Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Identification
Minor worker: head length 0.42mm, head width 0.41mm, scape length 0.33mm, Webers length 0.44mm (n=1). Head flattened behind; mesonotal suture absent; in profile, rear margin of promesonotum and dorsal face of propodeum forming a right angle; propodeal spines moderately long, spiniform; face uniformly foveolate; mesosoma smooth and shining throughout; first gastral tergum smooth and shining; dorsal pilosity sparse, moderately long, flexuous; color orange.
Major worker: head length 0.78mm, head width 0.70mm, scape length 0.35mm (n=1). Face foveolate throughout, overlain with subparallel, longitudinal rugae anteriorly, faint reticulate rugae posteriorly; antennal scrobes weakly present as shallow depressions beneath apices of scapes; hypostomal margin gently curved, with median tooth, and a pair of teeth about one half distance from midline to recessed teeth flanking mandible bases; dorsal pilosity abundant; head with abundant, short, suberect setae projecting from sides of head in face view.
Variation: minor workers from Rancho Quemado (Osa Peninsula) and Carara are red brown.
Range
Costa Rica, Panama. Costa Rica: southwestern lowlands.
Natural History
This species occurs in wet forest. It is common in Winkler samples and comes to baits. In one observation, workers showed a weak recruiting response to a freshly killed tabanid placed 50cm from their nest entrance. A subsequent fly placed near the nest entrance also elicited a small response. No major workers came out. The nest was in a flattened cavity beneath loose bark on top of a rotten log. There were major workers in the nest.
Comments
Although Wilson (2003) describes the major of this species having the posterior half of the face smooth, the image of the holotype shows that the face is foveolate throughout.
Literature Cited
Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A Dominant, Hyperdiverse Ant Genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass
Page authors:
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA. longinoj@evergreen.edu
Stefan Cover, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138 USA. scover@oeb.harvard.edu
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