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Pheidole onyx
| Pheidole onyx | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Attini |
| Genus: | Pheidole |
| Species: | P. onyx |
| Binomial name | |
| Pheidole onyx Wilson, 2003
| |
Nests under epiphytes in the canopy of natural wet forest (Longino 1997).
Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Atlantic lowlands of Costa Rica (Longino 1997).
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 10.35° to -0.146944°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Costa Rica (type locality).
Distribution based on AntMaps
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
  
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| Worker. Specimen code casent0635501. Photographer J. Longino, uploaded by University of Utah. | Owned by JTLC. |
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- onyx. Pheidole onyx Wilson, 2003: 479, figs. (s.w.) COSTA RICA.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
DIAGNOSIS A medium-sized, yellow member of the flavens group whose major is distinguished by slightly backward curving propodeal spines, especially in dorsal-oblique view; all of the dorsal surface of the head up to the occipital border, and not including the mid-clypeus and frontal triangle, covered by longitudinal carinulae; and pronotal humerus subangulate.
Major and minor: scapes exceptionally long for a flavens-group species, placing onyx intermediate to the punctatissima group. Similar to citrina, but the major of onyx has a less curved propodeal spine, far more carinulation on the dorsal head surface, and shorter scapes, among other differences. See also the less similar grex and humida.
MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.80, HL 0.74, SL 0.58, EL 0.10, PW 0.38. Paratype minor: HW 0.46, HL 0.52, SL 0.54, EL 0.06, PW 0.30.
COLOR Major and minor: concolorous medium yellow.
Figure. Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.
Type Material
COSTA RICA: La Selva Biological Station, near Puerto Viejo, Heredia, col. J. T. Longino. Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad
Etymology
Gr onyx, a yellowish gem stone, alluding to the color of the workers.
References
- Varela-Hernández, F., Flores-Zapoteco, D. 2024. New Miocene Mexican amber ant (Formicidae, Myrmicinae) of the genus Pheidole Westwood, 1839. Historical Biology, pp. 1–6 (doi:10.1080/08912963.2024.2312403).
- Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, [ix] + 794 pp.: 794pp (page 479, fig. major, minor described)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.