Pheidole foveolata, Eguchi, Katsuyuki, 2006

Eguchi, Katsuyuki, 2006, Six new species of Pheidole Westwood from North Vietnam (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), Revue Suisse de Zoologie 113 (1), pp. 115-131 : 115

Pheidole foveolata sp. n. Figs 3A-H

Pheidole sp. eg-163 : Bui & Eguchi, 2003 (a list of local ant fauna).

HOLOTYPE. - Major from colony Eg02-VN-210 (nesiting in the soil). Type locality: Y Linh Ho (a small fragment of forest, ca. 1100 m alt.), Sa Pa, Lao Cai, Vietnam [K. Eguchi leg., 1/v/2002]. Depository: IEBR.

PARATYPES. - 19 majors, 21 minors and 1 dealate queen from the same colony to which the holotype belongs. Depository: IEBR, MHNG, MCZC, BMNH, NHMW, FSKU, ACEG.

NON-TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED. - Vietnam: Lao Cai: Y Linh Ho (a small fragment of forest, ca. 1100 m alt.), Sa Pa [Eg02-VN-220, -227]. Eguchi’s informal species code “ Pheidole sp. eg-163 ” has been applied to these specimens.

DIAGNOSIS. - Dorsal and lateral faces of head and alitrunk punctured and dull (minor); median part of clypeus smooth and shining (minor); hypostoma with 3 conspicuous median processes in addition to the process just mesal to mandibular base (major); promesonotal dome lacking a conspicuous prominence on its posterior declivity (major and minor); propodeal spine much reduced to a small dent (minor).

DESCRIPTION. - Major: TL 2.1-2.8 mm, HL 0.93-0.97 mm, HW 0.91-0.97 mm, SL 0.46-0.49 mm, FL 0.56-0.58 mm, CI 98-101, SI 48-54, FI 60-62 (N=6); body deep yellowish brown to brown; head in full-face view weakly convex laterad, weakly broady concave posteriorly, with a weak median groove from the concavity to frons, in profile very weakly impressed on vertex; frons longitudinally rugose; vertex and dorsal and lateral faces of vertexal lobe weakly reticulate, with enclosures punctured and dull; frontal carina vestigial just as rugulae; antennal scrobe absent; median part of clypeus almost smooth, without a median longitudinal carina; hypostoma with 3 median processes in addition to the process just mesal to each mandibular base (lateral processes); lateral processes relatively well developed, as large as or a little smaller than lateral ones of the three median processes; antenna with a 3-segmented club; scape a little exceeding midlength of head; EL>LASX; LG 1.4-1.6 times as much as EL; promesonotal dome without a prominence on its posterior declivity; dorsolateral part of the dome weakly produced laterad; dorsum of the dome punctured at least weakly and dull, overlain with weak and irregular rugulae; lateral face of the dome and lower part of mesopleuron almost smooth and shining; lateral face of propodeum dimly or weakly punctured, often with rugulae; propodeal spine elongate-triangular, broadly based; petiole much longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); petiolar node in anterior view not concave mediodorsally; postpetiole not massive, 1.7-1.8 times as broad as petiolar node; first gastral tergite largely smooth and shining except a weakly punctured area around its articulation with postpetiole.

Minor: TL 1.3-1.7 mm; HL 0.47-0.51 mm; HW 0.42-0.46 mm, SL 0.42-0.45 mm, ML 0.62-0.66 mm, FL 0.42-0.47 mm, CI 89-94, SI 98-102, FI 100-102 (N=6); body light brown to brown; head punctured and dull dorsally and laterally; preoccipital carina absent dorsally; median part of clypeus smooth and shining, usually with a weak or very weak median longitudinal carina; antenna with a 3-segmented club; scape exceeding posterior margin of head by half to full length of second antennal segment; EL a little more than LASX; mesosoma punctured well and dull over the surface; promesonotal dome in profile without a prominence on its posterior declivity; propodeal spine much reduced to a tiny dent (at most as long as maximal diameter of propodeal spiracle); petiole much longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole not massive, 1.4-1.5 times as broad as petiolar node; first gastral tergite smooth and shining.

REMARKS. - This species is similar to Pheidole mus Forel and P. sagei Forel (the type material of both species housed in MHNG was examined) and P. parva Mayr (the type material housed in NHMW was examined) but distinguished from the latter three by the following characteristics: the minor of the latter three having an elongate-triangular propodeal spine which is more developed than in the new species; the minor of P. mus having median portion of clypeus which is punctured weakly or dimly and not shining.

DISTRIBUTION. - N. Vietnam. BIONOMICS. - This species inhabits forest edges (ca. 1100 m alt.), and nests in the soil.