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SUBFAMILY MYRMICINAE - Genus Pheidole - Pheidole fervens F. Smith

Pheidole fervens F. Smith

return to key MAJOR return to key MINOR
Type location Singapore (Pheidole fervens, Smith, F. 1858b: 176, major & minor workers; Ogata, 1982: 197, illustration and note on male genitalia) - types on linked pages (see below)
junior synonyms
cavannae (Pheidole Cavannae n. sp., Emery, 1887b: 40, major; synonymy Wilson & Taylor, 1967: 45) from New Caledonia, collector M. Léveillé - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0904275
javana (Pheidole javana, nov. spec, Mayr, 1867a: 98, major & minor workers; Viehmeyer, 1916a: 121, queen & male, without description, from Singapore; synonymy Wilson & Taylor, 1967: 45 "fide W. L. Brown) from Indonesia, Java, Batavia, collector Herr. Moens;
nigriscapa (Pheidole oceanica Mayr, v. nigriscapa, var. n., Santschi, 1928a: 48, illustrated, major & minor workers; synonymy Wilson & Taylor, 1967: 45) from Samoa; Apia, collector H Swale - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0901523
material of the unavailable name tahitiana (Pheidole oceanica subsp. nigriscapa, var. tahitiana, sp. n., Santschi in Cheesman & Crawley, 1928: 516, major & minor workers; placement and synonymy by Taylor & Wilson, 1967: 45) from Tahiti;
subspecies
desucta (Pheidole javana var. desucta new variety, Wheeler, W. M , 1929f: 2, major & minor workers & queen; status in Bolton, 1995: 320, synonymy by Eguchi, 2001: 54) from China, Back Linag, collector Prof. S. F. Light
dharmsalana (Pheidole javana Mayr var. Dharmsalana n. var., Forel, 1902c: 184, major, 192, minor) from India, Dharmsala, collector Sage - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0907905
dolenda (Pheidole javana Mayr var. dolenda n. var., Forel, 1912a: 60, soldier & worker) from Taiwan - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0907907
jacobsoni (Pheidole javana Mayr var. jacobsoni n. var., Forel, 1911b: 203, all forms) from Java - separate species see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0907909
jubilans (Pheidole javana Mayr var. jubilans n. var., Forel, 1911b: 202, major & minor workers) from Java, Semarang - separate species - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0907913
pectinata (Pheidole javana Mayr var. pectinata n. v., Stitz, 1912: 504, major) from Indonesia, Ceram I., collector Tauern - no images on Antweb (November 2014)
proteus (Pheidole javana Mayr, subsp. Proteus n. subsp., Forel, 1912n: 55, major) from Indonesia, Sumatra - separate species - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0907917
soror (Pheidole javana Mayr, st. soror n. st., Santschi, 1937h: 369, illustrated, major & minor workers) from Taiwan, Hokuto, collector K Sato - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0913315. .

New synonymy - subjugation of Pheidole teneriffana Forel, see below - types on linked pages.

From the original short description this may well be the Formica edax of Forskĺl, 1775: 85, worker) from Egypt see see card. If the original specimens have survived and this were shown to be correct it would be the senior name. Bolton (1995: 320) cited Formica edax as a junior synonym of P. megacephala, synonymy by Emery (1892b: 160) and Dalla Torre (1892: 90). Emery, however, did not synonymize it but merely speculated it was "é senza dubbio una piccola Pheidole e forse la Ph. megacephala". Dalla Torre's claim seems similarly speculative from an author who otherwise did no ant taxonomy.


{Pheidole fervens major pedicel dorsum}F Smith's (1858b) description is at {original description}. Mayr's (1867a) description of javana is at {original description}. Emery's (1887b) description of cavannae is at {original description}. Forel's (1902c) description of dharmsalana is at {original description}. Forel's (1911b) description of jacobsoni is at {original description}. Forel's (1911b) description of jubilans is at {original description}. Forel's (1912a) description of dolenda is at {original description}. Stitz's (1912a) description of pectinata is at {original description}. Forel's (1912n) description of proteus is at {original description}. Santschi's (1928a) description of nigriscapa is at {original description}. Santschi's (1928) description of tahitiana is at {original description}. Wheeler's (1929f) description of desucta is at {original description}. Wilson & Taylor's (1967) note is at {original description}. Ogata's (1982) note and key for Japan is at {original description}. Eguchi's (2001) note is at {original description}.

Note - in their synonymic list, Wilson & Taylor (1967) gave no indication of having sighted any type material. Ogata (1982) listed only apparently self-collected specimens from Japan as those he examined. Eguchi (2001) listed examining only three (F Smith) syntypes; he also examined seven syntypes of desucta.

The sizes given by Eguchi are quite significantly smaller than those given in the original descriptions. For example, F Smith gave the major as TL 2 lines = 4.3 mm, minor TL 1 line = 2.1 mm; Mayr gave the javana length as soldier TL 3.5-3.8 mm, minor TL 2.4 mm; Emery had cavannae as TL 3.67 mm; Santschi (1937h) had javana soror as major TL 3.6-3.7 mm, minor TL 2.7 mm. Eguchi had major TL 2.8-3.4 mm, minor TL 2.2-2.2 mm.

Santschi (1928a) in Cheesman, L. E. and W. C. Crawley. 1928. A contribution towards the insect fauna of French Oceania. - Part III. Formicidae. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, (10)2, 514-525.


