This species is very common and very generalized. It is found in dry forest and wet forest habitats. It is common in Winkler samples and at baits. Nests are found in small cavities (under dead wood on ground, in dead sticks, in dead knots on tree trunks, under bark flaps, under epiphytes) from litter layer to high canopy.
Wilson (2005) observed that P. flavens and two other species of small Pheidole (bilimeki and nebulosa) frequently prey on oribatid mites in the leaf litter.
Very widespread in Neotropics: Florida, West Indies, Central America, South America to southern Brazil. Costa Rica: throughout the country to about 1000m elevation.
Extant: 1 valid subspecies
Pheidole flavens Roger, 1863a PDF: 198 (s.w.q.) CUBA. Neotropic. Primary type information: Neotype: Barrajagua, Las Villas, CUBA (E.O. Wilson); MCZC AntCat AntWiki HOLTaxonomic history
Wheeler, 1905c PDF: 92 (m.).Status as species: Roger, 1863b PDF: 31; Mayr, 1863a PDF: 440; Mayr, 1870b PDF: 981 (in key); Mayr, 1887 PDF: 593 (in key); Dalla Torre, 1893 PDF: 90; Emery, 1894d PDF: 155; Forel, 1895b PDF: 141; Emery, 1896g PDF: 82 (in key); Forel, 1899b PDF: 77; Wheeler, 1905c PDF: 92, 125; Forel, 1908c PDF: 60; Forel, 1908a PDF: 65; Forel, 1913m PDF: 230; Wheeler, 1913b PDF: 493; Wheeler & Mann, 1914 PDF: 24; Mann, 1916 PDF: 439; Wheeler, 1917g PDF: 459; Mann, 1920b PDF: 427; Emery, 1922c PDF: 107; Wheeler, 1922: 1018; Wheeler, 1922e PDF: 6; Wheeler, 1925a: 23; Santschi, 1930e PDF: 77; Kusnezov, 1952d PDF: 71 (in key); Kusnezov, 1953c PDF: 337; Smith, 1954c PDF: 4; Gregg, 1959 PDF: 13 (in key); Kempf, 1972b PDF: 191; Alayo, 1974 PDF: 11 (in key); Smith, 1979: 1370; Bolton, 1995b: 321; Deyrup et al., 2000: 296; Deyrup, 2003 PDF: 46; Wilson, 2003a: 419 (redescription); LaPolla & Cover, 2005 PDF: 371; Wild, 2007b PDF: 34; Branstetter & Sáenz, 2012 PDF: 259; Ellison et al., 2012: 303; Bezděčková et al., 2015 PDF: 119; Sarnat et al., 2015 10.3897/zookeys.543.6050 PDF: 42 (redescription); Deyrup, 2017: 88; Lubertazzi, 2019 10.3099/MCZ-43.1 PDF: 143; Serna et al., 2019 PDF: 948.Senior synonym of Pheidole floridana aechmeae: Wilson, 2003a: 419; Sarnat et al., 2015 10.3897/zookeys.543.6050 PDF: 42.Senior synonym of Pheidole flavens gracilior: Wilson, 2003a: 419; Sarnat et al., 2015 10.3897/zookeys.543.6050 PDF: 42.Senior synonym of Pheidole greggi: Wilson, 2003a: 419; Sarnat et al., 2015 10.3897/zookeys.543.6050 PDF: 42.Senior synonym of Pheidole flavens haytiana: Wilson, 2003a: 419; Sarnat et al., 2015 10.3897/zookeys.543.6050 PDF: 42.Senior synonym of Pheidole flavens spei: Wilson, 2003a: 419; Sarnat et al., 2015 10.3897/zookeys.543.6050 PDF: 42.Senior synonym of Pheidole flavens tuberculata: Wilson, 2003a: 419; Sarnat et al., 2015 10.3897/zookeys.543.6050 PDF: 42.Senior synonym of Pheidole flavens vincentensis: Wilson, 2003a: 419; Sarnat et al., 2015 10.3897/zookeys.543.6050 PDF: 42.
