Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius,1793)
EOL Text
urban areas, uncommon
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Pheidole megacephala is a species of ant in the family Formicidae. It is commonly known as the bigheaded ant in the USA and the coastal brown ant in Australia. It is a very successful invasive species and is considered a danger to native ants in Australia [2] and other places. It has been nominated as one of the hundred "World's Worst" invaders.[1]
Distribution[edit]
Pheidole megacephala was described from a specimen from the island of Mauritius by the entomologist, Johan Christian Fabricius in 1793, although a previous record exists for Egypt 18 years earlier (see Synonyms). Regardless of its original distribution, bigheaded ants have since spread to many tropical and subtropical parts of the world.[3]
Description[edit]
Dorsal view of soldier bigheaded ant
There are two types of worker ant, the major or soldier ant and the minor worker. The common name of bigheaded ant derives from the soldier's disproportionately large head. This has large mandibles which may be used to crush seeds. The soldiers are about four millimetres in length, twice as long as the minor workers. The colour of both types varies from yellowish-brown or reddish-brown to nearly black. The rear half of the head is smooth and glossy and the front half sculptured. The twelve-segmented antennae are curved and have club-like tips. The waist or petiole is two-segmented with the node immediately behind conspicuously swollen. There are a pair of short, upward-facing spines on the waist. The body has sparse, long hairs.[3]
Biology[edit]
Minor and major workers feeding on a crumb, indoors
Bigheaded ants nest in colonies underground. Colonies can have several queens [4] and super-colonies can be formed by budding, when a queen and workers leave the original nest and set up a new colony nearby without swarming.[5] In Florida, nuptial flights of winged ants take place during the winter and spring and afterwards, fertilized queens shed their wings and find a suitable site to found a new colony where they start laying eggs.[3] Each queen lays up to 290 eggs per month. The eggs hatch after two to four weeks and the legless white larvae, which are fed by the workers, pupate about a month later. The adult workers emerge ten to twenty days after that.[6]
The bigheaded ants feed on dead insects, small invertebrates and honeydew excreted by insects such as aphids, soft scale insects, mealybugs, whiteflies and planthoppers. These sap-sucking bugs thrive in the presence of bigheaded ants, being more abundant on plants patrolled by ants than on those not so patrolled.[7]Green scale, Coccus viridis, flourished when bigheaded ants protected their food source by removing predators such as lady beetle larvae and lepidopteran larvae.[8] The minor workers are much more numerous than the soldiers. Trails of ants lead up trunks, along branches and into the canopies of trees and debris-covered foraging tunnels with numerous entrances are created on the surface of the ground. These may be confused with similar tubes built by subterranean termites. Foraging ants will alert others to new food sources. Honeydew is ingested but other foodstuffs are carried back to the nest by both major and minor workers who may transfer items of food between themselves. Anything too big to be moved may be dissected before being brought back to the nest.[3]
P. megacephala can also live indoors.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Global Invasive Species Database
- ^ An invasion revisited: the African big-headed ant (Pheidole megacephala) in northern Australia
- ^ a b c d Featured Creatures
- ^ Wilson EO. 2003. Pheidole in the New World, a Dominant, Hyperdiverse Ant Genus. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, MA. 794 pp.
- ^ The Pest Ants of Florida
- ^ Hoffman B. 2006. Pheidole megacephala (insect). CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems
- ^ Impact of Pheidole megacephala (F.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on the Biological Control of Dysmicoccus brevipes (Cockerell) (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae)
- ^ Direct and indirect interactions between ants (Pheidole megacephala), scales (Coccus viridis) and plants (Pluchea indica)
- ^ http://flrec.ifas.ufl.edu/entomo/ants/pest%20ants%20of%20fl/big_headed_ant.htm
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Figs. 15a-g
Formica megacephala Fabricius , 1793: 36. Roger 1863b: 30 (combination in Pheidole ). Syntype(s): major, no locality given, not examined.
Myrmica trinodis Losana , 1834: 327. Roger 1863b: 30 (junior synonym of megacephala ). Syntype(s): "worker", Italy, not examined.
Formica edax Forskal , 1775: 84. Emery 1892: 160 (junior synonym of megacephala ), Dalla Torre 1892: 90 (same). Syntype(s): "worker", Egypt, not examined.
