Pheidole triplex

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Pheidole triplex
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Pheidole
Species: P. triplex
Binomial name
Pheidole triplex
Wilson, 2003

The type colony was found in mature montane rainforest, nesting beneath a rock in clay soil. A seed cache was present. (Wilson 2003)

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Only known from the type locality.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -0.631944444° to -0.6383°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Ecuador, Trinidad and Tobago (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

AntMapLegend.png

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.
pChart

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.
pChart

Biology

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • triplex. Pheidole triplex Wilson, 2003: 767 (s.w.) TRINIDAD.

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

Description

DIAGNOSIS Major: virtually identical with Pheidole subarmata major except for its much smaller size (HW about 0.8 mm versus more than 0.9 mm in subarmata) and strikingly different color (see below). Stefan Cover, who has examined this species and subarmata in detail, reports that the head of the triplex major is also slightly narrower.

Minor: virtually identical with Pheidole subarmata minor except for its strikingly different color (see below). Another possible difference is habitat: the triplex types were collected in mature mountain rainforest, while subarmata prefers open, even disturbed habitats.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.80, HL 1.06, SL 0.44, EL 0.12, PW 0.46. Paratype minor: HW 0.42, HL 0.46, SL 0.42, EL 0.09, PW 0.28.

COLOR Major: strongly tricolorous, with head and mandibles uniformly medium brown; mesosoma, waist, and appendages yellow; and gaster light brown.

Minor: concolorous clear light yellow.

Type Material

TRINIDAD: Aripo Ridge, Arima Valley, 550-650 m, col. Stefan Cover and Mark W. Moffett. Museum of Comparative Zoology

Etymology

L triplex, three parts, referring to the tricolorous condition of the major.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Mertl A. L., J. F. A. Traniello, K. Ryder Wilkie, and R. Constantino. 2012. Associations of two ecologically significant social insect taxa in the litter of an amazonian rainforest: is there a relationship between ant and termite species richness? Psyche doi:10.1155/2012/312054