With the availability of fresh specimens from Egypt, Israel, Spain, Canary Islands and the Balearics, the link pages give fresh photographs and descriptions of
Major workers; Minor workers; and, Queens

Revisionary notes on "teneriffana", fervens and providens (j. syn. indica)


Egypt records originally listed as P. teneriffana and likely to include dark, near black, specimens we now regard as Pheidole providens (Sykes) - Santschi (1908, from Cairo by M Borcard); Forel (1913d: 420); Alfieri (1931) listed a great number of findings from all over the country in the October-November 1925 survey of agriculture. Santschi (1934d) in the public gardens of Alexandria, 8.viii.1933, workers.

Sharaf list - Material examined: Sallant (Daqahliya, Egypt), 6.vii.2002 (18 minor workers, 1 ?); Cairo Air Port, 11.x.2002 (4 minor workers, 3?); Ein Sokhna (Suez), 13.ii.1999 (19 minor workers, 1 ?); Gebel Asfar (Qalyubiya), 29.iv.2003 (4 minor worker, 2 ?); Sallant (Daqahliya, Egypt), 28.ii.2003 (1 ?, 20 minor workers, 3 ?); Naser (Beni suef), 29.vi.2003 (6 minor workers, 2 ?); Elqasmia (Belbis), 21.ii.2003 (4 minor workers, 1 ?); Alag (Qalyubiya), 27.ii.2003 (9 minor workers, 1 ?); Faculty of Science, Abbasyia (Cairo), 27.iv.1998 (1?); Shrinkash (Daqahliya, Egypt), 13.v.2003 (3 minor workers, 1 ?); Abuzabal (Qalyubiya), 4.iv.2003 (6 minor workers, 1 ?); Abuzabal (Qalyubiya), 1.i.2002 (10 minor workers, 2 ?); Hawamdyia (Giza), 2.xi.2002 (7 minor workers, 2 ?); Sallant (El-Daqahliya, Egypt), 28.iii.2003 (1 ?, 2 minor workers, 1 ?); Nagh El-Ghalalab (Aswan), 7.iii.2003 (9 minor workers, 2 ?); Ezbet Debbana (El-Daqahliya, Egypt), 29.xii.1997 (1?) (SHC); Sahab (South Sinai), 2.v.1998 (2) Leg.M.R.Sharaf; Marsa Matrouh, 25.iv.1957 (2) (ASUC).

The Mohamad thesis (1979) had - Giza, 30.ix.1919; 15.x.1927; Gezira (Sudan?), 28.viii.1923; Wadi Gharba, 30.iv.1925; Egypt (Det. Crawley, 1927); Kerdasa, 1.x.1933; Cairo, 10.VIII.1936 (Coll.Alf.) Alexandria, 2.iii.1955; Wadi Degla (Helwan), 13.iii.1955; Mansura, 25.iv.1957; Suez, 23.III.1975; Port Fouad, 30.v.1975; Ismailia, 1.viii.1975; Heliopolis (Cairo), 4.vii.1975; Ghardaqa (Red Sea),20.xi.1975; Dakhla oasis (Western desert), 21.i.1975; Belbis (Sharqyia), 21.i.1978; Kharga oasis (Western desert), 23.i.1978; Safaga (Red Sea), 24.i.1978; Quseir (Red Sea), 25.i.1978; Dakhla oasis (Western desert), 21.ii.1978; Baharyia oasis (Western desert),6.iii.1979 (Coll.Ain.) Egypt (Det. Crawley, 1927) (Coll.Min.) Egypt (Det. Crawley, 1927) (Coll.Soc.)


Oxford University Museum specimens

Pheidole fervens
B Taylor det.


Canary Islands
X Espadaler
13.xii.2002
Teneriffe
28.03 N
16.53 W
El Medano
4
{album}
Pheidole fervens
B Taylor det.

Canary Islands
D King

8.iv.2002
Fuerteventura
28°20' N
14°00' W

1
{album}
Pheidole fervens
B Taylor det.
Spain
X Espadaler

2.xi.2006
Alicante
38.35 N
0.4833333 E
Torrevieja
4
{album}
Pheidole fervens
B Taylor det.
Spain
X Espadaler
28.vii.2003
Tarragona
42.6666667 N
8.85 E
Hospital de l'Infant
6
{album}
Pheidole fervens
B Taylor det.
Spain
X Espadaler
30.ix.2004
Baleares
38.9 N
1.4333333 E
Sant Antoni de Portmany, Eivissa
4
{album}
Pheidole fervens
B Taylor det.
Egypt
M Sharaf

20.xii.1998
Giza
30°01' N
31°13' E
Hawamdiya
1
{album}
Pheidole fervens
B Taylor det.
Egypt
M Sharaf

28.iii.2003
Sallant Mansurah
31°10' N
31°35' E
Mansurah

5
{album}
Pheidole fervens
B Taylor det.
Egypt
M Sharaf

14.xii.2008
Sallant Mansurah
31°10' N
31°35' E
Includes a queen
2
{album}
Pheidole fervens
B Taylor det.
Egypt
M Sharaf

29.iv.2003
Gebel Asfar
30°13' N
31°21' E

3

Pheidole fervens
B Taylor det.
Egypt
M Sharaf
20.xii.1998
Hawamdyia
30°01' N
31°13' E

2

© 2008, 2009, 2015 - Brian Taylor CBiol FRSB FRES
11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K.

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