Oecophthora perniciosa Gerstacker , 1859: 263. Roger 1863b: 31 (combination in Pheidole ), Emery, 1915c: 235 (junior synonym of megacephala ). Syntype(s): "worker", Mozambique, not examined.
Oecophthora pusilla Heer , 1852: 15. F. Smith 1858: 173 (combination in Pheidole ), Roger 1859: 259 (senior synonym of laevigata Fr. Smith , 1855: 130), Mayr 1870: 981 (senior synonym of laevigata Mayr , 1862: 747), Mayr 1886: 360 (senior synonym of janus ), Emery 1915: 235 (subspecies of megacephala ), Wheeler 1922: 812 (junior synonym of megacephala ). Syntypes: major, minor, queen & male, Madeira, not examined.
Myrmica agilis F. Smith , 1857: 71. Donisthorpe 1932: 449 (combination in Pheidole ). Syn.n. Syntypes: 3 minors, "MALAC" [= Malacca, S. Malay Peninsula], OXUM TYPE HYM: 988 1-3/3, examined.
Myrmica suspiciosa F. Smith , 1859: 148. Donisthorpe 1932: 455 (junior synonym of megacephala ). Syntype (s): "worker", Aru I. (Indonesia), not examined.
Atta testacea F. Smith , 1858: 168. Mayr 1886: 360 (combination in Pheidole ), Brown, 1981: 530 (junior synonym of megacephala ). Syntypes: major & minor, Brazil, not examined.
Subspecies enumerated in Bolton, 1995: nominal plus costauriensis Santschi , 1914: 443, syntype(s): major, Ghana, not examined; duplex Santschi , 1937a: 220, syntypes: major, minor & queen, Angola, not examined; ilgi Forel , 1907: 82, syntypes: major & minor, Ethiopia, not examined.; impressifrons Wasmann , 1905: 110 (replacement name for impressiceps Wasmann , 1904: 72), syntypes: major, minor & queen, South Africa, not examined; melancholica Santschi , 1912: 164, syntypes: major & minor, Ivory Coast, not examined; nkomoana Forel , 1916: 415, syntypes: major, minor, queen & male, Zaire, not examined; rotundata Forel , 1894: 92, syntypes: major & minor, Mozambique, not examined; scabrior Forel , 1891: 178, syntypes: major & minor, Madagascar, not examined; speculifrons Stitz , 1911: 386, syntypes: major & minor, Tanzania, not examined; talpa Gerstacker , 1871: 356, syntypes: "worker" & queen, Kenya, not examined. For these forms type material not examined.
Other material examined: S. China: Hong Kong: Victoria Park, Hong Kong I. [K. Eguchi]; Macau: Mong Ha [K. Eguchi]. N. Vietnam: Ha Noi: Hanoi Agric. Univ. (Gia Lam) [K. Ogata: 15-min TUS #2]; Quang Ninh: Hoanh Bo [K. Eguchi]. S. Vietnam: Vinh Long (misspelled as "Vinlong"): Vinh Long (10°15'N, 105°58'N) [S. Kawaguchi]. Thailand: Trang: Khao Chong Waterfall [Eg01-VN-761]. W. Malaysia: Penang: beside a building of Univ. Sains Malaysia [C.Y. Lee]. E. Malaysia: Sabah: Kota Kinabalu [Eg97-BOR-376], Tambunan Village [H. Okido], Danam Valley [Eg96-BOR-108]. Indonesia: Kalimantan Timur: Tandjung Isuy [Seyfert & Graindl]; Irian Jaya: Wamena, 1600 m alt. [Eg98-IRI-674, -675, -676, -703]. Australia: Queensland: S. Mission Beach near Tully [AU01-SKY-12]. Tonga: Tongatapu: Vaini [J.K. Wetterer].
Worker measurements & indices: Major (n=5). - HL 1.28-1.45 mm; HW 1.25-1.45 mm; CI 98-100; SL 0.71-0.76 mm; SI 52-57; FL 0.94-0.98 mm; FI 68-77.
