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Pheidole spinosa
| Pheidole spinosa | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Attini |
| Genus: | Pheidole |
| Species group: | megacephala |
| Species: | P. spinosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Pheidole spinosa Forel, 1891
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| Synonyms | |
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Pheidole spinosa has been found in rainforest, lowland coastal forest, Casuarina forest, old settlements, coral karst scrubland, and along roadsides. Salata & Fisher (2022) report the presence of supermajors in colonies of this species, a phenomenon previously not known within the P. megasephala species group.
Identification
A member of the megacephala species group
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Comoros.
Malagasy Region: Madagascar (type locality), Mayotte (type locality), Seychelles.
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. |
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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
Images from AntWeb
   
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| Paralectotype of Pheidole spinosa spinosa. Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0101331. Photographer Nick Olgeirson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland. |
   
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| Paralectotype of Pheidole spinosa spinosa. Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0101554. Photographer Nick Olgeirson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland. |
   
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| Paralectotype of Pheidole spinosa spinosa. Worker. Specimen code casent0101570. Photographer Michele Esposito, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland. |
   
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| Syntype of Pheidole megacephala spinosa. Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0101637. Photographer Nick Olgeirson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland. |
   
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| Specimen code sam-ent-011533. . | |
|image = Pheidole_decepticon__casent0059104_h_1_high.jpg
|image_width = 200px
Worker
minor
Images from AntWeb
   
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| Worker. Specimen code casent0179507. Photographer Erin Prado, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA. |
   
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| Worker. Specimen code casent0196186. Photographer Erin Prado, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA. |
   
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| Worker. Specimen code casent0059151. Photographer Erin Prado, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA. |
   
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| Paratype of Pheidole decepticon. Worker. Specimen code casent0133677. Photographer Estella Ortega, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA. |
major
Images from AntWeb
   
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| Holotype of Pheidole decepticon. Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0132558. Photographer Shannon Hartman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA. |
Queen
Images from AntWeb
   
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| Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0146858. Photographer Erin Prado, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA. |
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- spinosa. Pheidole megacephala var. spinosa Forel, 1891b: 178 (s.w.) MADAGASCAR.
- Subspecies of punctulata: Forel, 1905b: 164; Forel, 1907g: 81.
- Subspecies of megacephala: Forel, 1897c: 186; Forel, 1904b: 373; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1019; Bolton, 1995b: 330.
- Status as species: Salata & Fisher, 2022: 17.
- bernhardae. Pheidole picata var. bernhardae Emery, 1915j: 245 (s.w.) MADAGASCAR.
- [First available use of Pheidole punctulata r. spinosa var. bernhardae Forel, 1905b: 164; unavailable name.]
- Junior synonym of megacephala: Fischer & Fisher, 2013: 333.
- Junior synonym of spinosa: Salata & Fisher, 2022: 20.
- decepticon. Pheidole decepticon Fischer & Fisher, 2013: 316, figs. 15A-F (s.w.) MAYOTTE.
- Junior synonym of spinosa: Salata & Fisher, 2022: 20.
- gietleni. Pheidole punctulata r. gietleni Forel, 1905b: 164 (s.w.) MADAGASCAR.
- Subspecies of picata: Emery, 1915j: 245.
- Junior synonym of megacephala: Fischer & Fisher, 2013: 333.
- Junior synonym of spinosa: Salata & Fisher, 2022: 19.
- picata. Pheidole megacephala var. picata Forel, 1891b: 178 (s.w.) MADAGASCAR.
- Subspecies of megacephala: Forel, 1895a: 49.
- Subspecies of punctulata: Forel, 1897c: 186; Forel, 1905b: 163; Santschi, 1910c: 370.
- Raised to species: Emery, 1915j: 245; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1019.
- Junior synonym of megacephala: Fischer & Fisher, 2013: 333.
- Junior synonym of spinosa: Salata & Fisher, 2022: 18.
- scabrior. Pheidole megacephala var. scabrior Forel, 1891b: 178 (s.w.) MADAGASCAR.
- Junior synonym of megacephala: Fischer & Fisher, 2013: 333.
- Junior synonym of spinosa: Salata & Fisher, 2022: 17.
- Status as species: Forel, 1897c: 188.
Type Material
P. decepticon
- Holotype: (major worker), MAYOTTE, Mont Chongui, 12.95945 S, 45.1341 E, 380 m, rainforest, ex rotten log, collection code BLF18916, 28.xi.2007 (B.L. Fisher et al.) (California Academy of Sciences: CASENT0132558).
- Paratypes: (3 major & 10 minor workers), Mont Chongui, 12.95945 S, 45.1341 E, 380 m, rainforest, sifted leaf litter, collection code BLF18922, 28.xi.2007 (B.L. Fisher et al.) (The Natural History Museum: CASENT0133665, CASENT0133713; CASC: CASENT0133661, CASENT0133677, CASENT0133678, CASENT0133705, CASENT0133710, CASENT0133715; Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève: CASENT0133674, CASENT0133708); (1 minor worker), Mont Chongui, 12.95945 S, 45.1341 E, 380 m, rainforest, on low vegetation, collection code BLF18897, 28.xi.2007 (B.L. Fisher et al.) (CASC: CASENT0132583); (1 minor worker), Mont Chongui, 12.996 S, 45.1343 E, 550 m, rainforest, sifted leaf litter, collection code BLF18860, 28.xi.2007 (B.L. Fisher et al.) (CASC: CASENT0125677).
Description
References
- Forel, A. 1891c. Les Formicides. [part]. In: Grandidier, A. Histoire physique, naturelle, et politique de Madagascar. Volume XX. Histoire naturelle des Hyménoptères. Deuxième partie (28e fascicule). Paris: Hachette et Cie, v + 237 pp. (page 178, soldier, worker described)
- Forel, A. 1897d. Ameisen aus Nossi-Bé, Majunga, Juan de Nova (Madagaskar), den Aldabra-Inseln und Sansibar, gesammelt von Herrn Dr. A. Voeltzkow aus Berlin. Mit einem Anhang über die von Herrn Privatdocenten Dr. A. Brauer in Marburg auf den Seychellen und von Herrn. Abh. Senckenb. Naturforsch. Ges. 21: 185-208 (page 186, race of megacephala)
- Forel, A. 1904c [1903]. Note sur les fourmis du Musée Zoologique de l'Académie Impériale des Sciences à St. Pétersbourg. Ezheg. Zool. Muz. 8: 368-388 (page 373, race of megacephala)
- Forel, A. 1905e. Miscellanea myrmécologiques II (1905). Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 49: 155-185 (page 164, race of punctulata)
- Salata, S., Fisher, B.L. 2022. Taxonomic revision of the Pheidole megacephala species-group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from the Malagasy Region. PeerJ 10: e13263 (doi:10.7717/peerj.13263).
- Wheeler, W. M. 1922k. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. IX. A synonymic list of the ants of the Malagasy region. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 4 45: 1005-1055 (see also)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Fischer G. & Fisher B. L. 2013. A revision of Pheidole Westwood (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the islands of the Southwest Indian Ocean and designation of a neotype for the invasive Pheidole megacephala. Zootaxa 3683: 301-356