Pheidole gauthieri

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Pheidole gauthieri
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Pheidole
Species: P. gauthieri
Binomial name
Pheidole gauthieri
Forel, 1901

Pheidole gauthieri casent0908281 p 1 high.jpg

Pheidole gauthieri casent0908281 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Synonyms

From Wilson (2003): In Costa Rica Longino (1997) found gauthieri in mature wet forest, nesting in dead wood in the low arboreal zone and foraging in the leaf litter and at extrafloral nectaries. A winged queen was present in a nest on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, 27 June (W. M. Wheeler).

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

I have seen material from Guatemala (Tikal), Costa Rica (Osa Peninsula), Panama (localities in the Canal Zone), and Colombia. J. T. Longino (1997) reports it from both the Atlantic and Pacific lowlands of Costa Rica. (Wilson 2003)

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 16.16034° to -1.77°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Colombia (type locality), Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama.

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 gauthieri casent0908280 h 1 high.jpgPheidole gauthieri casent0908280 p 1 high.jpgPheidole gauthieri casent0908280 d 1 high.jpgPheidole gauthieri casent0908280 l 1 high.jpg
Lectotype of Pheidole gauthieriWorker. Specimen code casent0908280. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.
Pheidole gauthieri casent0908282 h 1 high.jpgPheidole gauthieri casent0908282 p 1 high.jpgPheidole gauthieri casent0908282 d 1 high.jpgPheidole gauthieri casent0908282 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Pheidole gauthieri oxymoraWorker. Specimen code casent0908282. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Nomenclature

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

  • gauthieri. Pheidole ursus r. gauthieri Forel, 1901e: 367 (w.) COLOMBIA. Raised to species: Forel, 1912f: 233. Senior synonym of oxymora: Wilson, 2003: 693.
  • oxymora. Pheidole gauthieri var. oxymora Forel, 1912f: 233 (s.w.) PANAMA. Junior synonym of gauthieri: Wilson, 2003: 693.

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

Description

From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS Similar to Pheidole antillana, Pheidole coveri, Pheidole fullerae, Pheidole hetschkoi, Pheidole heyeri and Pheidole napoensis in various traits but easily distinguished as follows.

Major: propodeal spines as long as basal face of propodeum; occiput smooth and shiny; smaller patch of rugoreticulum present laterad to each antennal fossa; loose rugoreticulum present on anterior half of pronotal dorsum but absent on posterior half; postpetiole spinose.

Minor: occiput, sides of head, and entire dorsum of mesosoma rugoreticulate, and almost all of remainder of head and mesosoma variously rugulose or carinulate; propodeal spines as long as basal face of propodeum; occiput narrowed but lacking a nuchal collar.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Major (Panama): HW 2.04, HL 2.12, SL 0.86, EL 0.20, PW 0.94. Lectotype minor: HW 0.80, HL 0.81, SL 0.86, EL 0.16, PW 0.54.

COLOR Major: concolorous light reddish brown.

Minor: head and meso soma light reddish yellow; waist, gaster, and appendages clear dark yellow.


Pheidole gauthieri Wilson 2003.jpg

Figure. Upper: syntype, major of synonymous gauthieri var. oxymora (Panama). Lower: lectotype, minor (road from Dibulla to San Antonio, Guajira, Colombia). Scale bars = 1 mm.

Lectotype Specimen Labels

Type Material

Panama. Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Etymology

Named after A. and C. Gauthier of Colombia, who assisted Forel in his itinerary. (Wilson 2003)

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
  • Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
  • Franco W., N. Ladino, J. H. C. Delabie, A. Dejean, J. Orivel, M. Fichaux, S. Groc, M. Leponce, and R. M. Feitosa. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674(5): 509-543.
  • Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
  • Longino J. T. L., and M. G. Branstetter. 2018. The truncated bell: an enigmatic but pervasive elevational diversity pattern in Middle American ants. Ecography 41: 1-12.
  • Longino J. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/
  • Pires de Prado L., R. M. Feitosa, S. Pinzon Triana, J. A. Munoz Gutierrez, G. X. Rousseau, R. Alves Silva, G. M. Siqueira, C. L. Caldas dos Santos, F. Veras Silva, T. Sanches Ranzani da Silva, A. Casadei-Ferreira, R. Rosa da Silva, and J. Andrade-Silva. 2019. An overview of the ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the state of Maranhao, Brazil. Pap. Avulsos Zool. 59: e20195938.
  • Santos, J.C., J.H.C Delabie and G.W. Fernandes. 2008. Uma avaliação após 15 anos do efeito do fogo sobre a comunidade de formiga em uma área de floresta amazônica. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 52(1): 82-87.
  • Wheeler W. M. 1942. Studies of Neotropical ant-plants and their ants. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 90: 1-262.