Pheidole ghigii

Pheidole ghigii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Pheidole
Species:	P. ghigii
Binomial name
	Pheidole ghigii; Emery, 1900 Specimen Labels

Eguchi (2001) - Within Borneo this species has so far been collected only from well-developed lowland forests in Sarawak. In Bali Satria et al. (2015) found two colonies of Odontomachus simillimus near the base of living trees in a cacao plantation that "coexisted with colonies of the myrmicine Pheidole ghigii."

Identification

Eguchi (2001a) - This species is characterised among Indo-Chinese and Indo-Malayan congeners by a combination of the following characteristics: hypostoma of the major bearing a pair of large median processes; posterior declivity of promesonotal dome of both the subcastes bearing a distinct prominence; promesonotal dome of the minor with a pair of low tubercles dorsolaterally; eye of both the subcastes relatively small; distance between mandibular insertion and anterior margin of eye 2.0-2.1 times as long as maximal diameter of eye in the major, and 1.3-1.5 times in the minor; postpetiole in both the subcastes massive.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 4.2022° to 4.2022°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Borneo, Indonesia (type locality), Malaysia.

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.

Biology

Castes

Worker

Minor

Images from AntWeb


Worker. Specimen code casent0281729. Photographer Estella Ortega, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.


Syntype of Pheidole ghigii. Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0904268. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.


Syntype of Pheidole ghigii. Worker. Specimen code casent0905765. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.

Nomenclature

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

ghigii. Pheidole ghigii Emery, 1900d: 685 (s.w.) INDONESIA (Sumatra). See also: Eguchi, 2001a: 10; Eguchi, 2001b: 55.

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

Description

Worker

Eguchi 2001. Figure 17.

Eguchi (2001a) - Major (n=3): TL 2.4-3.1 mm, HL 1.30-1.47 mm, HW 1.22-1.39 mm, SL 0.60-0.65 mm, FL 0.82-0.88 mm, CI 94-95, SI 47-49, FI 63-67. Head broadest around 3/5-2/3 distance of head (as measured from the mid-point of a transverse line spanning the anteriormost and posteriormost projecting points, respectively) (Fig. 17 A), in profile not impressed on vertex (Fig. 17B). Hypostoma bearing a pair of large median processes (Fig. 17C). Clypeus without a median longitudinal carina, with anterior margin weakly concave medially. Eye situated just in front of 1/3 distance of head; distance between mandibular insertion and anterior margin of eye 1.9-2.2 times as long as maximal diameter of eye. Frontal carina inconspicuous, extending backward to 3/5 distance of head. Antennal scrobe only present around antenna I insertion. Antenna with 3-segmented club; scape extending backward to 1/2-3/5 distance of head; terminal segment ca. 1.1 times as long as preceding two segments together. Masticatory margin of mandible with apical and preapical teeth, and a denticle in front of basal angle. Promesonotum forming a high dome, with a distinct prominence on its posterior declivity (Fig. 17D); the prominence in anterior view not or very weakly concave medially; each dorsolateral portion of the dome weakly produced outward. Mesopleuron without a distinct transverse impression. Propodeal spine horn-like, 2.5-3 times as long as diameter of propodeal spiracle. Petiole almost as long as postpetiole (excluding helcium); petiolar node in posterior view distinctly emarginate at apex. Postpetiole 2.2-2.4 times as broad as petiolar node.

Frons longitudinally rugose; vertex, and dorsal and lateral faces of occipital lobe reticulate; dorsum of promesonotum irregularly rugose, with smooth and shining enclosures; dorsal and declivitous faces of propodeum weakly punctured; remainder of alitrunk weakly rugoso-reticulate, with weakly punctured enclosures; petiole (excluding its smooth and shining anterior face) and postpetiole weakly punctured and dull; gaster largely smooth and shining. Outer face of mandible sparsely covered with appressed hairs, which are 0.04-0.06 mm in length and shorter than distance between piligerous punctures; submarginal zone of masticatory margin of mandible with appressed to decumbent hairs. Body yellowish-brown with darker mandibles and clypeus.

Minor (n=6): TL 1.6-1.7 mm, HL 0.58-0.60 mm, HW 0.53-0.55 mm, SL 0.55-0.59 mm, AL 0.75-0.80 mm, FL 0.59-0.62 mm, CI 90-93, SI 105-109, FI 110-114. Head in full-face view slightly concave posteriorly (Fig. 17E); occipital carina evanescent dorsally on head. Eye situated just in front of midlength of head; distance between mandibular insertion and anterior margin of eye 1.3-1.5 times as long as maximal diameter of eye. Clypeus with a weak median longitudinal carina, with anterior margin in full-face view slightly convex medially. Frontal carina and antennal scrobe present only around antennal insertion. Antenna with 3-segmented club; in full-face view scape extending beyond posterior border of head by its 1/5 length; terminal segment ca. 1.1 times as long as preceding two segments together. Promesonotum forming a high dome, with a pair of low tubercles dorsolaterally, with a low but distinct prominence on its posterior declivity (Fig. 17F). Mesopleuron without a distinct transverse impression. Propodeal spine horn-like, 2-2.5 times as long as diameter of propodeal spiracle. Petiole 0.9-1.0 times as long as postpetiole (excluding helcium) (Fig. 17F); petiolar node in posterior view not emarginate at apex. Postpetiole massive, in dorsal view subhexagonal, 2.3-2.5 times as broad as petiolar node.

Dorsal and lateral faces of head including clypeus smooth and shining; posterolateral face of head very weakly punctured; promesonotum smooth and shining with irregular rugulae dorsally, and weakly punctured laterally and anterodorsally; remainder of alitrunk punctured; lateral face of petiole weakly punctured; dorsum of petiole, and postpetiole and gaster smooth and shining. Body light yellowish-brown to yellowish-brown, with a little darker mandibles (sometimes gaster also darker than head and alitrunk).

Type Material

Eguchi (2001a) - Specimens examined BORNEO. Sarawak, Malaysia: Bako N. P., 1 major and 18 minors (GC), SKY Collection, 1993; Old Tower Region, Lambir Hills N. P., 1 major and 9 minors (GC), SKY, 1993/50 ha plot, 1 major and 6 minors (GC), SKY, 1993.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Chapman, J. W., and Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327
Eguchi K. 2001. A revision of the Bornean species of the ant genus Pheidole (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Tropics Monograph Series 2: 1-154.
Eguchi K. 2001. A taxonomic study on Asian Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): new synonymy, rank changes, lectotype designations and redescriptions. Insecta Koreana 18: 1-35.
Emery C. Formiche raccolte da Elio Modigliani in Sumatra, Engano e Mentawei. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale 40: 661-722.
Emery, C. "Formiche raccolte da Elio Modigliani in Sumatra, Engano e Mentawei." Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria (Genova) (2) 20, no. 40 (1900): 661-722.
Pfeiffer M.; Mezger, D.; Hosoishi, S.; Bakhtiar, E. Y.; Kohout, R. J. 2011. The Formicidae of Borneo (Insecta: Hymenoptera): a preliminary species list. Asian Myrmecology 4:9-58
Satria R., H. Kurushima, H. Herwina, S. Yamane, and K. Eguchi. 2015. The trap-jaw ant genus Odontomachus Latreille (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Sumatra, with a new species description. Zootaxa 4048(1): 001-036.