Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Identification
Minor worker: head length 0.74mm, head width 0.68mm, scape length 0.65mm, Webers length 0.91mm (n=1). Head flattened behind; promesonotum evenly arched, mesonotal suture absent; propodeal spines short, sharp, upturned; face shining, largely smooth, with longitudinal carinae between eyes and frontal carinae, faint transverse carinae near posterior border; mesosoma largely smooth and shining, with transverse rugae on anterodorsal pronotum and propodeal dorsum; gaster smooth and shining; dorsal pilosity abundant, of moderate length, flexuous; color light yellow brown.
Major worker: head length 2.38mm, head width 1.79mm, scape length 0.76mm (n=1). Face largely smooth and shining; hypostomal margin with no medial tooth, pair of subtriangular teeth located closer to midline than to recessed teeth flanking mandibles; dorsal pilosity abundant on mesosoma and gaster; pilosity on head sparse, with only a few setae projecting from sides of head in face view.
Range
South Texas to Costa Rica. Costa Rica: known from one site on Pacific slope near Monteverde.
Natural History
Pheidole absurda excavates deep nests in soil. Colonies are granivorous and store seeds in special chambers. Creighton (1966) studied the habits of this species (as P. ridicula) in south Texas.
Selected Records
Monteverde (San Luis Valley): edge of forest patch in upper San Luis valley; nest in soil well beneath soil surface; nest exposed during excavation (collected by Jeremy Miller).
Literature Cited
Creighton, W. S. 1966. The habits of Pheidole ridicula Wheeler with remarks on habit patterns in the genus Pheidole (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Psyche (Cambridge) 73:1-7.
Page authors:
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA. longinoj@evergreen.edu
Stefan Cover, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138 USA. scover@oeb.harvard.edu
Last modified: 2 September 2003.
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