Pheidole amata

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 651

Pheidole amata Forel

Pheidole amata Forel 190lj: 360.

Types Mus. Hist. Nat. Geneve.

Etymology L amata , loved passionately, reference unknown.

diagnosis Similar in various traits to ambigua , celaena , fera , germaini , peruviana , rutilana , schwarzmaieri , superba , and vomer , differing as follows.

Major: mostly reddish yellow; lower pronotal margin, upper half of mesopleuron, and sides of propodeum bearing curved carinulae, those on mesopleuron S-shaped; eye bean-shaped, with concave ventral border; clypeus prominent and long in side view but lacking any process; head subrectangular; occipital cleft deep; humerus in dorsal-oblique view prominent, subangulate; petiolar node thin in side view, and broad, elliptical, and marginally angular seen from above.

Minor: propodeal spine absent; occiput narrowed to a neck with nuchal collar; posterior half of mesonotum carinulate. Measurements (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.54, HL 1.88, SL 0.82, EL 0.28, PW 0.80. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.56, HL 0.74, SL 0.86, EL 0.10, PW 0.40.

Color Major: body reddish yellow except for gaster; which is plain medium brown; appendages reddish yellow. Minor: body medium brown, verging to yellow at level of clypeus; appendages medium yellow. Range Known only from the type locality.

Biology Forel discovered the type colony of amata in 1896 at the foot of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, nesting in the soil of virgin rainforest.

Figure Upper: lectotype, major. Lower: paralectotype, minor. COLOMBIA: Ouriheka, near Rio Frio, Magdalena (Auguste Forel). Scale bars = 1 mm.