Pheidole verricula

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

From Wilson (2003): Occurs on the leaf litter on the forest floor and in canopy soil in very wet cloud forest and elfin forest (Longino 1997). The Honduras colony found by W. L. Brown was in a forest ravine, nesting in rotten wood.

Identification

See the description in the nomenclature section.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

From Wilson (2003): Montane Costa Rica above 1500 m, collected at Los Alturas, Braulio Carrillo, and Monteverde by Longino (1997); also Minas Las Animas, above Valle de Angeles, Honduras, 1560 m, col. W. L. Brown.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 10.3° to 8.983333333°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Costa Rica (type locality), Honduras.

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.

  • verricula. Pheidole verricula Wilson, 2003: 532, 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 A relatively large member of the flavens group, distinguished in both major and minor by the dorsal surface of the head being completely rugoreticulate except for the frontal lobes, clypeus, and a small strip of the head capsule just behind the clypeus. In addition, the major has a cornulate humerus and stout, relatively long propodeal spine, and a broad lens-shaped postpetiolar node, and the pronotal dorsum of the minor is completely rugoreticulate.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.90, HL 1.00, SL 0.46, EL 0.12, PW 0.46. Paratype minor: HW 0.48, HL 0.54, SL 0.46, EL 0.08, PW 0.32.

COLOR Major: body dark, almost blackish brown, mandibles medium brown, appendages a contrasting dark yellow.

Minor: mandibles and body concolorous medium brown, legs and antennae brownish yellow.


Pheidole verricula Wilson 2003.jpg

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

Type Material

COSTA RICA: 4 km north-northwest of Las Alturas, Puntarenas, 8°59'N 82°51'W, 1950 m, col. P. S. Ward. Museum of Comparative Zoology

Etymology

L verriculum, a dragnet, referring to the densely rugoreticulate heads of the major and minor.

References