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Taxonomic history
Mexico to Costa Rica. Costa Rica: Atlantic and southern Pacific lowlands.
This species occurs in mature wet forest. It is a relatively common arboreal ant, nesting in dead branches and under epiphytes. Colonies often appear large, with workers scattered over a wide area.
Wilson (2003) examined the lectotype major of this species. For locality he put "Puerto Jimenez, Osa Peninsula," but this is probably an error. We are not certain if that town existed in the late 1800's, and it was not one of Alfaro's standard collecting localities. In contrast, Jimenez, near present day Guapiles on the Atlantic slope, was an Alfaro collecting site. It is the type locality for many Neotropical ants, probably including nitidicollis.
Based on Wilson's illustrations and text, we are not convinced there is a difference between Emery's nitidicollis and Wheeler's sagana.
Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A Dominant, Hyperdiverse Ant Genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass
Scientific Name | Status | Publication | Pages | ModsID | GoogleMaps |
Pheidole nitidicollis | new status | Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press: 474, (download) | 474 | 20017 | |
Pheidole nitidicollis | Longino, J. T., 2009, Additions to the taxonomy of New World Pheidole (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)., Zootaxa 2181, pp. 1-90: 58, (download) | 58 | 22820 |
Found most commonly in these habitats: 30 times found in montane wet forest, 10 times found in rainforest, 7 times found in ridgetop cloud forest, 5 times found in lowland rainforest, 3 times found in tropical wet forest, 3 times found in mature wet forest, 1 times found in mature rainforest, 3 times found in CC 1250, 1 times found in station grounds, 3 times found in STR, ...
Found most commonly in these microhabitats: 7 times ex sifted leaf litter, 11 times copa de árbol, 6 times beating vegetation, 6 times Malaise trap, 2 times in fresh treefall, 2 times under epiphytes, 3 times STR, 3 times bajo de M/28, 1 times in treefall, 1 times in soft dead branch, 2 times at bait, ...
Collected most commonly using these methods: 27 times Malaise, 16 times Fogging, 6 times search, 6 times miniWinkler, 6 times Beating, 6 times Foggin, 6 times flight intercept trap, 1 times Winkler, 2 times Baiting, 1 times Mini Winkler, 1 times YPT, ...
Elevations: collected from 5 - 1280 meters, 422 meters average
Collect Date Range: collected between 1929-05-15 00:00:00.0 and 2020-01-24 00:00:00.0
Type specimens: Lectotype of Pheidole dimidiata nitidicollis: casent0904428; Not Provided: casent0283265; paralectotype of Pheidole dimidiata nitidicollis: casent0904429; paralectotype Pheidole sagana: jtlc000016517, jtlc000016518; paratype Pheidole chalcoides: casent0624252, jtlc000016346