The Pheidole (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Oklahoma: new species records and distributional notes

Abstract

Big-headed ants from the genus Pheidole (Hy­men­optera: Formicidae) are diverse and ecologically important world-wide. Here we report the first record in Oklahoma for two species, Pheidole pelor and Pheidole tysoni, increasing the number of known Pheidole species in Oklahoma to twelve. We highlight two areas, northwestern and southeastern Oklahoma, that may contain undocumented species based on their unique habitat, and stress the importance of surveying the regional fauna of these areas to create a proper baseline for monitoring the effects of environmental change.