Minor (n=5). - HL 0.62-0.72 mm; HW 0.55-0.65 mm; CI 88-91; SL 0.67-0.73 mm; SI 111-121; FL 0.68-0.77 mm; FI 118-123. Worker description
Major. - Head in lateral view roundly convex dorsally, not impressed on vertex, in full-face view shallowly concave posteriorly; frons longitudinally rugose (or rarely almost smooth, only sparsely with short interrupted longitudinal rugulae); vertex and dorsum of vertexal lobe smooth and shining or shagreened; frontal carina absent or present just as weak rugula(e); antennal scrobe absent; median longitudinal carina of clypeus weak or absent; hypostoma at most with a pair of very small or inconspicuous submedian processes in addition to a pair of conspicuous lateral processes; antenna with a 3-segmented club; maximal diameter of eye almost as long as or longer than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome in dorsal view smooth and shining or shagreened, sometimes with several weak transverse rugulae, in lateral view at most with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope; humerus not or weakly produced laterad; the dome at the humeri narrower than at the bottom; mesopleuron, metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum weakly or very weakly punctured. Petiole a little longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole not massive; its anteroventral part weakly swollen. First gastral tergite smooth and shining entirely, or very weakly punctured around its articulation with postpetiole and smooth or shagreened in the remainder.
Minor. - Head smooth and shining; preoccipital carina weak but present dorsally and laterally; median part of clypeus smooth and shining, without a median longitudinal carina; antenna with a 3-segmented club; scape extending beyond posterolateral margin of head by the double length of antennal segment II or more; maximal diameter of eye almost as long as, or sometimes a little shorter than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome smooth and shining, in lateral view lacking a mound on its posterior slope; humerus in dorso-oblique view not or hardly produced; mesopleuron, metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum punctured weakly; metanotal groove inconspicuous. Petiole almost as long as or a little longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole relatively long but not massive; its anteroventral part weakly swollen.
Recognition: The syntype minors of " Myrmica agilis " agree well with minors of Bornean populations (e.g., Eg96-BOR-108) of P megacephala . I conclude that P agilis is a juninor synonym of P megacephala .
P. megacephala is well distinguished from Indo-Chinese species by the combination of the following characteristics: in the major head in full-face view only shallowly concave posteriorly; in the major dorsum of vertexal lobe smooth and shining or shagreened; in the major hypostoma in the middle at most with a pair of very small or inconspicuous submedian processes; in the minor preoccipital carina weak but present dorsally and laterally; posterior slope of promesonotal dome at most with an inconspicuous mound in the major, and without any mound in the minor; in the major and minor anteroventral part of postpetiole weakly swollen.
Distribution & bionomics: Widely distributed in the world tropics and subtropics. For detailed information on biology and ecological and economic impacts of this species see Reimer et al. (1993), Campbell (1994), Hoffmann (1998), Wetterer (1998), Hoffmann et al. (1999), Vanderwoude et al. (2000), etc.
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9. Pheidole megacephala, Fabr HNS .
et . (No. 49 a a 49 d). Cosmopolite dans les tropiques,
(49). Apparently a rare species.
(49 a). Wallilobo (leeward), Nov. 8 th; seashore. From passages at the root of a tree. Formicary could not be found. The ants are moderately active, and not very pugnacious.
(49 b). Fitz-Hugh Estate (leeward), near sea-level. Dec. 12 th. A large community, with extensive passages about an old arrowroot-machine; the passages partly under stones, or by the sides of posts which supported the machine; partly in the ground near the surface. In places there were galleries, covered with a substance apparently formed of wood-fibre and earth. I could find no larvae, and no males nor females, though I dug deep. Probably this was a branch of the main nest, which may have been some distance away. The workers major were numerous, probably one-fourth of the whole. The place was quite near the seashore.
(49 c). Petit Bordelle Estate; open land near the sea. Dec. 15 th. A very large community (eight or ten thousand, I should think), under turf on a rock; shore of a stream. The chambers were large, some of them four inches long and wide, but not high; and they were partly built up with walls of wood-fibre or some similar substance. The passages were numerous, and the whole formicarium occupied a space of about two square feet. The workers major are not numerous; about as one to twenty compared with the workers minor. Only one female could be found. The larvas were numerous. This ant walls in a large proportion of its works, both pas-. sages and chambers, with ' the wood-fibre substance mentioned above. It does not tunnel more than an inch or two below the surface of the ground, so far as I can discover.
