Pheidole coveri, Wilson, E. O., 2003

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 676

Pheidole coveri new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology Named after the accomplished collector, myrmecologist and field biologist Stefan Cover.

diagnosis Similar in various traits to antillana , gauthieri , and hetschkoi , differing as follows.

Major: mostly reddish yellow; all of promesonotum rugoreticulate; rugoreticulum on head extends from antennal fossa back to the outer portions of the vertex; rest of the dorsal surface of the head variously carinulate or rugulose; humerus in dorsal-oblique view elevated to 2X the height of the mesonotal convexity above the metanotal groove; postpetiole spinose. Minor: most of head and mesosoma rugoreticulate, as illustrated; occiput broad and with thin nuchal collar; propodeal spines equilateral ly triangular.

Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.50, HL 1.60, SL 0.66, EL 0.14, PW 0.78. Paratype minor: HW 0.66, HL 0.70, SL 0.64, EL 0.10, PW 0.46.

Color Major: most of body and appendages light reddish yellow ("orange"); mandibles, anterior rim of midclypeus, and all of

lateral wings of clypeus plain medium brown; gaster light reddish brown.

Minor: concolorous light reddish yellow except for gaster, which is plain medium brown.

Range Known from the type locality, and from a series collected at El Espinal, near Michelena, Tachira, Venezuela (J. Lattke).

Biology Four of five colonies collected by Stefan Cover (personal communication) in the St. George County mountains of Trinidad were in mature montane rainforest and one was in secondary montane rainforest. All were nesting in rotten sticks on the forest floor. The colonies contained a single queen and fewer than 200 workers. One of the five nests contained a seed cache. In a colony maintained in an artificial nest by Cover, the minors defended the nest against fire ants ( Solenopsis invicta ) allowed to forage in the vicinity, but the large majors ("soldiers") hid inside the nest, leading Cover to feel some concern over having a species named in his honor that displays such a conspicuous degree of cowardly behavior. (Actually, he agreed that majors highly specialized to serve as seed millers often avoid combat.)

Figure Upper: holotype, major, hind femur included. Lower: paratype, minor. TRINIDAD: Windblow Ridge, Arima Valley, St. George Co., 550 m (Stefan Cover). Scale bars = 1 mm.