Pheidole plebecula, Forel, 1899

Longino, John T., 2019, Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Middle American Wet Forest, Zootaxa 4599 (1), pp. 1-126 : 54

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4599.1.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7CDD24FF-5BA3-4D06-898D-A3E220515D4C

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3513587

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/5B56E872-FFB5-4A7E-FF32-8870FDBCEAEC

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Pheidole plebecula
status

 

Pheidole plebecula View in CoL

Pheidole plebecula Forel, 1899: 68 View in CoL . Holotype major worker: Costa Rica, Alajuela (Alfaro) [MSNG, unique specimen identifier CASENT0904359] (AntWeb image examined).

Pheidole texticeps Wilson, 2003: 240 View Cited Treatment , figs. Holotype major worker and associated paratype minor worker: Costa Rica, Heredia, La Selva Biological Station , 1988 (S. Cover) [MCZC] (examined). New Synonym.

Pheidole perdiligens Wilson, 2003: 213 View Cited Treatment , figs. Holotype major worker and associated paratype minor worker: Costa Rica, Puntarenas, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula, Sirena, 28 Feb 1979, secondary rainforest, <1/ 2mi from coast, rotten branch on forest floor (S. P. Cover CR312) [MCZC] (examined). New synonym. Synonymized under P. texticeps by Longino, 2009: 85.

Comments. Wilson (2003) was unable to locate the type of P. plebecula and left it incertae sedis. The types were located and imaged for AntWeb by the Fisher lab. The images easily match Wilson's concept of P. texticeps .

Local populations of P. plebecula vary greatly in color and sculpture. Color varies from yellow orange to dark brown, and to varying extent bicolored, with lighter head and mesosoma and darker gaster. The face of the major varies from being entirely foveolate/rugulose to completely smooth and shining. Pilosity can vary as well, with most populations having multiple pairs of stiff setae on the mesosomal dorsum, but some with no dorsal setae. One of the variants, from Volcán Atitlán, Guatemala, was initially separated as the morphospecies JTL199. In Economo et al. (2019) the two species P. texticeps and P. JTL199 appear together, with little genetic divergence. These can now both be identified as P. plebecula .

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Formicidae

Genus

Pheidole

Loc

Pheidole plebecula

Longino, John T. 2019
2019
Loc

Pheidole texticeps

Wilson, E. O. 2003: 240
2003
Loc

Pheidole perdiligens

Longino, J. T. 2009: 85
Wilson, E. O. 2003: 213
2003
Loc

Pheidole plebecula

Forel, A. 1899: 68
1899
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