Pheidole humeralis

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Pheidole humeralis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Pheidole
Species: P. humeralis
Binomial name
Pheidole humeralis
Wheeler, W.M., 1908

Pheidole humeralis casent0103142 profile 1.jpg

Pheidole humeralis casent0103142 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen Label

P. humeralis is evidently a rare species. During their intensive collecting in western Texas, Moody and Francke (1982) found the species only once, four colonies in Kinney County at 220 meters nesting in open clayey soil. (Wilson 2003)

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

From Wilson (2003): Known only from the type locality and western Texas (Moody and Francke 1982).

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 33.410236° to 28.74358°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Nearctic Region: United States (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

Worker

Minor

Images from AntWeb

Pheidole humeralis casent0103141 head 1.jpgPheidole humeralis casent0103141 profile 1.jpgPheidole humeralis casent0103141 dorsal 1.jpgPheidole humeralis casent0103141 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0103141. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by USNM, Washington, DC, USA.

Major

MCZ-ENT00020717 Pheidole humeralis hef.jpgMCZ-ENT00020717 Pheidole humeralis hal.jpgMCZ-ENT00020717 Pheidole humeralis had.jpgMCZ-ENT00020717 Pheidole humeralis lbs.jpgPheidole humeralis casent0103142 head 1.jpgPheidole humeralis casent0103142 profile 1.jpgPheidole humeralis casent0103142 dorsal 1.jpgPheidole humeralis casent0103142 label 1.jpg
.

Nomenclature

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

  • humeralis. Pheidole humeralis Wheeler, W.M. 1908e: 456, pl. 27, fig. 39 (s.w.) U.S.A. See also: Wilson, 2003: 438.

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 Similar in some traits to Pheidole furtiva, Pheidole mera and Pheidole tysoni, differing as follows.

Major: reddish yellow, with pale brown spot on vertex; head elongate, its posterior ventral profile flat; humeri strongly developed and subangulate, in dorsal view overhanging the rest of the pronotum beneath them and in dorsal-oblique view extending more than 4 higher above the metanotal groove than the mesonotal convexity; propodeal spines robust, as long as half the propodeal basal face preceding them; postpetiole from above oval.

Minor: posterior half of head and all of pronotum smooth and shiny; in dorsal-oblique view, humerus subangulate and promesonotal profile behind it flat before dropping to metanotal groove; occiput broad, its margin strongly concave.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.02, HL 1.28, SL 0.52, EL 0.12, PW 0.60. Paratype minor: HW 0.50, HL 0.52, SL 0.46, EL 0.08, PW 0.32.

COLOR Major: body and appendages medium reddish yellow except for pale brown spot on vertex and yellowish brown gaster. Minor: body medium brown, appendages yellowish brown.


Pheidole humeralis Wilson 2003.jpg

Figure. Upper: lectotype, major. Lower: paralectotype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Type Material

TEXAS: Corsicana, Navarro Co., near Dallas-Ft. Worth, col. Mary Cooper. Museum of Comparative Zoology - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Etymology

L humeralis, of the shoulder, alluding to the elevated humerus of the major. (Wilson 2003)

References

  • Moody, J. V., Francke, O. F. 1982. The ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of western Texas, Part 1: Subfamily Myrmicinae. Grad. Stud. Tex. Tech Univ. 27: 1–80.
  • Wheeler, W. M. 1908h. The ants of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. (Part I.). Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 24: 399-485 (page 456, pl. 27, fig. 39 soldier, worker described)
  • Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 438, fig. major, minor described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • McDonald D. L., D. R. Hoffpauir, and J. L. Cook. 2016. Survey yields seven new Texas county records and documents further spread of Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren. Southwestern Entomologist, 41(4): 913-920.
  • Moody J. V., and O. F. Francke. 1982. The Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Western Texas Part 1: Subfamily Myrmicinae. Graduate Studies Texas Tech University 27: 80 pp.
  • O'Keefe S. T., J. L. Cook, T. Dudek, D. F. Wunneburger, M. D. Guzman, R. N. Coulson, and S. B. Vinson. 2000. The Distribution of Texas Ants. The Southwestern Entomologist 22: 1-92.
  • Wheeler, G.C. and J. Wheeler. 1985. A checklist of Texas ants. Prairie Naturalist 17:49-64.
  • Wilson, E.O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A Dominant, Hyperdiverse Genus. Harvard University Press