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SUBFAMILY MYRMICINAE - Genus Pheidole - Pheidole orientalis Emery - minors

Pheidole orientalis Emery - minors

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MINOR - new description TL ca 2.8 mm; CI 87 SI 125 OI 25 PI 52
Head with sides weakly convex, posterior angles broad and evenly rounded, the anterior is only about 0.7 the width of the posterior widest point; with a very fine nuchal collar
Mandibles long, with small coarse teeth on the masticatory margin; and with only small apical teeth
Anterior margin of clypeus very weakly convex, without a median or any other carinae; with only four slender forward facing long hairs
Frontal carinae short and parallel; set quite far apart, a little under half the width of the head at the level of the antennal insertions
Scapes relatively short; thickening very slightly from base to apex, surpassing the occiput by over 1/4 of their length; funiculus about 30% longer than scape; the 3-segmented club has the apical segment almost as long as the pre-apical two together; the pre-apical segments are twice as long as they are wide
The eye is relatively large, slightly ovoid longitudinally and very weakly convex; the anteriormost point is just over its own length back from the anterior point of the genae
Alitrunk profile with promesonotum evenly and strongly convex, from above the pronotum has quite sharp angles at the widest point; the pro-mesonotal suture is visible laterally as the beginning of an area of spiculation and does not interrupting the profile; the metanotal groove is distinct but barely impressed both dorsally and laterally; the propodeum has the dorsum quite strongly convex in profile, lacking lateral margination and with only minute teeth, the declivity is slightly convex
The petiole has a longish pedicel and a low triangular profile, with the apex triangular and a very short posterior face; the postpetiole has a low profile domed above and flat below; seen from above it is about twice as wide as the petiole and weakly hexagonal, with distinct apical points bearing a laterally pointing hair
The gaster is narrowly ovoid viewed laterally and from above where it broadens quite sharply from a moderately wide anterior margin
The legs are relatively short with quite strongly swollen femora
The whole of the head, body, antennae and legs bear sparse, fine hairs, these are long and erect solely on the promesontoum and elsewhere they are short and semi-decumbent
Polished shiny with very little sculpturation other than very weak puncturation on the lateral mesonotum and propodeum
Overall red-brown; somewhat lighter on the alitrunkm appendages and pedicel.


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


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


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

© 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 - Brian Taylor CBiol FRSB FRES
11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K.

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