Pheidole colobopsis

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 545

Pheidole colobopsis Mann

Pheidole colobopsis Mann 1916: 439.

Types Nat. Mus. Nat. Hist. U.S.

Etymology Gr colobopsis , docked, clipped, shortened, with reference to the truncated head of the major.

Diagnosis A typical member of the lamia group: the major has a phragmotic head, with the anterior portion incorporating the clypeus and mandibles flattened (truncated), and deep antennal scrobes. This species is easily distinguished from the other members of the lamia group ( lamia , pelor , truncula ) by the shorter head of the major and the pattern of carinulae on its head: limited to dense longitudinal rows on the frontal lobes and frontal triangle and transverse rows on the lateral wings of the clypeus. Other differences in body form and sculpturing are as illustrated. The queen is also phragmotic.

Measurements (mm) Major (Rio Porce, Colombia): HW 1.08, HL 1.20, SL 0.54, EL 0.14, PW 0.60. Minor (Rio Porce, Colombia): HW 0.52, HL 0.54, SL 0.52, EL 0.06, PW 0.32.

color Major: mostly light reddish brown; appendages, the truncated front of the head, and a narrow horizontal strip posterior to the eyes dark yellow.

Minor: body and scapes medium reddish brown, other appendages yellowish brown.

Range Known only from series collected in Rondonia, Brazil, Rio Porce, Colombia, and Cuzco Amazonico, Madre de Dios, Peru.

biology The Peruvian colony was collected in clay soil at the base of a tree in terra firme rainforest. The nest was 12 cm deep and contained a single queen, five majors, and about 200 minors. The majors and minors in this series are a nearly uniform dark yellow to amber color.

Figure Upper: major. Lower: minor. COLOMBIA: Rio Porce, near Medellin, 1020 m (Neal A. Weber). (Type locality: RondoniaMamore railway track, Km 306, Rondonia, Brazil.) Scale bars = 1 mm.