(44 d). Same locality and date as No. 49 c, but another nest; under a stone. Most of the space under the stone was occupied by a large chamber, about 6 x 4 in., but not high, around the outside of the stone; next the ground were other chambers, formed of the wood-fibre substance. Apparently this was only a part of the nest, with. ' branches under other stones. Only one female found.
The species is common at Petit Bordelle, but I have not been able to find males.
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Pheidole megacephala, (Fabricius) HNS
Niangara, ; Akenge, ; Stanleyville, ; Banana, , (Lang and Chapin); Zambi, , , (Bequaert and Lang); Matadi, ,; Thysville, ; Boma, , , ; Malela, , , (J. Bequaert). All these specimens belong to the typical form of this well-known tropicopolitan pest. I have been unable to recognize among it If Forel's subspecies nkomoana, originally described from the vicinity of Stanleyville. In the colony taken at Zambi by Lang and Bequaert there are several specimens of an interesting Microdon larva, which is figured and described in Part VI. The female specimens from Akenge and Stanleyville, five in number, were taken from the stomach of a toad (Bufo polycercus) and a frog (Rana, mascareniensis).
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Madagascar merid. (Ranomafana - 4 Explr.) 26 , 56 , 1899 (Sikora!).
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Caracteres communs a toutes les formes de Ph. megacephala HNS .
Les soldats ont la tete considerablement retrecie en avant, en quoi ils different de pallidula HNS et de picata HNS ; le corselet est plus large que chez pallidula HNS , notamment le pronotum; ce segment a des epaules plus ou moins marquees, qui ne se voient pas, ou sont rudimentaires chez pallidula HNS . La tete est ordinairement luisante dans sa partie posterieure, rugueuse longitudinalement, pointillee et mate, sur le front, les parties laterales de l'epistome et les joues; la portion rugueuse s'etend sur les cotes, en arriere de l' oe il; a l'endroit ou s'appuie le scape, il y a une impression plus ou moins pointillee, mate. Le derriere de la tete a des points piligeres de grandeur variable; le fond du sillon median a generalement des strioles longitudinales, qui s'etendent; parfois plus ou moins sur le vertex et l'occiput.
L'ouvriere est, en general, plus petite que pallidula HNS par rapport au soldat. Elle a la tete plus etroite, surtout chez les individus de petite taille, plus arrondie en arriere et le bord posterieur n'est pas droit, en quoi elle differe de pallidula HNS et de picata HNS . On remarque, au moins chez les individus de petite taille, le bord releve du trou occipital, faisant saillie, quand on regarde la tete en dessus.
Je n'ai pas etudie les caracteres des femelles et des males, je ne dispose pas d'un materiel suffisant pour le faire utilement.
Je n'ai pas l'intention de donner une description complete des sous-especes et varietes de Ph. megacephala HNS : pour cela je renvoie le lecteur aux auteurs´qui les ont publiees. Il me suffira d'avoir mis un peu d'ordre dans cet echeveau embrouille. Il y a, sans doute, beaucoup de choses obscures, particulierement dans la serie punctulata-rotundata et dans ce qui est confondu sous le nom de la forme cosmopolite « pusilla HNS », dans son sens restreint. Dans cette derniere surtout, des mutations dues aux conditions d'existence (notamment dans l'Amerique meridionale) meriteraient une etude.
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Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius) HNS
Figs. 15a-g
Formica megacephala Fabricius HNS , 1793: 36. Roger 1863b: 30 (combination in Pheidole HNS ). Syntype(s): major, no locality given, not examined.
Myrmica trinodis Losana HNS , 1834: 327. Roger 1863b: 30 (junior synonym of megacephala HNS ). Syntype(s): "worker", Italy, not examined.
Formica edax Forskal HNS , 1775: 84. Emery 1892: 160 (junior synonym of megacephala HNS ), Dalla Torre 1892: 90 (same). Syntype(s): "worker", Egypt, not examined.
Oecophthora perniciosa Gerstacker HNS , 1859: 263. Roger 1863b: 31 (combination in Pheidole HNS ), Emery, 1915c: 235 (junior synonym of megacephala HNS ). Syntype(s): "worker", Mozambique, not examined.
