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Pheidole cerina
| Pheidole cerina | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Attini |
| Genus: | Pheidole |
| Species: | P. cerina |
| Binomial name | |
| Pheidole cerina Wilson, 2003
| |
The three known series come from litter samples taken in wet forest. (Wilson 2003)
Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Only known from Costa Rica.
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 10.33333° to 9.8712602°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Costa Rica (type locality), Panama.
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
    
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Major
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Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- cerina. Pheidole cerina Wilson, 2003: 395, 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
A relatively large species for the flavens group, with yellow to brown major and minor. Similar to Pheidole amabilis of Costa Rica but differing in the major in the reduced propodeal spines, which point posteriorly (versus vertically in amabilis); in the well-developed mesonotal convexity, in the longer cephalic carinulae; in the more extensive carinulae of the pronotal dorsum; and in much longer antennal scapes of the minor (SL/HW 1.14, versus 1.0 in amabilis).
Pheidole cerina, in the major mesonotal convexity and longer minor scapes, appears intermediate between the flavens and punctatissima groups.
See also the less similar Pheidole grex, Pheidole mixteca and Pheidole morelosana.
MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.14, HL 1.74, SL 0.64, EL 0.16, PW 0.56. Paratype minor: HW 0.44, HL 0.50, SL 0.50, EL 0.06, PW 0.30.
COLOR Major: body, mandibles, and antennae concolorous reddish yellow, legs medium yellow.
Minor: concolorous light-medium yellow. I have also seen two dark series from the type locality, with medium brown bodies and yellow appendages.
Figure. Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.
Type Material
COSTA RICA: Rio Peñas Blancas, Alajuela, 10°19'N 84°43'W, 800 m, col. J. T. Longino. Museum of Comparative Zoology
Etymology
L cerina, wax-colored, yellowish, referring to the color.
References
Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 395, 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.
- Longino J. T. L., and M. G. Branstetter. 2018. The truncated bell: an enigmatic but pervasive elevational diversity pattern in Middle American ants. Ecography 41: 1-12.
- Longino J. T., and R. K. Colwell. 2011. Density compensation, species composition, and richness of ants on a neotropical elevational gradient. Ecosphere 2(3): 16pp.
- Longino J. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/