Pheidole kusnezovi

Pheidole kusnezovi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Pheidole
Species:	P. kusnezovi
Binomial name
	Pheidole kusnezovi; Wilson, 2003
Synonyms
	Eriopheidole symbiotica Kusnezov, 1952;

Kusnezov’s (1952a) field and laboratory research showed that Pheidole kusnezovi is a workerless inquiline of Pheidole susannae. He correctly pointed out that the queen represents an early stage of the kind of degenerative anatomy that characterizes ant inquilines in general. (Wilson 2003)

At a Glance

• Workerless Inquiline

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Key to New World Pheidole Social Parasites

Distribution

Only known from the type locality.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Argentina (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.

Biology

Castes

A workerless social parasite.

Nomenclature

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

symbiotica. Eriopheidole symbiotica Kusnezov, 1952a: 16, figs. 1-9 (q.m.) ARGENTINA. [Junior secondary homonym of Pheidole symbiotica Wasmann, above.] Combination in Pheidole: Wilson, 1984: 328. Replacement name: Pheidole kusnezovi Wilson, 2003: 311.
kusnezovi. Pheidole kusnezovi Wilson, 2003: 311. Replacement name for Eriopheidole symbiotica Kusnezov, 1952a: 16. [Junior secondary homonym of Pheidole symbiotica Wasmann, 1909: 693 (footnote).]

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): A permanent, workerless social parasite of Pheidole obscurior (=Pheidole susannae). The queen is very small in size, with slender head and large eyes, mostly shiny body surface, subangular petiole in side view, and hexagonal postpetiolar node seen from above. Overall, it has not evolved any of the extreme parasitic traits of other socially parasitic Pheidole such as Pheidole acutidens, Pheidole argentina, and Pheidole elecebra.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Queen: HW 0.64, HL 0.64, SL 0.78, EL 0.24, PW (not measured).

COLOR Queen: appendages, anterior half of the head, and most of the sides of the mesosoma yellow; rest of head and body a contrasting light brown.

Figure. Syntype, queen. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Type Material

ARGENTINA: Parque General San Martin, Entre Rios, col. N. Kusnezov. Fundacion e Instituto Miguel Lillo and Museum of Comparative Zoology

Etymology

Named after N. Kusnezov, Argentinean entomologist who discovered the species.

References

Brown, W. L., Jr. 1973b. A comparison of the Hylean and Congo-West African rain forest ant faunas. Pp. 161-185 in: Meggers, B. J., Ayensu, E. S., Duckworth, W. D. (eds.) Tropical forest ecosystems in Africa and South America: a comparative review. Wash (page 180, Combination in Pheidole)
Kusnezov, N. 1952d [1951]. El género Pheidole en la Argentina (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Acta Zool. Lilloana 12: 5-88 (page 16, Unresolved junior homonym of Pheidole symbiotica)
Wasmann, E. 1909a. Über den Ursprung des sozialen Parasitismus, der Sklaverei und der Myrmekophilie bei den Ameisen. Biol. Centralbl. 29: 587-604 (primary homonym)
Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 311, fig. queen described, Replacement name)