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Species: Pheidole browni

Name Status: Valid Name

Taxonomic Hierarchy:

Subfamily: Myrmicinae Genus: Pheidole

Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2013)

Pheidole browni Wilson, 2003A: 385, figs. (s.w.) COSTA RICA. AntCat AntWiki

Distribution:

Costa Rica (Atlantic slope to 1000m).

Biology:

Natural History:

Inhabits wet forest leaf litter; nests in soil or in dead wood on ground.

Taxon Page Author History

Taxonomic Treatment (provided by Plazi)

Wilson, E. O.:
Etymology Named in memory of William L. Brown, pioneering systematist of the world ant fauna.
diagnosis A small, light reddish (major) or dark yellow (minor) member of the flavens group.
Major: distinguished by an elongated head, shallow antennal scrobes, 3-lobed promesonotum in dorsal-oblique view, large propodeal spines, and foveolate and opaque dorsal head surface.
Minor: propodeal spines long and thin; humerus in dorsal-oblique view toothed; dorsal head surface foveolate and opaque; eyes very large, anteriorly tapered.
Similar to casta , mera , olsoni , prolixa , and protensa , but easily distinguished by the traits listed above.
Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.64, HL 0.76, SL 0.34, EL 0.12, PW 0.40.
Paratype minor: HW 0.36, HL 0.38, SL 0.32, EL 0.10, PW 0.26.
color Major: concolorous light reddish yellow, with only a slight tinge of red.
Minor: concolorous dark yellow.
Range Atlantic slope of Costa Rica up to 1100 m (J. T. Longino 1997).
biology Longino (1997) reports that browni nests in soil or in dead wood on the ground in wet forest. The species is captured frequently in Winkler samples. Longino observed a raid on a colony by Simopelta in the Braulio Carillo National Park at 1100 m elevation, in dense second-growth forest along a stream bank. Stefan Cover (personal communication) located five colonies in primary and secondary lowland rainforest at the type locality, nesting on the forest floor in rotten sticks and, in a single case, a rotten nut husk. Some of the colonies were spread over more than one nest site, and four of the five nests contained seed caches. Winged queens were present in nests at La Selva in March.
Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. COSTA RICA: La Selva Biological Station, near Puerto Viejo, Heredia (Stefan Cover). Scale bars = 1 mm.

Specimen Data Summary

Found most commonly in these habitats: 368 times found in cloud forest, 302 times found in montane wet forest, 274 times found in mesophyll forest, 219 times found in ridgetop cloud forest, 109 times found in mesophil forest, 86 times found in tropical wet forest, 87 times found in mature wet forest, 53 times found in montane rainforest, 32 times found in tropical rainforest, 14 times found in wet forest, ...

Collected most commonly using these methods or in the following microhabitats: 744 times miniWinkler, 640 times baiting, 103 times Mini Winkler, 94 times MaxiWinkler, 28 times Berlese, 23 times Winkler, 12 times Flight Intercept Trap, 10 times search, 1 times bait, 3 times pan trap, 1 times YPT, ...

Elevations: collected from 30 - 2020 meters, 1062 meters average