Pheidole argentina
Pheidole argentina | |
---|---|
Conservation status | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Formicidae |
Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
Tribe: | Attini |
Genus: | Pheidole |
Species: | P. argentina |
Binomial name | |
Pheidole argentina (Bruch, 1932) |
A permanent workerless parasite of Pheidole nitidula. (Wilson 2003)
At a Glance | • Workerless Inquiline |
Identification
The original line drawing from Bruch (1932):
See the description in the nomenclature section.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Only known from the type locality.
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: -31.016° to -31.657°.
North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Argentina (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. |
![]() |
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. |
![]() |
Biology
Castes
This species is a workerless parasite.
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- argentina. Gallardomyrma argentina Bruch, 1932: 273, figs. 1-8 (q.) ARGENTINA. Combination in Pheidole: Wilson, 1984: 327. See also: Wilson, 2003: 267.
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): An extreme workerless parasite of Pheidole nitidula. The queen possesses a trait unique within the ants: the antenna is 10-segmented, with a well-developed, 1-segmented club. Also, the body is somewhat pupiform and the mandibles are reduced to toothless straps.
MEASUREMENTS (mm) Syntype queen: according to Bruch (1932), the total length of a queen in the type series is 1.7 mm.
COLOR Head, especially vertex, brownish yellow; mesosoma, waist, and gaster (except the apex) grayish brown.
Figure. Syntype, queen. (Adapted from Bruch 1932.) Scale bars = 1 mm.
Type Material
ARGENTINA: Alta Gracia (La Granja), Sierra de Córdoba, col. Carlos Bruch. Museo de La Plata, Argentina - as reported in Wilson (2003)
Etymology
Named after the country of origin. (Wilson 2003)
References
- Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 267, fig. queen described)
- Brown, W. L., Jr. 1973b. A comparison of the Hylean and Congo-West African rain forest ant faunas. Pp. 161-185 in: Meggers, B. J., Ayensu, E. S., Duckworth, W. D. (eds.) Tropical forest ecosystems in Africa and South America: a comparative review. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, viii + 350 pp. (page 180, Combination in Pheidole)
- Bruch, C. 1932. Descripción de un género y especie nueva de una hormiga parásita (Formicidae). Rev. Mus. La Plata 33: 271-275. (page 273, figs. 1-8 queen described)
- Ferreira, A., Martins, M., Feitosa, R. 2016. Rediscovery of the morphologically remarkable social parasite Pheidole acutidens (Bruch), with the first records for Brazil. Sociobiology 63, 1069. (doi:10.13102/sociobiology.v63i4.1263).
- Wilson, E. O. 1984b. Tropical social parasites in the ant genus Pheidole, with an analysis of the anatomical parasitic syndrome (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Insectes Soc. 31: 316-334 (page 327, Combination in Pheidole)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).