Pheidole tragica Wheeler

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 526

Pheidole tragica Wheeler

Pheidole tragica Wheeler 1934g: 167.

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology Gr tragicus, pertaining to tragedy, significance unknown.

Diagnosis A somewhat larger brown species, whose major has a bicolorous head, rugoreticulum mesad to the eye, conspicuous foveae scattered over the otherwise smooth posterior half of the dorsal head capsule, and cornulate postpetiole. The mesonotum of the major and minor has no dorsal convexity, and its posterior face descends abruptly to the metanotum.

Somewhat similar to arhuaca , caulicola , chalca , chalcoides , mixteca , and scabriventris , but easily distinguished by combinations of many or all of the above traits.

Measurements (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.04, HL 1.20, SL 0.60, EL 0.18, PW 0.56. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.54, HL 0.58, SL 0.50, EL 0.12, PW 0.34.

color Major: head bicolorous, with anterior third brownish yellow and posterior two-thirds medium brown; rest of body

concolorous medium brown.

Minor: body concolorous medium brown.

Range Known only from the type series.

Biology Unknown.

Figure Upper: lectotype, major. Lower: paralectotype, minor. MEXICO: Pedregal, near Mexico City (Elisabeth Skwarra). Scale bars = 1 mm.