Oecophthora pusilla Heer HNS , 1852: 15. F. Smith 1858: 173 (combination in Pheidole HNS ), Roger 1859: 259 (senior synonym of laevigata Fr. Smith HNS , 1855: 130), Mayr 1870: 981 (senior synonym of laevigata Mayr HNS , 1862: 747), Mayr 1886: 360 (senior synonym of janus HNS ), Emery 1915: 235 (subspecies of megacephala HNS ), Wheeler 1922: 812 (junior synonym of megacephala HNS ). Syntypes: major, minor, queen & male, Madeira, not examined.
Myrmica agilis F. Smith HNS , 1857: 71. Donisthorpe 1932: 449 (combination in Pheidole HNS ). Syn.n. Syntypes: 3 minors, "MALAC" [= Malacca, S. Malay Peninsula], OXUM TYPE HYM: 988 1-3/3, examined.
Myrmica suspiciosa F. Smith HNS , 1859: 148. Donisthorpe 1932: 455 (junior synonym of megacephala HNS ). Syntype (s): "worker", Aru I. (Indonesia), not examined.
Atta testacea F. Smith HNS , 1858: 168. Mayr 1886: 360 (combination in Pheidole HNS ), Brown, 1981: 530 (junior synonym of megacephala HNS ). Syntypes: major & minor, Brazil, not examined.
Subspecies enumerated in Bolton, 1995: nominal plus costauriensis Santschi HNS , 1914: 443, syntype(s): major, Ghana, not examined; duplex Santschi HNS , 1937a: 220, syntypes: major, minor & queen, Angola, not examined; ilgi Forel HNS , 1907: 82, syntypes: major & minor, Ethiopia, not examined.; impressifrons Wasmann HNS , 1905: 110 (replacement name for impressiceps Wasmann HNS , 1904: 72), syntypes: major, minor & queen, South Africa, not examined; melancholica Santschi HNS , 1912: 164, syntypes: major & minor, Ivory Coast, not examined; nkomoana Forel HNS , 1916: 415, syntypes: major, minor, queen & male, Zaire, not examined; rotundata Forel HNS , 1894: 92, syntypes: major & minor, Mozambique, not examined; scabrior Forel HNS , 1891: 178, syntypes: major & minor, Madagascar, not examined; speculifrons Stitz HNS , 1911: 386, syntypes: major & minor, Tanzania, not examined; talpa Gerstacker HNS , 1871: 356, syntypes: "worker" & queen, Kenya, not examined. For these forms type material not examined.
Other material examined: S. China: Hong Kong: Victoria Park, Hong Kong I. [K. Eguchi]; Macau: Mong Ha [K. Eguchi]. N. Vietnam: Ha Noi: Hanoi Agric. Univ. (Gia Lam) [K. Ogata: 15-min TUS #2]; Quang Ninh: Hoanh Bo [K. Eguchi]. S. Vietnam: Vinh Long (misspelled as "Vinlong"): Vinh Long (10°15'N, 105°58'N) [S. Kawaguchi]. Thailand: Trang: Khao Chong Waterfall [Eg01-VN-761]. W. Malaysia: Penang: beside a building of Univ. Sains Malaysia [C.Y. Lee]. E. Malaysia: Sabah: Kota Kinabalu [Eg97-BOR-376], Tambunan Village [H. Okido], Danam Valley [Eg96-BOR-108]. Indonesia: Kalimantan Timur: Tandjung Isuy [Seyfert & Graindl]; Irian Jaya: Wamena, 1600 m alt. [Eg98-IRI-674, -675, -676, -703]. Australia: Queensland: S. Mission Beach near Tully [AU01-SKY-12]. Tonga: Tongatapu: Vaini [J.K. Wetterer].
Worker measurements & indices: Major (n=5). - HL 1.28-1.45 mm; HW 1.25-1.45 mm; CI 98-100; SL 0.71-0.76 mm; SI 52-57; FL 0.94-0.98 mm; FI 68-77.
