Pheidole securiger Wilson, 2003, new species

Pheidole securiger new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology L securiger, axe-bearing, alluding to the extended frontal lobes.

Diagnosis Similar to pidax, rosae, rosula, and especially to guayasana, differing as follows.

Major: reddish yellow; frontal lobes extended forward as conspicuous right-angular and slightly upward-turning processes, seen from the side; antennal scrobes present, each followed posteriorly by a patch of rugoreticulum; rugoreticulum absent from anterior half of head; occipital lobes in full-face view tending toward subangulate; posterior half of pronotal profde smoothly convex in dorsaloblique view; metanotum and dorsal propodeal face covered by transverse carinulae.

Minor: propodeal spines small, but well developed; entire promesonotal dorsum transversely carinulate; lateral margins of posterior half of head entirely carinulate.

Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.58, HL 1.72, SL 0.78, EL 0.16, PW 0.80. Paratype minor: HW 0.64, HL 0.68, SL 0.80, EL 0.04, PW 0.42.

color Major: body dark reddish yellow, gaster plain medium brown, appendages medium yellow. Minor: body light brownish yellow, appendages clear medium yellow.

Range Known only from the type locality.

Biology The type colony was collected in spiny bamboo forest (Guadua). A male was present in the nest at the time of collection 1-4 June.

Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. COLOMBIA: Finca Los Guaduales, 10 km southwest of San Jose del Palmar, Rio Torito, 800 m (Charles Kugler). Scale bars = 1 mm.