Pheidole quercicola Wilson, 2003, new species

Pheidole quercicola new species

TYPES Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology L quercicola, oak-dwelling, allusion to habitat of type colony.

diagnosis Similar in various traits to bilimeki, chalca, daphne, floridana, furtiva, nebulosa, specularis, and stomachosa, differing as follows.

Major: yellow; profde of promesonotal dorsum flat in side view, descending to metanotum in steep posterior face; humerus discrete and lobose in dorsal-oblique view; occiput broad and deeply concave; postpetiole conate from above; posterior half of head smooth and shiny; and anterior half of dorsal surface of head carinulate; lower margin of pronotum carinulate; middle of mesopleuron with band of broken rugulae.

Minor: occiput broad, strongly concave; promesonotal profde semicircular; propodeal spine equilaterally triangular; postpetiolar node

strongly developed in side view; almost all of body smooth and shiny.

Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.06, HL 1.12, SL 0.50, EL 0.14, PW 0.54.

Paratype minor: HW 0.52, HL 0.58, SL 0.48, EL 0.08, PW 0.34.

Color Major: concolorous medium yellow.

Minor: concolorous light yellow.

Range Known only from the type locality.

Biology The type colony was collected at a relatively high elevation in humid pine-oak forest.

Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. MEXICO: vicinity of Omilteme, Guerrero, 2300-2500 m (Cornell University Field Party, 1965). Scale bars = 1 mm.