Minor (n=5). - HL 0.62-0.72 mm; HW 0.55-0.65 mm; CI 88-91; SL 0.67-0.73 mm; SI 111-121; FL 0.68-0.77 mm; FI 118-123. Worker description
Major. - Head in lateral view roundly convex dorsally, not impressed on vertex, in full-face view shallowly concave posteriorly; frons longitudinally rugose (or rarely almost smooth, only sparsely with short interrupted longitudinal rugulae); vertex and dorsum of vertexal lobe smooth and shining or shagreened; frontal carina absent or present just as weak rugula(e); antennal scrobe absent; median longitudinal carina of clypeus weak or absent; hypostoma at most with a pair of very small or inconspicuous submedian processes in addition to a pair of conspicuous lateral processes; antenna with a 3-segmented club; maximal diameter of eye almost as long as or longer than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome in dorsal view smooth and shining or shagreened, sometimes with several weak transverse rugulae, in lateral view at most with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope; humerus not or weakly produced laterad; the dome at the humeri narrower than at the bottom; mesopleuron, metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum weakly or very weakly punctured. Petiole a little longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole not massive; its anteroventral part weakly swollen. First gastral tergite smooth and shining entirely, or very weakly punctured around its articulation with postpetiole and smooth or shagreened in the remainder.
FIGURE 15a-d, Pheidole megacephala HNS , major, Thailand [Eg01-TH-761] - a, head in full-face view; b, head in lateral view; c, mesosoma and waist in dorsal view; d, mesosoma and waist in lateral view.
FIGURE 15e-g, Pheidole megacephala HNS , minor, Thailand [Eg01-TH-761] - e, head in full-face view; f, mesosoma and waist in dorsal view; g, mesosoma and waist in lateral view.
Minor. - Head smooth and shining; preoccipital carina weak but present dorsally and laterally; median part of clypeus smooth and shining, without a median longitudinal carina; antenna with a 3-segmented club; scape extending beyond posterolateral margin of head by the double length of antennal segment II or more; maximal diameter of eye almost as long as, or sometimes a little shorter than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome smooth and shining, in lateral view lacking a mound on its posterior slope; humerus in dorso-oblique view not or hardly produced; mesopleuron, metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum punctured weakly; metanotal groove inconspicuous. Petiole almost as long as or a little longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole relatively long but not massive; its anteroventral part weakly swollen.
Recognition: The syntype minors of " Myrmica agilis HNS " agree well with minors of Bornean populations (e.g., Eg96-BOR-108) of P megacephala HNS . I conclude that P agilis HNS is a juninor synonym of P megacephala HNS .
P. megacephala HNS is well distinguished from Indo-Chinese species by the combination of the following characteristics: in the major head in full-face view only shallowly concave posteriorly; in the major dorsum of vertexal lobe smooth and shining or shagreened; in the major hypostoma in the middle at most with a pair of very small or inconspicuous submedian processes; in the minor preoccipital carina weak but present dorsally and laterally; posterior slope of promesonotal dome at most with an inconspicuous mound in the major, and without any mound in the minor; in the major and minor anteroventral part of postpetiole weakly swollen.
Distribution & bionomics: Widely distributed in the world tropics and subtropics. For detailed information on biology and ecological and economic impacts of this species see Reimer et al. (1993), Campbell (1994), Hoffmann (1998), Wetterer (1998), Hoffmann et al. (1999), Vanderwoude et al. (2000), etc.
- Eguchi, K. (2008): A revision of Northern Vietnamese species of the ant genus Pheidole (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Zootaxa 1902, 1-118: 55-59, URL:http://hdl.handle.net/10199/19085
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P. megacephala HNS , sbsp. melancholica Sant. HNS
Femelle (inedite). Types: une ailee et 5 desailees de la savane du Nimba. Cotypes: 2 ailees immatures de la crete du Mont To, a 1.600 m. Long.: 6,5 a 7,5 mm. Brunchocolat, luisantes sauf a la base du gastre. Thorax encore plus plat que chez megacephala Les HNS 2 bandes du mesonotum en occupent plus de la moitie et s'etendent sur toute sa longueur (sur la moitie posterieure seulement chez megacephala HNS et sa sbsp. pusilla HNS ). Le second n oe ud du petiole est plus anguleux lateralement, entierement mat et convexe en-dessus (plus ou moins luisant et a 2 gibosites chez megacephala HNS ).
Pheidole HNS de tres petite taille (soldat: moins de 4 mm., : 2 mm. au plus),
Ces petites Fourmis, dont il y a une douzaine d'especes en Afrique, sont peu connues et rares dans les collections,, probablement parce qu'elles vivent surtout dans la paroi des termitieres ou dans les mousses des forets. Le Nimba en a donne 5 especes dont 2 inedites:
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Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius) HNS
Figs. 15a-g
Formica megacephala Fabricius HNS , 1793: 36. Roger 1863b: 30 (combination in Pheidole HNS ). Syntype(s): major, no locality given, not examined.
