.92, SL 0.64, EL 0.16, PW 0.46. Paratype minor: HW 0.42, HL 0.52, SL 0.58, EL 0.12, PW 0.30.

COLOR Major and minor: body and appendages medium yellow except for gaster, which is medium brown.


Pheidole cyrtostela Wilson 2003.jpg

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

Type Material

BRAZIL: Souza Lima, Várzea Grande, Mato Grosso, col. L. A. Wood. Museum of Comparative Zoology

Etymology

Gr cyrtostela, curved column, referring to the distinctive petiole.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Wild, A. L. "A catalogue of the ants of Paraguay (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Zootaxa 1622 (2007): 1-55.