Pheidole rogeripolita, Longino, 2019

Longino, John T., 2019, Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Middle American Wet Forest, Zootaxa 4599 (1), pp. 1-126 : 56

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.5586238

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/5B56E872-FFB7-4A7C-FF32-8A90FBC7E928

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Pheidole rogeripolita
status

sp. nov.

Pheidole rogeripolita new species

( Plate 58 View PLATE 58 )

Pheidole JTL-134: morphospecies code previously used on AntWeb.

HOLOTYPE: 1 major worker, Costa Rica, Alajuela: Peñas Blancas River , 10.3 -84.73333 ± 2 km, 850 m, 3- Mar-2005, wet forest, nest in clay bank (J. Longino, JTL5465) [ MUCR, unique specimen identifier CASENT0636564] . PARATYPES: major, minor worker, queen: same data as holotype [ JTLC, MUCR] ; Costa Rica, Alajuela: 10km E Monteverde , 10.3107 -84.71356 ± 50 m, 830 m, 15-May-2014, mature wet forest, nest in cavity in treetrunk (J. Longino, JTL8640) [ CAS, DZUP, JTLC, MCZC, USNM] .

Geographic range. Costa Rica, Panama.

Diagnosis. Similar in most respects to P. rogeri . The minor worker has a smooth, shiny face, rather than the lustrous, shagreened face of P. rogeri . The major worker is not readily distinguishable.

Measurements, minor worker: HW 0.84, HL 1.14, SL 1.56, EL 0.18, WL 1.63, PSL 0.42, PTW 0.14, PPW 0.23, CI 74, SI 185, PSLI 50, PPI 164 (n=2).

Measurements, major worker: HW 2.35, HL 2.59, SL 1.53, EL 0.28, WL 2.19, PSL 0.44, PTW 0.29, PPW 0.51, CI 91, SI 66, PSLI 19, PPI 173 (n=2).

Measurements, queen: HW 2.23, HL 2.14, SL 1.62, EL 0.48, WL 3.25, PSL 0.41, PTW 0.51, PPW 0.90, CI 104, SI 73, PSLI 19, PPI 175 (n=1).

Biology. This species occurs in lower montane, mature wet forest. It nests in clay soil on vertical banks. Several nests have been discovered and excavated. Nest 1: the entrance was a flared auricle-like structure of accreted soil; irregular galleries extended back into bank from the entrance; abundant workers, soldiers, brood were found about 5cm deep. Nest 2: on a concave clay bank, the entrance under a shelf, pointing downward; the nest entrance was a projecting, thin-walled, open-mouthed cylinder, made of accreted soil. Nest 3: in an abandoned wax tube of a Trigona bee nest, in a buttressed trunk, 1.5 m high; the wax tube covered a hemispherical chamber about 8 cm diameter; the entire colony with a single queen appeared to be in this chamber; a uniformly distributed layer of larvae were adhering to the vertical back wall of the chamber. Nest 4: incipient nest in a clay bank; inconspicuous circular entrance tunnel; nest a spherical chamber 3-4 cm deep; most of the colony collected; 16 minor workers, 1 colony queen, brood. Nest 5: stream edge in moist forest; nest in clay bank deep in alcove with overhanging roots.

Comments. Pheidole rogeripolita is a montane variant of the widespread lowland species P. rogeri . The two are sister taxa and diverged about 5 mya ( Pheidole JTL 134 in Economo et al. 2019).

Etymology: Similar to P. rogeri , but smooth and shiny, without a dull surface.

MUCR

Museo de Insectos

CAS

California Academy of Sciences

DZUP

Universidade Federal do Parana, Colecao de Entomologia Pe. Jesus Santiago Moure

USNM

Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Formicidae

Genus

Pheidole

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