Contents Miscellaneous ants - Iran
SUBFAMILY MYRMICINAE - Genus Pheidole - Pheidole latinoda Roger

Pheidole latinoda Roger

return to listIran list {link to the Hymenoptera Name Server} Type location Sri Lanka / India (Pheidole latinoda nov. sp., Roger, 1863a: 195, major worker; Mayr, 1865: 101, minor worker; Forel, 1885b: 179, queen) Roger gave the origin as "? (vielleicht Ceylon)" i.e. perhaps Sri Lanka - no type images on Antweb (September 2015)
Bolton (1995: 324, had subspecies
angustior (Forel, 1902c: 170, major; 189, minor; raised to species Bingham, 1903: 236; subspecies by Emery, 1921f: 92, list only) type location India - see below
major (Forel, 1885b: 178, all forms) type location India; specimens in the Indian Museum, Calcutta
peradeniyae (Forel, 1911i: 222, all forms) type location Sri Lanka - see below


Roger's (1863a) description is at {original description}. Mayr's (1865) description is at {original description}. Forel's (1885b) description is at {original description}. Forel's (1902c) description of angustior is at {original description}. Bingham's (1903) description is at {original description}. Forel's (1911i) description of peradeniyae is at {original description}.


The minor worker described by Mayr (1865) was collected on the Novara Expedition which visited Ceylon and Madras but Mayr gave no location.  In his description of major, Forel (1885b) noted P. latinoda had hitherto been only found in India and the queen was still unknown.

Forel (1902c) gave the type form latinoda and major as TL 5.0-6.2 having a relatively short scape, not reaching the two-thirds point of the head, and generally brown but with the alitrunk, mandibles, anterior of the head, legs and antennae reddish-brown; shiny. The subspecies angustior had TL 4.0-5.2 having a relatively long scape, surpassing the two-thirds point of the head, and generally black, slightly brownish, with the mandibles, funiculi, legs and lower alitrunk reddish-brown; gaster rather matt; overall less robust and more slender than the type latinoda.

Bingham (1903) gave the latinoda sizes as major TL 6-0-6.5 mm, minor 2.5-3.0; the species P. angustior as major TL 5.0-5.5 mm, minor TL 3.0-3.5. Bingham also considered latinoda to be found right across the sub-continent and Sri Lanka, whereas angustior was from Western India through to Burma (Myanmar). In his key, p. 224, he separated P. latinoda as having the head, alitrunk and gaster yellowish-red, while P. angustior had head alitrunk gaster black or very dark brown

In the absence of type images of Pheidole latinoda is it difficult to be sure about the separation from angustior, although I have little doubt that Bingham was correct and, so, follow his separation.  Note that Emery (1921f) gave no rationale for reversing Bingham's separation.

The types of P. peredeniaye are quite obviously a distinct species; for instance the sharply angular profile of the petiole, the very wide postpetiole dorsum, the basal striation on the gaster and the pronounced narrowing on the anterior head of the major worker. The minor is even more pronouncedly different.

Overall, latinoda, as I recognise it here, is not very different from Pheidole providens (indica) but has relatively fewer and shorter erect hairs. A key difference, however, between the majors, is the arrangement of hypostomal teeth. Here again the type images are no use. My providens have an arrangement of paired small teeth about one-third away from the median suture and no lateral teeth, the lower edge of the mandible is narrow tapering to an acute end and with sharp lateral borders.  The Iran latinoda have no or very small median teeth closer to the median suture and large, broad-based, lateral triangular processes terminating in large teeth, the lower edge of the mandibles is broad and near flat.


Oxford University Museum specimens

Pheidole latinoda
B Taylor det.
Iran
F Heidary
14a
05.ii.2013
27.18°N
53.70°E
411 m
Lamerd
trapped on cake
desert
majors
2
{album}

{Pheidole latinoda major}The photomontage is of a major worker from Iran, collector Fouzieh Heidary (14a.01). The short scapes are suggestive of the latinoda type and the clear shallow scrobes are not present on the angustior type.


{Pheidole latinoda major}The photomontage is of a second major worker from Iran, collector Fouzieh Heidary (14a.02).


{Pheidole latinoda major}The photomontage is of the head of a major worker from Iran, collector Fouzieh Heidary (14a.01).


{Pheidole latinoda major}The photomontage is of a major worker from Iran, collector Fouzieh Heidary (14a).


{Pheidole angustior}The photomontage of the Pheidole angustior type major worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?name=casent0907925.

The specimens from Himachal Pradesh, identified by H Bharti as Pheidole latinoda match the angustior type, extending the range northwest across India (see https://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0281645)


{Pheidole angustior}The photomontage of the Pheidole angustior type minor worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?name=casent0907926.


{Pheidole peradeniyae}The photomontage of the Pheidole peradeniyae type major worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?name=casent0907922.


{Pheidole peradeniyae}The photomontage of the Pheidole peradeniyae type minor worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?name=casent0907923.

© 2015, 2017 - Brian Taylor CBiol FRSB FRES
11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K.

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