Myrmica trinodis Losana HNS , 1834: 327. Roger 1863b: 30 (junior synonym of megacephala HNS ). Syntype(s): "worker", Italy, not examined.
Formica edax Forskal HNS , 1775: 84. Emery 1892: 160 (junior synonym of megacephala HNS ), Dalla Torre 1892: 90 (same). Syntype(s): "worker", Egypt, not examined.
Oecophthora perniciosa Gerstacker HNS , 1859: 263. Roger 1863b: 31 (combination in Pheidole HNS ), Emery, 1915c: 235 (junior synonym of megacephala HNS ). Syntype(s): "worker", Mozambique, not examined.
Oecophthora pusilla Heer HNS , 1852: 15. F. Smith 1858: 173 (combination in Pheidole HNS ), Roger 1859: 259 (senior synonym of laevigata Fr. Smith HNS , 1855: 130), Mayr 1870: 981 (senior synonym of laevigata Mayr HNS , 1862: 747), Mayr 1886: 360 (senior synonym of janus HNS ), Emery 1915: 235 (subspecies of megacephala HNS ), Wheeler 1922: 812 (junior synonym of megacephala HNS ). Syntypes: major, minor, queen & male, Madeira, not examined.
Myrmica agilis F. Smith HNS , 1857: 71. Donisthorpe 1932: 449 (combination in Pheidole HNS ). Syn.n. Syntypes: 3 minors, "MALAC" [= Malacca, S. Malay Peninsula], OXUM TYPE HYM: 988 1-3/3, examined.
Myrmica suspiciosa F. Smith HNS , 1859: 148. Donisthorpe 1932: 455 (junior synonym of megacephala HNS ). Syntype (s): "worker", Aru I. (Indonesia), not examined.
Atta testacea F. Smith HNS , 1858: 168. Mayr 1886: 360 (combination in Pheidole HNS ), Brown, 1981: 530 (junior synonym of megacephala HNS ). Syntypes: major & minor, Brazil, not examined.
Subspecies enumerated in Bolton, 1995: nominal plus costauriensis Santschi HNS , 1914: 443, syntype(s): major, Ghana, not examined; duplex Santschi HNS , 1937a: 220, syntypes: major, minor & queen, Angola, not examined; ilgi Forel HNS , 1907: 82, syntypes: major & minor, Ethiopia HNS , not examined.; impressifrons Wasmann HNS , 1905: 110 (replacement name for impressiceps Wasmann HNS , 1904: 72), syntypes: major, minor & queen, South Africa, not examined; melancholica Santschi HNS , 1912: 164, syntypes: major & minor, Ivory Coast, not examined; nkomoana Forel HNS , 1916: 415, syntypes: major, minor, queen & male, Zaire, not examined; rotundata Forel HNS , 1894: 92, syntypes: major & minor, Mozambique, not examined; scabrior Forel HNS , 1891: 178, syntypes: major & minor, Madagascar, not examined; speculifrons Stitz HNS , 1911: 386, syntypes: major & minor, Tanzania, not examined; talpa Gerstacker HNS , 1871: 356, syntypes: "worker" & queen, Kenya, not examined. For these forms type material not examined.
Other material examined: S. China: Hong Kong: Victoria Park, Hong Kong I. [K. Eguchi]; Macau: Mong Ha [K. Eguchi]. N. Vietnam: Ha Noi: Hanoi Agric. Univ. (Gia Lam) [K. Ogata: 15-min TUS #2]; Quang Ninh: Hoanh Bo [K. Eguchi]. S. Vietnam: Vinh Long (misspelled as "Vinlong"): Vinh Long ( 10°15'N , 105°58'N ) [S. Kawaguchi]. Thailand: Trang: Khao Chong Waterfall [Eg01-VN-761]. W. Malaysia: Penang: beside a building of Univ. Sains Malaysia [C.Y. Lee]. E. Malaysia: Sabah: Kota Kinabalu [Eg97-BOR-376], Tambunan Village [H. Okido], Danam Valley [Eg96-BOR-108]. Indonesia: Kalimantan Timur: Tandjung Isuy [Seyfert & Graindl]; Irian Jaya: Wamena, 1600 m alt. [Eg98-IRI-674, -675, -676, -703]. Australia: Queensland: S. Mission Beach near Tully [AU01-SKY-12]. Tonga: Tongatapu: Vaini [J.K. Wetterer].
