Current View: All Antweb

Cite this page

View in AntCat

Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2021)

// Distribution

Distribution:

  Geographic regions (According to curated Geolocale/Taxon lists):
    Americas: Argentina, Costa Rica, Guyana, Nicaragua, Venezuela
  Biogeographic regions (According to curated Bioregion/Taxon lists):
    Neotropical

Comments:

J. Longino, Jan 2020: Casadei-Ferreira et al., 2020 resurrect P. idiota, which had been synonymized under P. vafra. The type locality of P. idiota is in Argentina. The type locality of P. vafra is in Santa Catarina state. Casadei-Ferreira et al. say that the two species are sympatric and distinguishable in Paraná state. However, they never say how to tell them apart. The image of the lectotype major of P. idiota clearly shows the peculiar enlarged scape base that, together with other characters, identifies a widespread, somewhat weedy species that occurs in open disturbed areas throughout the Neotropics, as far north as Nicaragua (including Wilson's laticornis). The image of the lectotype major of P. vafra is difficult to interpret. The scape base could be thinner, or it could be like P. idiota but tilted, so that it does not appear as thick. I will accept the change and reidentify P. vafra as P. idiota, but Casadei-Ferreira et al. need to (1) explain the differentiating features of the sympatric forms in Paraná, and (2) confirm that the "non-idiota" species matches the type of P. vafra.

Specimen Habitat Summary

Found most commonly in these habitats: 52 times found in 2º lowland rainforest, 5 times found in airstrip clearing near rainforest, 2 times found in rainforest, 1 times found in cement patio area near buildings of cacao research station, 1 times found in pasture/road edge, 2 times found in riparian dry forest, 1 times found in roadcut in cloud forest, 1 times found in town center, 2 times found in tropical rainforest, dry stream bed, 2 times found in white sand savanna, ...

Found most commonly in these microhabitats: 61 times at bait, 1 times old lava field; under stone, 2 times foragers, 1 times colony emigration, 1 times recruiting to food, 1 times on clay bank, edge of stream, 1 times nest in soil, 1 times Trail behind kitchen. Nomamyrmex were raiding a Pheidole I nest in the trail., 1 times stray ground ants, 1 times Malaise trap, 1 times at baits, ...

Collected most commonly using these methods: 51 times baiting, 11 times Search, 9 times bait, 1 times Malaise.

Elevations: collected from 5 - 1640 meters, 192 meters average

Collect Date Range: collected between 1911-12-04 and 2018-12-12

Type specimens: paratype Pheidole laticornis: jtlc000016428

See something amiss? Send us an email.