A study on the male genitalia of some Asian species of Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae)

摘要

This study describes the male genitalia of 32 Pheidole species, and seven pheidoline species of other genera from Asia. An aedeagal plate with a ventral, apicoventral or apical concavity is found only in the genus Pheidole among the tribe Pheidolini. Aedeagal plates without such a concavities have so far been known in Aphaenogaster, Goniomma and Messor, but not in Pheidole. I also report the occurrence of the latter type of aedeagal plate also in the genus Pheidole, and discuss morphological characters of male genitalia as a contribution toward the infrageneric taxonomy of the genus.