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Species: Pheidole stulta   Forel, 1886 


Classification:
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Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2017)

Pheidole stulta Forel, 1886b PDF: xlvi (s.) BRAZIL. Neotropic. AntCat AntWiki HOL

Taxonomic history

Senior synonym of Pheidole championi, Pheidole sima: Wilson, 2003A: 758.

Distribution:

(based on species list records)
Neotropical Region: Americas, Brazil, Central America, Chiriquí, Costa Rica, Panama, Puntarenas

Distribution Notes:

Costa Rica, Panama, Brazil (Bahia).

Comments:

There is a complex of Pheidole species showing a geographic mosaic of differentiated forms. Members of this complex include excubitor Wilson 2003, exarata Emery 1896, and stulta Forel 1886. Wilson (2003) synonymized two forms, championi Forel 1899 and championi sima Forel 1912, under stulta. The type locality of stulta is Bahia, Brazil. Pheidole championi was described from Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui. Pheidole championi var. sima was described from Costa Rica, "Canas Gudas" [probably Puntarenas Province, Canas Gordas, a site very near Volcan Chiriqui].

Longino examined syntypes of sima in 2008 and made these notes:

Very different from excubitor and exarata. Pheidole sima (=stulta) major: scapes relatively short (SI 44); hypostomal teeth short, blunt, and inconspicuous; clypeus completely smooth, without carinulae; face almost completely smooth, longitudinal and concentric striae restricted to area of antennal fossa, mostly anterior to eye; hind tibia with sparse, moderately long decumbent pubescence and sparse short erect setae; first gastral tergite smooth and shining. Pheidole excubitor major: scapes relatively long (SI 51); hypostomal teeth short but sharp, distinctly tooth-like and conspicuous; clypeus with even covering of longitudinal carinulae; anterior two thirds of face with dense longitudinal carinulae overlaying foveolate sculpture, posterior one third smooth and shining; hind tibia with sparse, short, and fully appressed pubescence and sparse short erect setae; first gastral tergite smooth and shining. Pheidole exarata major: scapes relatively long (SI 49); hypostomal teeth short but sharp, distinctly tooth-like and conspicuous; clypeus with a pronounced median carina flanked by longitudinal carinulae; anterior two thirds of face with dense longitudinal carinulae overlaying foveolate sculpture, posterior one third smooth and shining; hind tibia with sparse, moderately long decumbent pubescence and abundant short erect setae; first gastral tergite with variable extent shagreened anteriorly. Pheidole sima (=stulta) minor: face largely smooth and shining; lateral pronotum smooth and shining; hind tibia with sparse decumbent pubescence and a few short erect setae. Pheidole excubitor minor: face largely smooth and shining; lateral pronotum foveolate (faint medially); hind tibia with sparse, short, fully appressed pubescence and no erect setae. Pheidole exarata minor: face foveolate; lateral pronotum foveolate (faint medially); hind tibia with sparse decumbent pubescence and many short erect setae.

Notes:

See Comments under exarata.

Taxonomic Treatment (provided by Plazi)

Treatment Citation: Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

Pheidole stultaHNS Forel

Pheidole stultaHNS Forel 1886b: xlvi. Syn.: Pheidole championiHNS Forel 1899e: 72, n. syn. ; Pheidole championi var. simaHNS Forel 1912g: 234, n.syn. (See note in the Diagnosis below.)

Types Mus. Hist. Nat. Geneve.

Etymology L stultaHNS, fool, allusion unknown.

Diagnosis A large, yellow, sparsely sculptured member of the tristisHNS group.

Major: very prominent, subangulate, pronotal humerus in dorsal-oblique view, no sculpturing behind the posterior half of the head or any part of the body; a cornulate postpetiolar node; and a small but conspicuous rounded subpostpetiolar process. The Colombia syntype major I examined has longitudinal carinulae extending midway up to the center of the dorsum of the head, as opposed to the complete absence of such carinulae in the Panama specimen figured. Further series may indicate that the Central American populations are a distinct species, in which case they would receive the name championiHNS Forel.

Similar to absurdaHNS, alpinensisHNS, exarataHNS, excubitorHNS, germainiHNS, gibbaHNS, grandinodusHNS, obrimaHNS, rogeriHNS, spininodisHNS, tristisHNS, and zosterHNS, differing in details of body form, sculpturing, and pilosity, as illustrated, and color.

Measurements (mm) Syntype major (Colombia): HW 1.84, HL 2.26, SL 0.84, EL 0.18, PW 0.94.

Minor (Barro Colorado Island, Panama): HW 0.60, HL 0.66, SL 0.66, EL 0.06, PW 0.38.

Color Major: light reddish yellow.

Minor: medium yellow.

Range As broadly construed, stultaHNS ranges from Bahia in Brazil to Panama.

Biology Colonies have been found in a tropical forest (Panama) and coffee plantation at 850 m (Colombia); a nest was found on Barro Colorado in a "well rotted log" (L. Hane, collection note).

figure Upper: major. Lower: minor. PANAMA: Barro Colorado Island (L. Hane). (Major compared with stultaHNS syntype from Colombia; queens from the Barro Colorado and syntype series were also matched.) (Type locality: Caravelas, Bahia, Brazil.) Scale bars = 1 mm.

Specimen Habitat Summary

Elevations: collected from 613 - 1000 meters, 806 meters average

Type specimens: syntype of Pheidole championi: casent0901566; syntype of Pheidole championi sima: casent0904394, casent0904395; syntype Pheidole championi: jtlc000015336; syntype Pheidole championi sima Forel: jtl066278; Syntype Pheidole sima: jtlc000014070, jtlc000014071



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