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SUBFAMILY MYRMICINAE - Genus Pheidole - Pheidole orientalis Emery - majors

Pheidole orientalis Emery - majors

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MAJOR - new description TL 4.3 mm; CI 95 SI 54 OI 12
Head in full face view cordate with a moderately impressed occiput
Mandibles quite small, smooth but with sharply defined hair pits and distinctive small teeth on the inner margin; also with fairly strong baso-lateral striations
Clypeus shiny with a weak median longitudinal carina and very weak lateral carinae; anterior margin sinuous with quite a deep median impression
Frontal carinae short and and distinctly divergent
Antennae with both scapes and funiculi slender but quite long; funiculus segments 2-7 all slightly longer than they are wide; the apical segment is about as long as the two pre-apical segments together
Eye unusually small and circular (10 facets long X 9 wide); set twice its own length back from the lateral margin of the clypeus
Hypostoma with a distinct border, minute submedian and paired large lateral teeth, no median tooth
Underside of head with very weak semicircular rugulation and moderately shiny
Alitrunk with promesonotum profile overall smoothly but strongly convex without any tubercles; from above the promesonotum is near circular and smoothly rounded at the widest point; the propodeum profile is very weakly convex with very small triangular teeth; the dorsum of the propodeum is very weakly marginate but without a longitudinal impression, the propodeum dorsum at the base of the teeth is only 0.33 X the maximum width of the promesonotum
Petiole in profile with the posterior faced vertical, the upper margin narrowly rounded and medially impressed
Postpetiole fairly small, seen from above hexagonal but almost twice as wide as it is long, with tubercular lateral apices; in profile domed above and flat below
Gaster not much smaller than the head and globular with a weakly flattened anterior margin
Erect pilosity quite short, semi-decumbent, fine and quite sparse; pubescence short, adpressed and very sparse.
Overall appearance polished and shiny; sculpturation on head confined to very fine striations on anterior half both frontally and laterally; mesonotum and propodeum with very little sculpturation;
General colour orange-brown, with the gaster more yellowish; the mandibles and tarsi are much darker.


{Pheidole orientalis major Israel} The photomontage is of a major from Israel, Shoham, 30°39'N 34°26'E; 23.iii.2007; collected by Armin Ionescu.


{Pheidole orientalis major Saudi} The photomontage is of a major from Saudi Arabia, Abha Khamis Rd, 18°18'N 42°44'E; 10.i.2008; collector Mostafa Sharaf.


{Pheidole orientalis major Saudi} The photomontage is of a major from Saudi Arabia, Wadi Abha, 18°12'59"N 42°30'19"E; 1.iv.2004; collector Mostafa Sharaf.


{Pheidole orientalis major Saudi} The photomontage is of a major from Iran, collector S Moradloo, Gholi Kandi (13).

© 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 - Brian Taylor CBiol FSB FRES
11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K.

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