Pheidole tenerescens

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Pheidole tenerescens
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Pheidole
Species: P. tenerescens
Binomial name
Pheidole tenerescens
Wheeler, W.M., 1922

MCZ-ENT00020770 Pheidole tenerescens hal.jpg

MCZ-ENT00020770 Pheidole tenerescens had.jpg

Type Specimen Label

This species is only known from the type specimen, collected by sweeping vegetation. (Wilson 2003)

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Only known from the type locality.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Trinidad and Tobago (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

Only known from the holotype major.

Nomenclature

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

  • tenerescens. Pheidole tenerescens Wheeler, W.M. 1922c: 7 (s.) TRINIDAD. See also: Wilson, 2003: 520.

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 As represented by the major, a small, yellow member of the flavens group with prominent, rounded humerus that rises well above the mesonotum in dorsal-oblique view; a nearly perfectly semicircular outline of promesonotum in side view; a deep, circular metanotal groove with vertical anterior propodeal face in dorsal-oblique view; short pilosity; and mostly smooth, shiny body. Similar to nitidicollis, but lacking a mesonotal convexity in side view, with shorter cephalic carinulae, smaller propodeal spiracle and spine, and yellow as opposed to medium brown gaster.

See also the less similar Pheidole arhuaca, Pheidole flavifrons, Pheidole minutula, and other species listed as close to arhuaca (q.v.).

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.74, HL 0.80, SL 0.34, EL 0.10, PW 0.40.

COLOR Major: concolorous yellow.


Pheidole tenerescens Wilson 2003.jpg

Figure. Unique holotype, major. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Syntype Specimen Labels

Type Material

TRINIDAD: Port of Spain, col. Roland Thaxter. Museum of Comparative Zoology - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Etymology

Presumably from L tener, soft, alluding to the relatively feeble sculpture. (Wilson 2003)

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
  • Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
  • Wheeler W. M. 1922. The ants of Trinidad. American Museum Novitates 45: 1-16.
  • Wilson, E.O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A Dominant, Hyperdiverse Genus. Harvard University Press