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Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2017)

Distribution:

(based on species list records)
Nearctic Region: Puebla
Neotropical Region: Alta Verapaz, Americas, Atlántida, Cartago, Central America, Chiapas, Costa Caribe Norte, Costa Caribe Sur, Costa Rica, Gracias a Dios, Guatemala, Heredia, Honduras, Izabal, Limón, Mexico, Nicaragua, Oaxaca, Petén, Veracruz

Distribution Notes:

Mexico to Costa Rica. Costa Rica: Atlantic lowlands.

Biology:

This species inhabits mature wet forest. It appears to be both arboreal and terrestrial, occurring commonly in forest floor leaf litter and in the canopy. Nests are in irregular cavities in dead wood. Wilson (2005) observed that P. nebulosa and two other species of small Pheidole (flavens and bilimeki) frequently prey on oribatid mites in the leaf litter.

Identification:

Pheidole nebulosa has a highly distinctive feature in the major workers: there is a single large rounded medial tooth on the hypostomal margin and no inner hypostomal teeth. All other Central American Pheidole in the same size range and with similar sculptural features have inner hypostomal teeth.

Comments:

The only difference between the types of P. scabriventris and P. nebulosa is color. The former is red brown instead of yellow.

References:

Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A Dominant, Hyperdiverse Ant Genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass

Wilson, E. O. 2005. Oribatid mite predation by small ants of the genus Pheidole. Insectes Sociaux 52:263-265.

Taxonomic Treatment (provided by Plazi)

Specimen Habitat Summary

Found most commonly in these habitats: 155 times found in mature wet forest, 112 times found in lowland rainforest, 89 times found in tropical moist forest, 73 times found in tropical rainforest, 58 times found in 2º lowland rainforest, 57 times found in montane wet forest, 24 times found in lowland wet forest, 25 times found in 2º wet forest, 7 times found in CES (700.350 GIS), 17 times found in 2nd growth forest, ...

Found most commonly in these microhabitats: 348 times ex sifted leaf litter, 258 times at bait, 33 times Hojarasca, 9 times Primary, 6 times Primary forest, 6 times beating vegetation, 2 times foragers at cookie bait, 1 times under roots of epiphyte on stream bank, 1 times pecan sandie bait, 1 times nest in crack in live trunk, 1 times forest near lab clearing, treefall gap, fallen trees leafless, branches dead, bu, ...

Collected most commonly using these methods: 286 times baiting, 316 times miniWinkler, 32 times Winkler, 24 times MaxiWinkler, 9 times search, 19 times Mini Winkler, 7 times Search & Berles, 16 times Malaise, 16 times Berlese, 15 times Lure/Bait, 10 times flight intercept trap, ...

Elevations: collected from 30 - 1380 meters, 298 meters average

Type specimens: paratype Pheidole nebulosa: jtlc000016469; paratype Pheidole scabriventris: jtlc000016521

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