Pheidole chiapasana, Wilson, E. O., 2003

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 273

Pheidole chiapasana new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology Named after the Mexican state of origin.

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

Major: entire head and mesosoma foveolate and opaque; mesosoma and postpetiolar node low; pronotal dorsal profde broken only slightly by a very low convexity; humerus low and rounded; postpetiole roughly diamond-shaped; rugoreticulum of head limited to a band between eye and antennal fossa; occiput weakly concave.

Minor: entire head and mesosoma foveolate and convex; postpetiolar node very low, the entire postpetiole cylindrical in side view; occiput narrowed, its margin flat; propodeal spines directed strongly upwards. Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.21, HL 1.32, SL 0.82, EL 0.16, PW 0.62. Paratype minor: HW 0.58, HL 0.66, SL 0.70, EL 0.10, PW 0.40. Color Major: body light brown, legs yellowish brown.

Minor: head and mesosoma dark brown, waist and gaster medium brown except for tarsi, which are light brown.

Range Known from the type locality and from Lagos de Montebello, Chiapas, at 1500 m.

biology At Rayon, in leaf litter of montane rainforest, and at Lagos de Montebello, in leaf litter of mixed tropical and temperate mesic forest (P. S. Ward).

Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. MEXICO: 5 km east of Rayon, Chiapas, 1700m, 17° 13^ 92°58W (Philip S. Ward). Scale bars = 1 mm.