Pheidole sigillata

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Pheidole sigillata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Pheidole
Species: P. sigillata
Binomial name
Pheidole sigillata
Wilson, 2003

Pheidole sigillata casent0178055 profile 1.jpg

Pheidole sigillata casent0178055 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

Rosumek (2017) assessed trophic resource use and period of activity within the ant community in a southern Brazil Atlantic forest. He found, relative to other Pheidole sampled in this study, Pheidole lucretii, Pheidole nesiota, and Pheidole sigillata had similar patterns and broadly used the most attractive resources. It is known to commonly nest in twigs within leaf litter (Fernandes et al., 2018).

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Only known from the type locality.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 25.68015° to -23.62172°.

     
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 sigillata casent0178056 head 1.jpgPheidole sigillata casent0178056 profile 1.jpgPheidole sigillata casent0178056 dorsal 1.jpgPheidole sigillata casent0178056 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0178056. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by ALWC, Alex L. Wild Collection.

Queen

Images from AntWeb

Pheidole sigillata casent0178057 head 1.jpgPheidole sigillata casent0178057 profile 1.jpgPheidole sigillata casent0178057 dorsal 1.jpgPheidole sigillata casent0178057 label 1.jpg
Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0178057. 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.

  • sigillata. Pheidole sigillata Wilson, 2003: 754, 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

DIAGNOSIS Similar in various traits to Pheidole aper, Pheidole bambusarum, Pheidole brevicona, Pheidole dyctiota, Pheidole laeviventris, Pheidole lutzi, Pheidole risii, Pheidole rugatula, Pheidole senilis, Pheidole trachyderma and Pheidole traini, differing as follows.

Major: vertex and sides of dorsal surface of head rugoreticulate; occipital lobes foveolate and opaque; frontal lobes carinulate; pronotal dorsum rugoreticulate; sides of pronotum rugulose; metanotum sparsely rugulose; propodeal spines equilaterally triangular.

Minor: occiput slightly constricted, but lacking nuchal collar; occiput, sides of head, and mid-clypeus in full-face view rugoreticulate; promesonotal dorsum rugoreticulate; propodeal spines equilaterally triangular.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.34, HL 1.38, SL 0.56, EL 0.12, PW 0.64. Paratype minor: HW 0.54, HL 0.56, SL 0.54, EL 0.10, PW 0.38.

COLOR Major: concolorous light brown.

Minor: body yellowish brown except for anterior fourth of head capsule, which is a lighter shade of brownish yellow; appendages brownish yellow.


Pheidole sigillata Wilson 2003.jpg

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

Type Material

Brazil. Caraguatatuba Reserva Florestal, São Paulo, 40–80 m, col. William L. Brown. Museum of Comparative Zoology

Etymology

L sigillata, adorned with little figures or marks, referring to variable sculpturing among different parts of body.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Fernandes T. T., R. R. Silva, D. Rodrigues de Souza-Campana, O. Guilherme Morais da Silva, and M. Santina de Castro Morini. 2019. Winged ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) presence in twigs on the leaf litter of Atlantic Forest. Biota Neotropica 19(3): http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2018-0694
  • Fernandes T. T., W. Dattilo, R. R. Silva, P. Luna, C. M. Oliveira, and M. Santina de Castro Morini. 2019. Ant occupation of twigs in the leaf litter of the Atlantic Forest: influence of the environment and external twig structure. Tropical Conservation Science 12: 1-9.
  • Fleck M. D., E. Bisognin Cantarelli, and F. Granzotto. 2015. Register of new species of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Rio Grande do Sul state. Ciencia Florestal, Santa Maria 25(2): 491-499.
  • Wild, A. L. "A catalogue of the ants of Paraguay (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Zootaxa 1622 (2007): 1-55.