Pheidole oaxacana

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

This species is only known from type specimens. Nothing is known about its biology.

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Only known from the type locality.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 19.5116667° to 16.097°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Guatemala, Mexico (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

Nomenclature

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

oaxacana. Pheidole oaxacana Wilson, 2003: 476, figs. (s.w.) MEXICO.

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

Description

DIAGNOSIS Similar in different traits to Pheidole mixteca, Pheidole scabriventris and Pheidole tragica, also from Mexico, differing as follows.

Major: a broad rugoreticulum occurs between eye, antennal fossa, and frontal carina on each side of the head; midclypeus partially carinulate, and carinulae travel from the frontal lobes across the vertex but fall short of the occiput; all of head and mesosoma foveolate and opaque; anterior half of central strip of first gastral tergite shagreened; occipital cleft broad and deep; propodeal spines robust and backward-directed; postpetiole from above diamond-shaped.

Minor: eye set well forward on head; propodeal spines half as long as the propodeal basal face and backward-directed; pilosity sparse; occiput broad, its margin concave, and lacking nuchal collar. All of head and mesosoma foveolate and opaque.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.92, HL 1.00, SL 0.50, EL 0.14, PW 0.46. Paratype minor: HW 0.50, HL 0.52, SL 0.42, EL 0.06, PW 0.32.

COLOR Major: body and mandibles medium reddish brown, other appendages dark yellow.

Minor: concolorous light reddish yellow.

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

Type Material

MEXICO: 10 km south of Valle Nacional, Oaxaca, 610 m, col. S. Peck. Museum of Comparative Zoology

Etymology

Named after the state of origin of the type colony.

References

Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (page 476, fig. major, minor described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133
Wilson, E.O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A Dominant, Hyperdiverse Genus. Harvard University Press