Pheidole tepicana Arizona, USA - Alex Wild Photography - Insect Photography - Insect Pictures

Pheidole

is the world's most species-rich ant genus. These myrmicine ants have a cosmopolitan distribution but are particularly diverse in the tropics, filling a number of niches from seed-harvesting to ant-plant symbionts. The genus is marked by a pronounced worker caste polymorphism; major workers are considerably larger than minors and have disproportionately large heads.

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Pheidole spadonia

Tucson, Arizona, USA

Minor workers of Pheidole spininodis (left) and Pheidole bergi lock mandibles in a fight between competing colonies.

Jujuy, Argentina

Pheidole tepicana is a seed-harvesting species from North America that is unusual in having three physical worker morphs. Here is major worker with two supermajors.

Arizona, USA

Pheidole tepicana is an unusual species from North America that is unusual in having three physical worker morphs.

Arizona, USA

Pheidole tepicana male with major and minor workers in a laboratory colony.

Arizona, USA

Pheidole tepicana supermajor.

Arizona, USA

Pheidole tepicana

Arizona, USA

Pheidole tepicana supermajor. The massive head of this granivorous ant holds muscles for milling seeds.

Arizona, USA

Pheidole tepicana

Arizona, USA

Pheidole tepicana

Arizona, USA

Pheidole tepicana

Arizona, USA

Pheidole tepicana

Arizona, USA

Canon EOS 20D |

More details: exif |

Original size: 3123x2233 |

Current: 800x572 |

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Keywords: workers ants soldiers heads insects evolution sizes caste hymenoptera formicidae myrmicinae mandibles polymorphism pheidole quadrate pheidole tepicana trimorphic supermajor supermajors

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