Pheidole drepanon

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

MCZ ENT Pheidole drepanon halS.jpg

MCZ ENT Pheidole drepanon hadS.jpg

Specimen Label

The type colony was collected in tropical evergreen forest. (Wilson 2003)

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Pheidole drepanon is a Dominican Republic endemic; it is known from close to a dozen collections in Pedernales and Monte Cristo Provinces. P. drepanon may also occur in Haiti, especially since the type locality is close to the border.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 19.8925° to 17.78099°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Dominican Republic (type locality), Greater Antilles.

Distribution based on AntMaps

AntMapLegend.png

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

Nests are made in the ground. Nest chambers have been found under rocks in higher elevation evergreen forest. Foragers have been collected from the ground, in leaf litter and on vegetation. This species has been found from 115 m, in dry forest, up to more than 1,100 m in pine forest.

Castes

Worker

Minor

Pheidole drepanon MCZENT00510382 minor head.jpgPheidole drepanon MCZENT00510382 minor profile.jpgPheidole drepanon MCZENT00510382 minor dorsal.jpgPheidole drepanon MCZENT00510382 label.jpg
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Nomenclature

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

  • drepanon. Pheidole drepanon Wilson, 2003: 409, figs. (s.w.) DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

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

Description

Similar to the Dominican endemic Pheidole harlequina, differing from it and all other Pheidole as follows.

Major: propodeal spines very thick, curved, sickle-shaped, and much longer than the propodeal basal face anterior to them; head and body bicolored as depicted; all of dorsal surface of head except for occipital margin carinulate and weakly rugulose; head slightly broader than long; petiolar peduncle very long; postpetiole from above diamond-shaped.

Minor: propodeal spines very thick, curved, and sickle-shaped, much longer than the propodeal basal face anterior to them; body concolorous medium brown.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.04, HL 1.02, SL 0.70, EL 0.14, PW 0.50. Paratype minor: HW 0.48, HL 0.52, SL 0.64, EL 0.08, PW 0.32.

COLOR Major: body medium brown except for the front of the head (as depicted), as well as dorsum of promesonotum and anterior half of first gastral tergite, which are brownish yellow.

Minor: body concolorous medium brown, appendages light to yellowish brown.


Pheidole drepanon Wilson 2003.jpg

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

Type Material

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (GREATER ANTILLES): Sierra de Baoruco, N. Cabo Rojo, Km 23, near Pedernales, 500 m, col. William L. and Doris E. Brown. Museum of Comparative Zoology

Etymology

Gr drepanon, sickle, alluding to the propodeal spines.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Perez-Gelabert D. E. 2008. Arthropods of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti): A checklist and bibliography. Zootaxa 1831:1-530.
  • Wilson, E.O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A Dominant, Hyperdiverse Genus. Harvard University Press