Pheidole mooreorum, Wilson, E. O., 2003

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA, USA: Harvard University Press : 209

Pheidole mooreorum new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology Named in honor of Gordon and Betty Moore, in recognition of their outstanding contribution in service and support to tropical conservation, hence the habitats in which the Pheidole ants will continue to exist.

Diagnosis A member of the diligens group, similar in various characters to the species listed in the heading above, distinguished as follows.

Major: head and body overall richly pilose; sides of head in full-face view relatively straight and parallel; mesonotal convexity prominent, its apex seen from the side tilted forward; humerus in dorsal-oblique view lobose, and pronotum weakly bilobose; postpetiole elliptical from above; rugoreticulum absent from head, and carinulae absent from frontal lobes.

Minor: occiput narrowed, with nuchal collar; dorsal promesonotal profile in dorsal-oblique view smoothly rounded; head and body abundantly pilose.

Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.12, HL 1.24, SL 0.86, EL 0.20, PW 0.62. Paratype minor: HW 0.66, HL 0.78, SL 0.94, EL 0.14, PW 0.44.

Color Major: head and body rich medium reddish brown, appendages light reddish brown.

Minor: head and body plain dark brown; appendages light to yellowish brown except for tarsi, which are yellow.

Range Known only from the type locality.

Biology Majors and minors from the type colony were foraging on the ground in lowland rainforest.

Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. MEXICO: Estacion Biologica Los Tuxtlas, 10 km north-northwest of Sontecomapan, IS^'N 95°05 W, 200 m (Philip S. Ward). Scale bars = 1 mm.