Pheidole pidax, Wilson, E. O., 2003

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 732

Pheidole pidax new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology Gr pidax , fountain, referring to the spray-like pattern of the cephalic carinulae.

Diagnosis Sharing some traits with the species listed in the heading above, as well as others with some members of the flavens group, distinguished as follows.

Major: frontal lobes extended forward as blunt right-angular processes; shallow antennal scrobes present; propodeal spines half as long as basal propodeal face anterior to them; hypostoma 2-toothed; humerus in dorsal-oblique view very prominent, right-angular; carinulae originating on frontal lobes and seen in full-face view spread outward, away from the midline, for their entire length. Minor: propodeal spines half as long as basal propodeal face and curved strongly backward; all of head, mesosoma, and petiole foveolate and opaque.

Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.24, HL 1.56, SL 0.62, EL 0.22, PW 0.64.

Paratype minor: HW 0.56, HL 0.60, SL 0.62, EL 0.12, PW 0.38.

Color Major: body brownish yellow, appendages plain medium yellow.

Minor: concolorous medium yellow.

Range Known only from the type locality.

Biology The type colony was collected in montane rainforest. Winged queens were present on 28 July.

Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. COLOMBIA: Queremal, Rio San Juan, Valle, 1300 m (William L. Brown). Scale bars = 1 mm.