6 replies to this topic

[JamesJohnson]

Pheidole rhea is one of the coolest species out of one of the coolest genuses. Not only are they trimorphic, but they're also massive, with queens getting to be 16-18 mm long. So it was to my delight and surprise when I looked at AntMaps and saw that it was native to California. But although this made me really excited, something felt off. There were no specific records of them in California, instead the only two sources were from one book, A New Island Biogeography of the Sea of Cortes. This book, as you might tell from the title, is about the biogeography of the Sea of Cortes (Baja California). Now, I have not read this book as I don't have 160 dollars for me to use on such a small thing, but I seriously doubt that it would talk about fauna native to California but not Baja California. And now this leaves me in a pickle on the nativeness of Pheidole rhea. What do you guys think? 

[NickAnter]

They might be somewhere in Imperial County, if anywhere, were I to guess. But they, like O. clarus, are probably extremely rare in an isolated locality. Anywhere Southern close to the AZ border would be the best bet.

Edited by NickAnter, July 1 2021 - 6:51 PM.

[ReignofRage]

P. rhea is most likley only along the border like Nick said, considering that no hobbiests have seen them it's a low chance. That being said there is possibly small pockets of them, you just have to spend the load of time to actually find them.

[gcsnelling]

I would have to say that  it is not a species native to California.  With as much time as my father and I and others have spent collecting in the California deserts a species with colonies as large and conspicuous as this one has, it would certainly have been seen by now. Any records of this species in California are almost certainly based on misidentified specimens.

Edited by gcsnelling, July 2 2021 - 2:33 AM.

[ReignofRage]

I would have to say that  it is not a species native to California.  With as much time as my father and I and others have spent collecting in the California deserts a species with colonies as large and conspicuous as this one has, it would certainly have been seen by now. Any records of this species in California are almost certainly based on misidentified specimens.

There is no records for this species in California to my knowledge. Antmaps.org, for some reason, has it listed as native with no scientific record or even Inaturalist observations.

Edited by ReignofRage, July 2 2021 - 2:59 AM.

[ANTdrew]

Cheeto know!

[gcsnelling]

 

I would have to say that  it is not a species native to California.  With as much time as my father and I and others have spent collecting in the California deserts a species with colonies as large and conspicuous as this one has, it would certainly have been seen by now. Any records of this species in California are almost certainly based on misidentified specimens.

There is no records for this species in California to my knowledge. Antmaps.org, for some reason, has it listed as native with no scientific record or even Inaturalist observations.

 

There tend to be a lot of records based on mislabeled or misidentified specimens. I would take those with a grain salt.