A revision of Northern Vietnamese species of the ant genus Pheidole (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) Author Eguchi, Katsuyuki text Zootaxa 2008 2008-10-15 1902 1 1 118 https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.1902.1.1 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.1902.1.1 1175­5334 5134231 Pheidole taipoana Wheeler Figs. 25a–g Pheidole rinae subsp. taipoana Wheeler, 1928: 12 . Eguchi 2001a: 23 ( lectotype designation), Eguchi et al. 2004 (ecological study). Lectotype : major, “Taipo, Silvestri” [Taipo, New Territory, Hong Kong ], MCZC cotype-20670, examined; paralectotypes : 2 majors & 6 minors, same data as the lectotype , MCZC cotype- 20670, examined. Pheidole taipoana Wheeler. Eguchi, Yamane & Zhou, 2007: 271–273 (raised to species, redescription of major & minor).] Other material examined: S. China : Guangxi : New campus of Guangxi Normal Univ. , Guilin City [ Eg 00-GNGX-04] ; Hong Kong : Taipo Kau N.P. , New Territory [ Eg 00-HK-25]; nr. Taipo Kau N.P. [ Eg 00- HK-32] ; Macau : Hac-Sa, Coloane I. [ Eg 99-MAC-13, -15] . Taiwan : Shinten , Formosa ( Taiwan ) [ R. Takahashi leg., MCZC ] . Vietnam : Quang Ninh : Ky Thuong N.R. , 21°11’N , 107°07’E , ca. 210–220 m alt. [B&E03-83, - 85; Eg 03-VN-184, -189, -193]. Eguchi’s informal species code “ Pheidole sp. eg-73” has been applied to these specimens . FIGURE 25a–d, Pheidole taipoana , major [B&E03-85] — 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 25e–g, Pheidole taipoana , minor [B&E03-85] — e, head in full-face view; f, mesosoma and waist in dorsal view; g, mesosoma and waist in lateral view. Worker measurements & indices: Major (n=6). — HL 1.00– 1.08 mm ; HW 0.87–0.93 mm ; CI 85–88; SL 0.41–0.45 mm ; SI 46–50; FL 0.58–0.62 mm ; FI 66–69. Minor (n=6). — HL 0.45–0.48 mm ; HW 0.39–0.43 mm ; CI 87–89; SL 0.40–0.44 mm ; SI 100–104; FL 0.44–0.48 mm ; FI 108–113. Worker description Major. — Head in lateral view strongly impressed on vertex; frons and anterior part of vertex sparsely sculptured with weak longitudinal rugulae, with interspaces smooth; posterior part of vertex and dorsal and dorsolateral faces of vertexal lobe reticulate; frontal carina weak, extending beyond midlength of head; antennal scrobe inconspicuous; clypeus without median longitudinal carina; median and submedian processes of hypostoma conspicuous; lateral processes conspicuous to small; antenna with a 3-segmented club; maximal diameter of eye much longer than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome at most with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope; humerus of the dome weakly produced laterad; the dome (a little) broader at the humeri than at the bottom. Petiole much longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole not massive. First gastral tergite largely smooth and shining, or weakly puctured at most around its articulation with postpetiole. Minor. — Head smooth and shining; preoccipital carina inconspicuous to very weak dorsally; median part of clypeus smooth and shining, without a median longitudinal carina; antenna with a 3-segmented club; scape exceeding posterior margin of head by half length or almost the length of antennal segment II; maximal diameter of eye longer than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome smooth and shining, in lateral view at most with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope; humerus in dorso-oblique view not or very weakly produced; mesopleuron, metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum almost smooth or very weakly punctured; propodeal spine elongate-triangular or spiniform. Petiole much longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole not massive. Recognition: This species is characterized among Indo-Chinese species by the following combination of features: in the major head in lateral view strongly impressed on vertex; in the minor dorsal and lateral faces of head and promesonotal dome smooth and shining; in the major frons and anterior part of vertex sparsely with weak longitudinal rugulae, with interspaces smooth and shining; in the major posterior part of vertex and dorsal and dorsolateral facecs of vertexal lobe reticulate, with enclosures punctured; in the major hypostoma in the middle with a conspicuous median process and a pair of conspicuous submedian processes; in the minor maximal diameter of eye longer than antennal segment X; in the major and minor promesonotal dome at most with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope. This species is very similar to Pheidole laevicolor Eguchi , but distinguished from the latter which has the following characteristics of the major: head in lateral view weakly or hardly impressed on vertex; vertex reticulate entirely, with enclosures punctured. Distribution & bionomics: Known from Vietnam , S. China and Taiwan . This species occurs more frequently in woody gardens and forest edges than in either open lands or well-developed forests, and nests in the soil ( Eguchi et al. 2004 ).