Pheidole laevivertex

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 312

Pheidole laevivertex Forel

Pheidole laevivertex Forel 190ld: 131.

Types Mus. Hist. Nat. Geneve; Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology L laevivertex , smooth top, referring to occiput.

diagnosis A member of the fallax group similar in various characters to the species listed in the heading above, and distinguished as follows.

Major: rugoreticulum confined to a small patch just posterior to the circular carinulae of the antennal fossae; carinulae of head reaching slightly posterior to midway between the eyes and occiput; anterior half of pronotal dorsum and all of propodeal dorsum transversely carinulate; pronotal profile in dorsal-oblique view bilobous; postpetiole from above oval, and foveolate. Minor: all of head, mesosoma, and waist foveolate and opaque; anterior strip of first gastral tergite shagreened; occiput in frontal view concave.

Measurements (mm) Syntype major: HW 1.14, HL 1.22, SL 0.82, EL 0.20, PW 0.60. Syntype minor: HW 0.60, HL 0.70, SL 0.78, EL 0.14, PW 0.40. Color Major: concolorous medium reddish brown.

Minor: body and scapes dark reddish brown, rest of appendages brownish yellow.

Range Known only from Aguascalientes and Morelos, Mexico.

Biology Unknown.

Figure Upper: syntype, major. Lower: syntype, minor. MEXICO: Cuernavaca, Morelos (W. M. Wheeler). (Type locality: Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes.) I have compared the specimens on which the drawing is based, which are located in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard, with syntypes in the Forel collection from the type locality. Scale bars = 1 mm.