Pheidole ajax
Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus.
Wilson, E. O.
4FY6T
urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_concepts:33573
Insecta
Formicidae
Pheidole
CoL
Animalia
Pheidole ajax Forel
Pheidole ajax Forel
Hymenoptera
263
Arthropoda
species
ajax
Pheidole ajaxForel 1899e: 71.
Etymology Gr Ajax, legendary Greek hero of the Trojan war.
Diagnosis A large brown member of the fallaxgroup immediately recognizable in the major by the extremely long propodeal spines; by the completely carinulate center of the head and frontal lobes, which is flanked by a rugoreticulum on either side in full-face view; and by the striate first gastral tergite.
Minor: extremely long propodeal spines and mostly smooth and shiny head and body. Similar to fiorii, hector, jaculifera, and lourothi, differing in many details of body form, sculpturing, and pilosity, as depicted. measurements (mm) Major (Rio Toro Amarillo, Costa Rica): HW 1.28, HL 1.36, SL 1.16, EL 0.22, PW 0.66. Minor (Rio Toro Amarillo, Costa Rica): HW 0.56, HL 0.82, SL 1.12, EL 0.14, PW 0.40. color Major: body dark brown, appendages medium brown. Minor: body and most appendages medium to light brown, except for yellowish brown tarsi.
Range Atlantic slope to 600 m (J. T. Longino 1997).
Biology A nest was found by Longino (1997) beneath the bark of a rotten stump in mature wet forest.
Figure Upper: major. Lower: minor. COSTA RICA: Rio Toro Amarillo, near Guapiles (William L. Brown). Minor compared with syntype in Museum d'Histoire Naturelle, Geneve, by W. O. Brown. Type locality: San Jose, Costa Rica. Scale bars = 1 mm.