Pheidole zoceana Santschi
Creators: name: Eguchi, K.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Formicidae
Pheidole
Pheidole zoceana

description: Pheidole zoceana Santschi
Figs. 31a-g
Pheidole noggii (sic!) var. zoceana Santschi, 1925: 83. Bui & Eguchi 2003: 9 (checklist). Syntypes: 3 majors & 7 minors, "Chine, Zo-ce, V. Piel, 19.7.24" [China], NHMB, examined.
Pheidole zoceana Santschi. Eguchi, Yamane & Zhou, 2007: 280-283 (raised to species, redescription of major & minor).
Other material examined: Vietnam: Lai Chau: Western slope of Mt. Fansipan, ca. 2100-2200 m alt. [Eg02-VN-322]; Lao Cai: Cat Cat (along a trail to Mt. Fansipan), ca. 1300-1400 m alt., Sa Pa [Eg02-VN-258, -262, -263, -266], Sa Seng (small fragment of limestone forest), Sa Pa [Eg02-VN-277]; Nghe An: Pu Hoat [T.V. Bui]. Thailand: Chiang Mai: Doi Suthep-Pui N.P., ca. 800-900 m alt. [Eg01-TH-099, -101]. Eguchi's informal species code " Pheidole sp. eg-159" and "sp. eg-164" have been applied to these specimens.
Worker measurements & indices: Major (n=4). - HL 1.09-1.20 mm; HW 0.93-1.12 mm; CI 85-93; SL 0.44-0.53 mm; SI 47-49; FL 0.65-0.67 mm; FI 59-70.
Minor (n=4). - HL 0.44-0.52 mm; HW 0.38-0.46 mm; CI 86-91; SL 0.41-0.46 mm; SI 97-108; FL 0.44-0.50 mm; FI 105-116.
Worker description
Major. - Head in lateral view not or weakly impressed on vertex; frons longitudinally rugose; anterior part of vertex longitudinally rugose or reticulate; posterior part of vertex and dorsal and dorsolateral faces of vertexal lobe reticulate; frontal carina absent or inconspicuous (present just as rugulae); antennal scrobe absent; median longitudinal carina of clypeus absent, or present but weak; submedian and lateral processes of hypostoma conspicuous; median process relatively developed but lower than submedian processes; outer surface of mandible (excluding area around the base) smooth or dimly rugose, sparsely bearing (very) short appressed hairs; antenna with a 3-segmented club; maximal diameter of eye longer than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome in lateral view at most with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope; humerus of the dome weakly produced laterad; the dome at the humeri a little broader than or almost as broad as at the bottom. Petiole much longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole not massive. First gastral tergite smooth and shining except punctured area around its articulation with postpetiole, or rugoso-punctrued largely.
Minor. - Dorsum of head punctured, and often overlain by weak rugoso-reticulation; preoccipital carina inconspicuous or absent dorsally; median part of clypeus smooth or weakly rugoso-reticulate; median longitudinal carina very weak to weak, or absent; antenna with a 3-segmented club; scape usually exceeding posterior margin of head by the half length of antennal segment II or more; maximal diameter of eye almost as long as antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome in lateral view at most with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope; mediodorsal part of the dome variable in sculpture, dimly punctured to smooth sometimes with several rugulae, or rugoso-reticulate but never punctured densely; lateral face of the dome largely smooth; humeral area of the dome rugoso-reticulate or rugoso-punctate, in dorso-oblique view not or weakly produced; mesopleuron, metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum punctured, or sometimes smooth partly; propodeal spine elongate-triangular. Petiole much longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole not massive.
Recognition: This species is distinguished among Indo-Chinese species by the combination of the following characteristics: in the major frontal carina absent or inconspicuous (present just as rugulae); in the major median and submedian processes of hypostoma conspicuous; in the major and minor promesonotal dome in lateral view at most with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope; in the minor dorsum of head punctured; in the minor lateral face of promesonotal dome largely smooth; in the minor propodeal spine elongate-triangular.
The major of P. zoceana is morphologically very similar to that of P. parva Mayr and P. rabo Forel, but the minor of the former is distinguished from that of the latter two in which promesonotal dome is punctured entirely.
Distribution & bionomics: Known from Vietnam, China and Thailand. This species occurs along forest edges in hilly and mountainous areas, and nests in the soil.
description: Published as part of Eguchi, K., 2008, A revision of Northern Vietnamese species of the ant genus Pheidole (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae)., pp. 1-118 in Zootaxa 1902 on pages 110-114