Pheidole sicaria, Wilson, E. O., 2003

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA, USA: Harvard University Press : 232

Pheidole sicaria new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology L sicaria , with dagger, assassin.

Diagnosis A member of the diligens group, most similar in habitus to scimitara of Peru, distinguished by the following traits. Major: brown; antennal scape slightly exceeding occipital border; propodeal spine as long as the basal propodeal face; postpetiole from above laterally angulate; head capsule swollen, so that venter is strongly convex, and Head Width exceeds Head Length; humerus subangulate in dorsal-oblique view; anterior third of pronotal dorsum carinulate; head lacking rugoreticulum; anterior third of central strip of first gastral tergite shagreened.

Minor: propodeal spine as long as basal propodeal face; occiput narrowed, with nuchal collar. Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.20, HL 1.16, SL 1.04, EL 0.22, PW 0.60. Paratype minor: HW 0.62, HL 0.72, SL 1.00, EL 0.14, PW 0.42.

Color Major: body, mandibles, and scape medium brown; rest of appendages light to yellowish brown. Minor: body light brown, appendages yellowish brown.

Range Mid-elevation, Atlantic slope; also upper elevation, to 700 m, Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica (J. T. Longino 1997).

Biology Known from mid-elevation rainforest and cloud forest. The types were collected by P. S. Ward on a palm trunk. Longino (1997) found two nests respectively in a clump of aroid roots and in loose dead leaves and fragments of carton lodged on the branch of a small Ocotea tree, whose hollow stems harbored a colony of Myrmelachista .

Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. COSTA RICA: Llorona, Corcovado National Park (Philip S. Ward). Scale bars = 1 mm.