Pheidole tolteca

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 357

Pheidole tolteca Forel

Pheidole tolteca Forel 1901d: 133.

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

Etymology Named after the Toltec, Amerindian ruling people of central Mexico from 10th to 12th century A.D. Diagnosis A large, completely foveolate and opaque member of the fallax group, somewhat similar to aequiseta and gouldi . Major: antennal scape just attains occipital comer; pilosity of head and mesosoma short, erect to suberect, and mostly of same length; propodeal spines long and relatively thin; rugoreticulum forms a band from eye to eye, anterior to near anterior border of head, and onto frontal lobes; center of pronotal dorsum with broken, scattered rugulae; humerus prominent, subangular; postpetiole from above elliptical.

Minor: body completely foveolate; propodeal spines one-third as long as the basal propodeal face anterior to them, and thin; occiput narrow and with nuchal collar.

Measurements (mm) Major (Michoacan, Mexico): HW 1.72, HL 1.82, SL 1.44, EL 0.30, PW 0.88. Syntype minor: HW 0.86, HL 1.06, SL 1.40, EL 0.22, PW 0.62.

color Major: head and appendages light reddish brown, rest of body medium reddish brown.

Minor: concolorous medium dull brown except for anterior rim of head capsule and mandibles, which are yellowish brown.

Range Recorded from Cuemavaca, Morelos (type locality); Cuautla, Morelos; San Jose Purua, Michoacan (Robert J. Hamton); and 95 km north of Acapulco, Guerrero.

Biology The Cuautla workers were in a house, and those collected in San Jose Purua, Michoacan, were collected in tropical scrub.

figure Upper: major, with minor compared with syntype minor (San Jose Purua, Michoacan, Mexico; R. J. Hamton). Lower: syntype, minor (Cuemavaca, Morelos, Mexico; W. M. Wheeler). Scale bars = 1 mm.