Pheidole teneriffana

Nomenclature

Species: Pheidole teneriffana Forel, 1893

Usage: valid

External links

Diagnostic description

Diagnosis of worker among Antkey species

Worker castes bimorphic. Head shape ovoid (minor workers) or subrectangular with posterolateral lobes (majors), but never triangular. Antenna 12-segmented. Antennal club 3-segmented. Antennal insertions at least partly covered by frontal lobes; not surrounded by a raised sharp-edged ridge. Frontal lobes do not obscure face outline between mandible and eye; relatively close together so that the posteromedian portion of the clypeus, where it projects between the frontal lobes, is at most only slightly broader than one of the lobes. Posterolateral corners of head unarmed, without spines. Mandibles triangular. Mesosoma with erect hairs. Pronotal spines absent. Propodeum armed with spines or teeth. Slope of mesosoma steep. Waist 2-segmented. Petiole pedunculate with a distinct and upright node; lacking large subpetiolar process. Postpetiole attached to lower surface of gaster; not swollen; in dorsal view not distinctly broader than long or distinctly wider than petiole. Minor worker characters. Head subquadrate, weakly longer than wide; smooth and shining, lacking punctation. Antennal scrobe lacking. Antennal scapes extend beyond posterior margin of head. Posterior head margin flat. Postpetiole not swollen relative to petiole. Lateral portions of petiole and postpetiole weakly sculptured to lacking sculpture. Color brownish yellow to reddish brown. Major worker characters. Head shape square (HL = HW). Posterolateral lobes distinctly rugose. Antennal scrobe weakly to moderately impressed, but some depression capable of receiving antennal scapes clearly visible. Rugae above eye level moderately reticulated. Promesonotum in profile with two distinct convexities.

Minor workers of P. teneriffana are most easily distinguished from P. anastasii, P. bilimeki, P. flavens, P. moerens and P. punctatissima by the smooth and shining head. They are separated from those of P. megacephala by the postpetiole, which is not swollen in comparison to the petiole. The posterior head margin is flat, compared to weakly convex P. fervens and strongly convex in P. obscurithorax. They are further separated from P. obscurithorax by the weaker punctation on the lateral portions of the petiole and postpetiole, and also by the more brownish color (versus blackish). Additionally, the head shape of P. teneriffana minors is more subquadrate in shape compared to the more ovoid head of P. fervens that is distinctly longer than broad. The rugose posterolateral lobes of P. teneriffana major workers separate them from P. megacephala (smooth and shining posterolateral lobes) and from P. anastasii, P. bilimeki and P. punctatissima (punctate posterolateral lobes). The presence of an antennal scrobe and the less densely packed rugoreticulum on the posterolateral lobes separate them from P. obscurithorax. They are separated from P. flavens and P. moerens by the sculptured (versus smooth) posterolateral portion of the cephalic dorsum sculptured (best observed in profile), and also by the presence of two convexities (versus one convexity) on the promesonotum in profile. The majors of P. teneriffana look similar to those of P. fervens, but can be distinguished by the more square and broad (versus rectangular and narrow) head shape.

Distribution

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Anterior view of head, adult. Head shape square.	Anterior view of head, adult worker. The posterolateral lobes distinctly rugose and the lack of a punctate ground sculpture gives the head a shiny appearance. Used in Antkey to separate the major workers of Pheidole fervens, Pheidole flavens, Pheidole moerens, Pheidole obscurior and Pheidole teneriffana from those of all other Pheidole species.
Anterior view of head, adult worker. Posterolateral lobes with longitudinal carinae only occasionally being intersected by much shorter transverse carinae to form a patches of rugoreticulation. This character, combined with the presence of antennal scrobes, is used to separate the major worker of Pheidole fervens and Pheidole teneriffana from that of Pheidole obscurithorax (which has a much denser network of rugoreticulum).	Anterior view of head, adult. Head ovoid.
Anterior view of head, adult worker. The head is subquadrate, weakly longer than wide, and with a more flat posterior margin. Used in Antkey to separate the minor worker of Pheidole teneriffana from that of Pheidole fervens and Pheidole obscurithorax	Anterior view of head, adult. Posterior margin of head flat.
Anterior view of head, adult worker. The posterior margin of the head flat. Used in Antkey to separate the minor worker of Pheidole teneriffana from Pheidole obscurithorax (strongly convex) and Pheidole fervens (weakly convex).	Anterior view of head, adult worker. The head length is approximately equal to the head with. Used in Antkey to separate the major worker of Pheidole teneriffana from that of Pheidole fervens.
Anterior view of antennal scrobe, adult worker. Used to distinguish the major worker of Pheidole fervens, Pheidole flavens, Pheidole moerens and Pheidole teneriffana from that of Pheidole obscurithorax. The last species lacks any depression capable of receiving any portion of the antennae.	Lateral view of waist, adult worker. The postpetiole of the major and minor worker is not distinctly larger in volume than the petiole. Used in Antkey to separate Pheidole fervens, Pheidole obscurithorax and Pheidole teneriffana from Pheidole megacephala.
Lateral view of thorax / mesosoma, adult worker. The promesonotal profile is composed of two, not one, distinct convexities. Used in Antkey to separate Pheidole fervens and Pheidole teneriffana from Pheidole flavens and Pheidole moerens.