Pheidole taipoana Wheeler, 2007

Eguchi, Katsuyuki, 2008, A revision of Northern Vietnamese species of the ant genus Pheidole (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae), Zootaxa 1902 (1), pp. 1-118 : 90-93

Pheidole taipoana Wheeler

Figs. 25a–g

Pheidole rinae subsp. taipoana Wheeler, 1928: 12 . Eguchi 2001a: 23 (lectotype designation), Eguchi et al. 2004 (ecological study). Lectotype: major, “Taipo, Silvestri” [Taipo, New Territory, Hong Kong], MCZC cotype-20670, examined; paralectotypes: 2 majors & 6 minors, same data as the lectotype, MCZC cotype- 20670, examined.

Pheidole taipoana Wheeler. Eguchi, Yamane & Zhou, 2007: 271–273 (raised to species, redescription of major & minor).]

Other material examined: S. China: Guangxi: New campus of Guangxi Normal Univ., Guilin City [Eg 00-GNGX-04] ; Hong Kong: Taipo Kau N.P., New Territory [Eg 00-HK-25]; nr. Taipo Kau N.P. [Eg 00- HK-32] ; Macau: Hac-Sa, Coloane I. [Eg 99-MAC-13, -15] . Taiwan: Shinten, Formosa ( Taiwan ) [R. Takahashi leg., MCZC] . Vietnam: Quang Ninh: Ky Thuong N.R., 21°11’N, 107°07’E, ca. 210–220 m alt. [B&E03-83, - 85; Eg 03-VN-184, -189, -193]. Eguchi’s informal species code “ Pheidole sp. eg-73” has been applied to these specimens .

Worker measurements & indices: Major (n=6). — HL 1.00– 1.08 mm; HW 0.87–0.93 mm; CI 85–88; SL 0.41–0.45 mm; SI 46–50; FL 0.58–0.62 mm; FI 66–69.

Minor (n=6). — HL 0.45–0.48 mm; HW 0.39–0.43 mm; CI 87–89; SL 0.40–0.44 mm; SI 100–104; FL 0.44–0.48 mm; FI 108–113.

Worker description

Major. — Head in lateral view strongly impressed on vertex; frons and anterior part of vertex sparsely

sculptured with weak longitudinal rugulae, with interspaces smooth; posterior part of vertex and dorsal and dorsolateral faces of vertexal lobe reticulate; frontal carina weak, extending beyond midlength of head; antennal scrobe inconspicuous; clypeus without median longitudinal carina; median and submedian processes of hypostoma conspicuous; lateral processes conspicuous to small; antenna with a 3-segmented club; maximal diameter of eye much longer than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome at most with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope; humerus of the dome weakly produced laterad; the dome (a little) broader at the humeri than at the bottom. Petiole much longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole not massive. First gastral tergite largely smooth and shining, or weakly puctured at most around its articulation with postpetiole.

Minor. — Head smooth and shining; preoccipital carina inconspicuous to very weak dorsally; median part of clypeus smooth and shining, without a median longitudinal carina; antenna with a 3-segmented club; scape exceeding posterior margin of head by half length or almost the length of antennal segment II; maximal diameter of eye longer than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome smooth and shining, in lateral view at most with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope; humerus in dorso-oblique view not or very weakly produced; mesopleuron, metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum almost smooth or very weakly punctured; propodeal spine elongate-triangular or spiniform. Petiole much longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole not massive.

Recognition: This species is characterized among Indo-Chinese species by the following combination of features: in the major head in lateral view strongly impressed on vertex; in the minor dorsal and lateral faces of head and promesonotal dome smooth and shining; in the major frons and anterior part of vertex sparsely with weak longitudinal rugulae, with interspaces smooth and shining; in the major posterior part of vertex and dorsal and dorsolateral facecs of vertexal lobe reticulate, with enclosures punctured; in the major hypostoma in the middle with a conspicuous median process and a pair of conspicuous submedian processes; in the minor maximal diameter of eye longer than antennal segment X; in the major and minor promesonotal dome at most with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope.

This species is very similar to Pheidole laevicolor Eguchi , but distinguished from the latter which has the following characteristics of the major: head in lateral view weakly or hardly impressed on vertex; vertex reticulate entirely, with enclosures punctured.

Distribution & bionomics: Known from Vietnam, S. China and Taiwan. This species occurs more frequently in woody gardens and forest edges than in either open lands or well-developed forests, and nests in the soil ( Eguchi et al. 2004).

Figures

FIGURE 25a–d, Pheidole taipoana, major [B&E03-85] — a, head in full-face view; b, head in lateral view; c, mesosoma and waist in dorsal view; d, mesosoma and waist in lateral view.