Pheidole styrax

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Pheidole styrax
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Pheidole
Species: P. styrax
Binomial name
Pheidole styrax
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: 7.169216° to 7.169216°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Venezuela (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

Nomenclature

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

  • styrax. Pheidole styrax Wilson, 2003: 513, figs. (s.w.) VENEZUELA.

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

Description

DIAGNOSIS A medium-large, brown member of the flavens group whose major is distinguished by the unusual bidentate anterior margin of the clypeus; heart-shaped frontal profile of the head; completely carinulate clypeus; shallow antennal fossa; high, subangulate pronotal humerus in dorsal-oblique view; angulate mesonotal convexity and deep, semicircular metanotal groove; and narrow petiolar node in side view.

Similar to Pheidole bidens in possession of a bidentate clypeus and general habitus but differing in presence of an antennal scrobe and many other details of body form, sculpturing, pilosity, and color, as shown and described (q.v.).

See also the less similar Pheidole moffetti, Pheidole nasutoides and Pheidole tennantae.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.04, HL 1.12, SL 0.58, EL 0.14, PW 0.52. Paratype minor: HW 0.60, HL 0.62, SL 0.54, EL 0.12, PW 0.38.

COLOR Major: body and mandibles medium brown, other appendages yellowish brown.

Minor: body light brown, appendages brownish yellow.


Pheidole styrax Wilson 2003.jpg

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

Type Material

VENEZUELA: Rio Negro Táchira, 550 m, col. John Lattke. Museum of Comparative Zoology

Etymology

Gr styrax, point at the butt end of a spear, referring to narrow petiolar node of the major.

References