Biology:Pheidole rhea
| Pheidole rhea | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Attini |
| Genus: | Pheidole |
| Species: | P. rhea
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| Binomial name | |
| Pheidole rhea Wheeler, 1908
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Pheidole rhea is a species of ant and a higher myrmicine in the family Formicidae.[1][2][3][4][5] It is common in grassy slopes and hills at the bases of mountains.[6]
Diet
Pheidole rhea is known to consume a variety of seeds, as well as various insects.[7]
Distribution
Pheidole rhea is found in the southwestern United States (especially Arizona) and Northwest Mexico. Habitat in Arizona is commonly grassy hills or lower parts of canyons.[6]
Behavior
Pheidole rhea forms large colonies with multiple castes which all aggressively defend the nest. Workers cannot sting, but majors and supermajors have giant mandibles/heads, used for fighting as well as cracking seeds. Bites are generally non-painful but can be irritating. Large trunks trails are formed to harvest seeds and insects from areas nearby the nest.[6]thumb
References
- ↑ "Pheidole rhea Report". https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=581180. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
- ↑ "Pheidole rhea species details". http://www.catalogueoflife.org/col/details/species/id/ccfa24e44751e54faeb04715b74b9760. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
- ↑ "Pheidole rhea". https://www.gbif.org/species/1322475. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
- ↑ "Pheidole rhea Species Information". https://bugguide.net/node/view/581402. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
- ↑ "AntWeb". California Academy of Sciences. https://www.antweb.org. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Pheidole rhea - AntWiki" (in en). https://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Pheidole_rhea.
- ↑ "Massive Big-Headed Ants (Pheidole rhea) Colonies For Sale" (in en). https://www.statesideants.com/product-page/pheidole-rhea-1.
Further reading
- Bolton, B. (2016). "Catalogue of the Ants of the World". unpublished communication. http://www.antwiki.org/wiki/images/3/31/NGC_May_2016.pdf. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
External links
Wikidata ☰ Q14086620 entry
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