Pheidole marcidula Wheeler
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publication ID |
20017 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6274308 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/CBB824F7-7616-097E-00B6-03B7C95F151F |
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treatment provided by |
Donat |
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scientific name |
Pheidole marcidula Wheeler |
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Pheidole marcidula Wheeler View in CoL HNS
Pheidole marcidula Wheeler HNS 1908h: 457.
Types Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist; Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.
Etymology L marcidula HNS , little and weak, or wasted, allusion unknown.
diagnosis A member of the " bicarinata HNS complex" of the larger pilifera HNS group, comprising agricola HNS , aurea HNS , barbata HNS , bicarinata HNS , centeotl HNS , cerebrosior HNS , defecta HNS , gilvescens HNS , macclendoni HNS , macrops HNS , marcidula HNS , paiute HNS , pinealis HNS , vinelandica HNS , xerophila HNS , yaqui HNS , and yucatana HNS , which complex is characterized by the large to very large, forward-set eyes in both castes; and, in the major, by the occipital lobes lacking any sculpturing (except in aurea HNS ); the posterior half of the head capsule almost entirely smooth and shiny; and the postpetiolar node seen from above oval, elliptical, or laterally angular (cornulate in cerebrosior HNS ). P. marcidula HNS is distinguished within the complex by the following combination of traits.
Major: clavate hairs occasional on mesosoma, with other ordinary pilosity sparse; apex of petiolar node in side view pointed; postpetiolar node from above laterally subangulate.
Minor: promesonotal dorsal profile lined with evenly spaced pairs of clavate hairs.
Measurements (mm) Major (Sierra Blanca, Texas): HW 0.92, HL 1.22, SL 0.56, EL 0.16, PW 0.42.
Syntype minor: HW 0.44, HL 0.48, SL 0.42, EL 0.12, PW 0.28.
color Major: overall yellow, with gaster and legs in lighter shade than rest of body.
Minor: concolorous pale yellow.
Range Known only from central and western Texas.
Biology P. marcidula HNS is evidently a rare species. Wheeler (1908h) found one colony, nesting beneath a stone at Barton Creek, Texas. In Hudspeth County, Texas, Moody and Francke (1982) found a single colony at 1300 m, nesting in open sandy loam soil.
Figure Upper: major. TEXAS: 5 km south of Sierra Blanca, Hudspeth Co. (O. F. Francke and J. V. Moody). Lower: syntype, minor. TEXAS: Barton Creek, Austin (William M. Wheeler). (Type locality: Barton Creek, Texas.) Scale bars = 1 mm.
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.