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 vieti
sp.n.
Figs. 28a–h
Pheidole
sp.
eg-112. Eguchi, Bui
et al.
2005: 91 (checklist).
Type material examined:
Holotype
: major,
Ba Vi N.P.
,
400–600 m
alt.,
Ha Tay
(misspelled as “
Ha Tai
”),
Vietnam
[
K. Eguchi
leg., colony: Eg99-VN-092] (
IEBR
);
paratypes
: 5 minors from the same colony as
holotype
(
IEBR
,
MCZC
,
MHNG
&
ACEG
).
Other material examined:
Vietnam
:
Vinh Phuc
:
Tam Dao N.P.
,
21°27’N
,
105°38’E
,
950 m
alt. [
Sk. Yamane
];
Ha Tay
(misspelled as “
Ha Tai
”):
Ba Vi N.P.
,
600 m
alt. [Eg99-VN-104]. Eguchi’s informal species code “
Pheidole
sp.
eg-112” applies to this species
.
Worker measurements & indices:
Holotype
(major). — HL
1.21 mm
; HW
1.16 mm
; CI 95; SL
0.62 mm
; SI 54; FL
0.81 mm
; FI 70.
Nontype major (n=1). — HL
1.22 mm
; HW
1.17 mm
; CI 96; SL
0.60 mm
; SI 51; FL
0.79 mm
; FI 68.
Minor (n=3, including
one paratype
minor). — HL
0.59–0.64 mm
; HW
0.55–0.60 mm
; CI 92–94; SL
0.59–0.61 mm
; SI 103–109; FL
0.63–0.68 mm
; FI 114–117.
Worker description
Major. — Body yellowish brown. Head in lateral view not impressed on vertex; frons and anterior part of vertex rugose longitudinally; posterior part of vertex sparsely and interruptedly sculptured with longitudinal rugulae; dorsum of vertexal lobe shagreened or only very weakly rugoso-punctate; frontal carina inconspicuous, present just as rugula(e); antennal scrobe almost absent; clypeus without a median longitudinal carina; median prosess of hypostoma variable in its development, conspicuous (nontype major) or completely absent (the
holotype
); submedian and lateral processes conspicuous; antenna with a 3-segmented club; eye consisting of less than 20 ommatidia; maximal diameter of eye shorter than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome smooth and shining, in lateral view lacking a mound on its posterior slope; humerus of the dome not produced; the dome at the humeri much narrower than at the bottom; mesopleuron weakly punctured largely; lateral face of propodeum almost smooth; metapleuron with several rugulae. Petiole a little longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole relatively massive. First gastral tergite smooth and shining excluding very weakly punctured area around its articulation with postpetiole.
FIGURE 28a–d,
Pheidole vieti
sp.n.
, holotype (major) [Eg99-VN-092] — 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 28e–h,
Pheidole vieti
sp.n.
, paratype minor [Eg99-VN-092] — e, head in full-face view; f, head in lateral view; g, mesosoma and waist in dorsal view; h, mesosoma and waist in lateral view.
Minor. — Body yellowish brown. Frons and vertex smooth; dorsolateral part of head partly to largely rugoso-punctate weakly or dimly; preoccipital carina complete but weak dorsally; median part of clypeus smooth and shining; the median longitudinal carina absent, or present at most anteriorly; antenna with a 3-segmented club; scape exceeding posterior margin of head by 1.5 times the length of antennal segment II or more; eye consisting of only ca. 8–12 ommatidia; maximal diameter of eye shorter than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome largely smooth and shining, in lateral view lacking a mound on its posterior slope; humerus of the dome in dorso-oblique view not produced; mesopleuron punctured; metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum very weakly punctured or almost smooth; propodeal spine elongate-triangular. Petiole almost as long as or only a little longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole relatively massive.
Recognition:
This species has the following combination of diagnostic characteristics: in the major head in lateral view not impressed on vertex; in the minor head and promesonotal dome largely smooth and shining; in the major dorsum of vertexal lobe shagreened or only very weakly rugoso-punctate; in the major frontal carina inconspicuous, present just as rugula(e), and antennal scrobe almost absent; in the major submedian processes of hypostoma conspicuous; eye relatively reduced, consisting of ca. 13–19 ommatidia in the major and 8–12 ommatidia in the minor; in the major and minor promesonotal dome without a mound on its posterior slope; in the major and minor humerus of promesonotal dome not produced laterad; in the major and minor postpetiole relatively massive.
This species is similar to
Pheidole vulgaris
Eguchi
, but head is shorter but higher and postpetiole is more massive in the major of the former than in that of the latter.
Distribution & bionomics:
Known only from N.
Vietnam
.