Worker measurements & indices: Major (n=5). - HL 1.28-1.45 mm; HW 1.25-1.45 mm; CI 98-100; SL 0.71-0.76 mm; SI 52-57; FL 0.94-0.98 mm; FI 68-77.
Minor (n=5). - HL 0.62-0.72 mm; HW 0.55-0.65 mm; CI 88-91; SL 0.67-0.73 mm; SI 111-121; FL 0.68-0.77 mm; FI 118-123.
Worker description
Major. - Head in lateral view roundly convex dorsally, not impressed on vertex, in full-face view shallowly concave posteriorly; frons longitudinally rugose (or rarely almost smooth, only sparsely with short interrupted longitudinal rugulae); vertex and dorsum of vertexal lobe smooth and shining or shagreened; frontal carina absent or present just as weak rugula(e); antennal scrobe absent; median longitudinal carina of clypeus weak or absent; hypostoma at most with a pair of very small or inconspicuous submedian processes in addition to a pair of conspicuous lateral processes; antenna with a 3-segmented club; maximal diameter of eye almost as long as or longer than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome in dorsal view smooth and shining or shagreened, sometimes with several weak transverse rugulae, in lateral view at most with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope; humerus not or weakly produced laterad; the dome at the humeri narrower than at the bottom; mesopleuron, metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum weakly or very weakly punctured. Petiole a little longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole not massive; its anteroventral part weakly swollen. First gastral tergite smooth and shining entirely, or very weakly punctured around its articulation with postpetiole and smooth or shagreened in the remainder.
FIGURE 15a-d, Pheidole megacephala HNS , major, Thailand [Eg01-TH-761] - a, head in full-face view; b, head in lateral view; c, mesosoma and waist in dorsal view; d, mesosoma and waist in lateral view.
FIGURE 15e-g, Pheidole megacephala HNS , minor, Thailand [Eg01-TH-761] - e, head in full-face view; f, mesosoma and waist in dorsal view; g, mesosoma and waist in lateral view.
Minor. - Head smooth and shining; preoccipital carina weak but present dorsally and laterally; median part of clypeus smooth and shining, without a median longitudinal carina; antenna with a 3-segmented club; scape extending beyond posterolateral margin of head by the double length of antennal segment II or more; maximal diameter of eye almost as long as, or sometimes a little shorter than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome smooth and shining, in lateral view lacking a mound on its posterior slope; humerus in dorso-oblique view not or hardly produced; mesopleuron, metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum punctured weakly; metanotal groove inconspicuous. Petiole almost as long as or a little longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole relatively long but not massive; its anteroventral part weakly swollen.
Recognition: The syntype minors of " Myrmica agilis HNS " agree well with minors of Bornean populations (e.g., Eg96-BOR-108) of P megacephala HNS . I conclude that P agilis HNS is a juninor synonym of P megacephala HNS .
P. megacephala HNS is well distinguished from Indo-Chinese species by the combination of the following characteristics: in the major head in full-face view only shallowly concave posteriorly; in the major dorsum of vertexal lobe smooth and shining or shagreened; in the major hypostoma in the middle at most with a pair of very small or inconspicuous submedian processes; in the minor preoccipital carina weak but present dorsally and laterally; posterior slope of promesonotal dome at most with an inconspicuous mound in the major, and without any mound in the minor; in the major and minor anteroventral part of postpetiole weakly swollen.
Distribution & bionomics: Widely distributed in the world tropics and subtropics. For detailed information on biology and ecological and economic impacts of this species see Reimer et al. (1993), Campbell (1994), Hoffmann (1998), Wetterer (1998), Hoffmann et al. (1999), Vanderwoude et al. (2000), etc.
- Eguchi, K. (2008): A revision of Northern Vietnamese species of the ant genus Pheidole (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Zootaxa 1902, 1-118: 55-59, URL:http://hol.osu.edu/reference-full.html?id=22171
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