Pheidole teneriffana Forel, 1893

Wilson, E. O.:
 Pheidole teneriffana Forel 1893f: 465. Syn.: Pheidole teneriffana subsp. taina Aguayo 1932: 219.
 Etymology Named after the place of origin of the types.
 Diagnosis Major: unique in the possession of a broad, convex metanotum and a four-lobed mesosomal profile in dorsal-oblique view (2 on pronotum, one each on mesonotum and metanotum); also, presence of a weak antennal scrobe; carinulae cover all the dorsal head surface except for the frontal triangle and midclypeus; carinulae originating laterad to antennal scrobes circle outward and downward again to travel to the eye and behind it; postpetiole elliptical from above. Minor: occiput slightly narrowed, no nuchal collar.
 Measurements (mm) Major (Oriente, Cuba): HW 1.34, HL 1.34, SL 0.82, EL 0.20, PW 0.64. Minor (Oriente, Cuba): HW 0.62, HL 0.70, SL 0.74, EL 0.14, PW 0.34.
 color Major and minor: light yellowish brown, with head, mandibles, and gaster a slightly darker shade.
 Range Canary Islands and Mediterranean area. 1 have examined series from Egypt and Malta. The species, in addition to Aguayo's hotel series from Cuba, has been discovered by Michael J. Martinez (1992) in Admiral Kidd Park in western Long Beach, California. Another collection was made at Lima, Peru, by M. Pacheco, in 1991. The true origin of this tramp species is unknown, but the best guess is the Mediterranean region.
  Biology In 1989 Martinez (1992) found a population occupying about two hectares of Admiral Kidd Park, evidently consisting of a single continuous, polydomous colony. The separate nests contained large numbers of workers and multiple inseminated queens, as many as 23 in one instance. Nest sites included lawns and open ground, where nest entrances were surmounted by mounds of excavated soil; crevices of sidewalks and curbs; and the bases of trees. New nest sites were occupied by budding from occupied sites. The workers were aggressive toward other ant species; they preyed on insects and harvested seeds. By 1998, according to Gulmahamad and Martinez (1999), the population was extinct. It had been weakened by attempts to exterminate it and changes in the nest habitat, and given the coup de grace by encroaching Argentine ants ( Linepithema humile ).
  Figure Upper: major. Lower: minor. CUBA: Hotel Telegrafo, Holguin, Oriente (lectotype and paralectotype of P. teneriffana subsp. taina Aguayo ). (Type locality: Tenerife, Canary Islands.) Also, see excellent figure by Snelling (1992b). Scale bars = 1 mm.
  Espadaler, X., 2007:
 (*) (37, w). A nest with winged males was detected on cracks in the pavement. Ants rushed out after a small air blow with the aspirator.
  Ward, P. S., 2005:
 I [introduced species]
 

(*) (37, w). A nest with winged males was detected on cracks in the pavement. Ants rushed out after a small air blow with the aspirator.

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 "" class=""lexicon-term"">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.