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Species: Pheidole ajax

Name Status: Valid Name

Taxonomic Hierarchy:

Subfamily: Myrmicinae Genus: Pheidole

Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2013)

Pheidole ajax Forel, 1899b: 71 (s.w.) COSTA RICA. AntCat AntWiki

Taxonomic history

Distribution:

Costa Rica: Atlantic slope to 600m; Central Valley.

Taxon Page Author History

Taxonomic Treatment (provided by Plazi)

Wilson, E. O.:
Pheidole ajax Forel 1899e: 71.
Etymology Gr Ajax, legendary Greek hero of the Trojan war.
Diagnosis A large brown member of the fallax group 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.

Specimen Data Summary

Found most commonly in these habitats: 14 times found in montane wet forest, 2 times found in mature wet forest, 1 times found in SSA 3400, 1 times found in tropical wet forest, 2 times found in wet forest

Collected most commonly using these methods or in the following microhabitats: 5 times search, 8 times Malaise, 5 times Sweeping, 1 times baiting, 1 times Lure/Bait, 1 times Mini Winkler

Elevations: collected from 50 - 800 meters, 466 meters average