Pheidole harlequina

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

MCZ ENT Pheidole harlequina paratype halS.jpg

MCZ ENT Pheidole harlequina paratype hadS.jpg

Paratype specimen Label
Paratype specimen Label

The type colony was collected roughly in the center of Hispaniola, in a ravine with a pine-hardwood forest.

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

A Hispaniola endemic that is only known from the Dominican Republic.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 29.45847° to 18.39°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Dominican Republic (type locality), Greater Antilles.

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

Pheidole harlequina MCZENT00531152 minor head.jpgPheidole harlequina MCZENT00531152 minor profile.jpgPheidole harlequina MCZENT00531152minor dorsal.jpgPheidole harlequina MCZENT00531152 L.jpg
.

Major

Pheidole harlequina MCZENT00531152major head.jpgPheidole harlequina MCZENT00531152 major profile.jpgPheidole harlequina MCZENT00531152 major dorsal.jpgPheidole harlequina MCZENT00531152 L.jpg
.

Nomenclature

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

  • harlequina. Pheidole harlequina Wilson, 2003: 432, figs. (s.w.) DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

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

Description

Similar to Pheidole drepanon, another unusual Dominican endemic, differing from it and all other Pheidole as follows.

Major: propodeal spine thick, curved slightly, and as long as the propodeal basal face anterior to it; body multicolored as depicted and described under Color below; head much broader than long, expanding posteriorly to maximum width at occiput; a small patch of rugoreticulum present between eye and antennal fossa on each side, and most of rest of dorsal surface of head carinulate; postpetiole from above oval.

Minor: multicolored, as described below; propodeal spines thick, curved, and as long as the propodeal basal face anterior to them.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.94, HL 0.90, SL 0.66, EL 0.14, PW 0.50. Paratype minor: HW 0.50, HL 0.50, SL 0.62, EL 0.10, PW 0.34.

COLOR Major: multicolored; mesosoma and waist dark brown; posterior rear half of head, a large circular patch covering part of vertex, and all of frontal triangle and clypeus medium brown; and rest of body clear yellow.

Minor: head, mesosoma, and waist dark brown; gaster pale yellow; appendages light to brownish yellow.


Pheidole harlequina Wilson 2003.jpg

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

Type Material

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (Greater Antilles): Hotel Nueva Sueza, Constanza, La Vega Prov., 1300 m, col. William L. and Doris E. Brown. Museum of Comparative Zoology

Etymology

NL harlequina for harlequin, clown in multicolored, brightly patterned costume.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Perez-Gelabert D. E. 2008. Arthropods of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti): A checklist and bibliography. Zootaxa 1831:1-530.
  • Wilson, E.O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A Dominant, Hyperdiverse Genus. Harvard University Press