Pheidole defecta

Pheidole defecta
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Pheidole
Species:	P. defecta
Binomial name
Pheidole defecta Santschi, 1923 Specimen Labels

Pheidole defecta' is only known from one major worker from an unspecified site in Guatemala (Longino 2019).

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Pheidole flavens group
• Key to Pheidole pilifera group

Distribution

Only known from the type locality.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Guatemala (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.

Castes

This species is only known from majors.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

• defecta. Pheidole defecta Santschi, 1923d: 54 (s.) GUATEMALA. See also: Hölldobler & Wilson, 1992: 16; Wilson, 2003: 575.

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): DIAGNOSIS A unique but problematic species known only from the holotype major, tentatively placed in the pilifera group because of the 2-toothed hypostoma but equally well placed in the flavens group because of the overall habitus; the discovery of the minor may help settle the matter. Close in habitus to Pheidole nasutoides (which is placed in the flavens group), but differing in promesonotal shape, smaller size of the propodeal spine and spiracle, mostly smooth and shiny body, much sparser pilosity, and different color.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.10, HL 1.10, SL 0.64, EL 0.16, PW 0.56.

COLOR Major: concolorous medium yellow.

Figure. Unique holotype, major. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Type Labels

Type Material

GUATEMALA (no further locality). Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Etymology

L defecta, fault, lack (significance unknown). (Wilson 2003)

References

• Hölldobler, B.; Wilson, E. O. 1992. Pheidole nasutoides, a new species of Costa Rican ant that apparently mimics termites. Psyche (Camb.) 99: 15-22 (page 16, redescription)
• Longino, J.T. 2019. Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Middle American Wet Forest. Zootaxa 4599: 1–126 (DOI 10.11646/zootaxa.4599.1.1).
• Santschi, F. 1923d. Pheidole et quelques autres fourmis néotropiques. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 63: 45-69 (page 54, soldier described)
• Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 575, fig. major described)