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Pheidole biolleyi
| Pheidole biolleyi | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Attini |
| Genus: | Pheidole |
| Species: | P. biolleyi |
| Binomial name | |
| Pheidole biolleyi Forel, 1908
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| Synonyms | |
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According to Longino (1997), colonies of biolleyi inhabit cloud forests, where they nest in the soil. He has observed workers foraging both on the ground and in low vegetation. (Wilson 2003)
Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Pheidole biolleyi occurs in the upland Central Valley of Costa Rica around Cartago and Monteverde. (Wilson 2003)
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 18.416667° to 10.3°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Costa Rica (type locality), Mexico.
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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| Syntype Pheidole tristani. Worker. Specimen code jtlc000014073. Photographer John T. Longino, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by MHNG. |
   
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| Syntype Pheidole biolleyi. Worker. Specimen code jtlc000014078. Photographer John T. Longino, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by MHNG. |
Major
Images from AntWeb
  
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| Syntype Pheidole biolleyi. Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code jtlc000014077. Photographer John T. Longino, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by MHNG. |
Queen
Images from AntWeb
  
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| Syntype Pheidole biolleyi. Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code jtlc000014076. Photographer John T. Longino, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by MHNG. |
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- biolleyi. Pheidole biolleyi Forel, 1908b: 48 (s.w.q.m.) COSTA RICA. Senior synonym of tristani: Wilson, 2003: 170.
- tristani. Pheidole biolleyi subsp. tristani Forel, 1908b: 50 (s.w.) COSTA RICA. Junior synonym of biolleyi: Wilson, 2003: 170.
Type Material
- Pheidole biolleyi: Lectotype (designated by Longino, 2019: 27), worker (major), La Palma, 1600 m., Costa Rica, P. Biolley, JTLC000014077, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève.
- Pheidole biolleyi tristani: Lectotype (designated by Longino, 2019: 27), worker (major), Cartago, 1450 m, Costa Rica, Biolley, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève.
Taxonomic Notes
This following is included in the notes about biolleyi in Wilson (2003): Pheidole biolleyi Forel 1908c: 48. Syn.: Pheidole biolleyi tristani Forel 1908c: 50, n. syn. The syntypes of biolleyi used in the figure, and which are housed in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard, are from La Palma, 1600 m. The type locality given by Forel is “Costa del Tablazo,” which Longino (1997) suggests is the same as Cerro Tablazo, located at about 1500 m near Cartago. There are differences between my drawings of the La Palma specimens and Longino’s photographs in the shapes of the head and postpetiole, but otherwise the series appear close and I am treating them as conspecific. The tristani syntypes Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève vary in head shape in the same way, and otherwise appear identical to the La Palma biolleyi syntypes.
Longino (2019) - The syntype series of P. biolleyi subsp. tristani consists of two species. A major worker, designated here as the lectotype of tristani, is the same as P. biolleyi and maintains Wilson's synonymy of tristani under biolleyi. A minor worker from Santa Maria de Dota is identified here as the new species Pheidole tinamu. I chose to maintain the synonymy by making the major worker the lectotype, rather than making the minor worker the lectotype and resurrecting P. tristani, so that P. tinamu could have a major worker as a holotype and be based on a full type series of fresh material.
Description
From Wilson (2003): This species appears to be intermediate between the biconstricta and diligens groups, and is therefore placed in the latter only tentatively. It is distinguished in the major by variable 2- or 4-dentate hypostoma (as in biconstricta), smaller size, absence of a rugoreticulum on the head, smooth first gastral tergite, and abundant, subappressed hairs on the first gastral tergite.
MEASUREMENTS (mm) Syntype major: HW 1.14, HL 1.22, SL 0.94, EL 0.16, PW 0.60. Syntype minor: HW 0.64, HL 0.78, SL 1.00, EL 0.16, PW 0.44.
COLOR Major: concolorous light orange.
Minor: concolorous light brownish yellow.
Figure. Upper: syntype, major. Lower: syntype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.
Etymology
Named after the collector, Paul Biolley. (Wilson 2003)
References
- Forel, A. 1908c. Fourmis de Costa-Rica récoltées par M. Paul Biolley. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 44: 35-72 (page 48, soldier, worker, queen, male described)
- Longino, J.T. 2019. Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Middle American Wet Forest. Zootaxa 4599: 1–126 (DOI 10.11646/zootaxa.4599.1.1).
- Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 170, fig. major, minor described, senior synonym of tristani)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Longino J. T. 2019. Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Middle American wet forest. Zootaxa 4599: 1-126