Pheidole demeter

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

Pheidole demeter casent0644186 p 1 high.jpg

Pheidole demeter casent0644186 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Of three colonies collected by Cover and Tobin at Cuzco Amazónico, Peru, two were nesting in rotten sticks in the litter surface of terra firme forest, and the third was beneath the bark of a palm log in seasonally flooded forest. (Wilson 2003)

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Only known from the type locality.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -2.687467° to -12.497473°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Peru (type locality).

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

Nomenclature

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

  • demeter. Pheidole demeter Wilson, 2003: 186, figs. (s.w.) PERU.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

A member of the diligens group closest to Pheidole calimana, Pheidole cataractae, Pheidole scimitara and Pheidole tenuis, differing as follows.

Major: humerus in side view with “sharkfin” extension; propodeal spine small and sharp or else reduced to a denticle as illustrated; posterior half of dorsal head surface covered by longitudinal carinulae, those on occiput broken and faint; space between eye and antennal fossa rugoreticulate.

Minor: propodeal spine absent; occiput narrowed, with nuchal collar.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.08, HL 1.12, SL 0.80, EL 0.20, PW 0.48. Paratype minor: HW 0.52, HL 0.62, SL 0.82, EL 0.14, PW 0.32.

COLOR Major: head and mandibles light brown with slight reddish tinge; anterior half of first gastral tergite plain light brown; mesosoma and rest of gaster plain medium brown; rest of appendages light, almost yellowish brown.

Minor: concolorous plain medium brown except for first gastral tergite and appendages, which are light brown.


Pheidole demeter Wilson 2003.jpg

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

Type Material

PERU: Cuzco Amazónico, 15 km northeast of Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, col. Stefan Cover and John E. Tobin. Museum of Comparative Zoology

Etymology

Gr demeter, goddess of agriculture and social order.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Bezdeckova K., P. Bedecka, and I. Machar. 2015. A checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Peru. Zootaxa 4020 (1): 101–133.
  • Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.