Pheidole tennantae

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

Pheidole tennantae inbiocri001242645 p 1 high.jpg

Specimen Label

In Costa Rica, according to Longino (1997), tennantae (referred to by the Wilson ms. name campanae) nests in dead wood on the floor of wet forests. (Wilson 2003)

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

From Wilson (2003): Atlantic lowlands of Costa Rica (Longino 1997); Panama; Colombia; Venezuela; and Amazonian Peru (Tingo Maria).

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 10.430767° to -4.1°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Colombia, Costa Rica (type locality), Panama, Peru, Venezuela.

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

Worker

Minor

Images from AntWeb

Pheidole tennantae casent0635535 h 1 high.jpgPheidole tennantae casent0635535 p 1 high.jpgPheidole tennantae casent0635535 l 1 high.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0635535. Photographer J. Longino, uploaded by University of Utah. Owned by INBio.

Nomenclature

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

  • tennantae. Pheidole tennantae Wilson, 2003: 521, figs. (s.w.) COSTA RICA.

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 various traits to Pheidole amazonica, Pheidole nitidicollis, Pheidole moffetti and Pheidole pariana, differing as follows.

Major: brown, with bicolored head; pilosity dense, with many hairs 1.5–2.0X Eye Length; in dorsal-oblique view, humerus high, descends in continuous nearly flat curve to metanotum; propodeal spines half as long as propodeal basal face preceding them; from above, postpetiolar node oval and very narrow, only about as wide as petiolar node; dorsal surface of head carinulate except for occiput, frontal triangle, and mid-clypeus; occiput smooth with scattered foveae.

Minor: pilosity very long, some hairs 2X Eye Length; humerus in dorsal-oblique view angulate; propodeal spines moderately long, and thin; occiput narrowed somewhat, its margin concave, lacking nuchal collar.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.86, HL 0.90, SL 0.46, EL 0.14, PW 0.44. Paratype minor: HW 0.46, HL 0.50, SL 0.44, EL 0.10, PW 0.32.

COLOR Major: rear two-thirds of head, as well as frontal triangle, part of vertex, and midclypeus, dark brown and rest of head dark yellow, as depicted; waist light brown.

Minor: body dark brown; mandibles, funiculi, and tarsi medium yellow, remainder of appendages brownish yellow.


Pheidole tennantae Wilson 2003.jpg

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

Type Material

COSTA RICA: La Selva Biological Station, near Puerto Viejo, Heredia, col. Leeanne E. Tennant-Alonso. Museum of Comparative Zoology

Etymology

Named after the collector, Leeanne E. Tennant-Alonso, myrmecologist and conservationist.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Longino J. T. L., and M. G. Branstetter. 2018. The truncated bell: an enigmatic but pervasive elevational diversity pattern in Middle American ants. Ecography 41: 1-12.
  • Longino J. T., and R. K. Colwell. 2011. Density compensation, species composition, and richness of ants on a neotropical elevational gradient. Ecosphere 2(3): 16pp.