Pheidole polita Emery, 2003

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 734

Pheidole polita Emery , new status

Pheidole fabricator var. polita Emery 1894d: 155. Synonymy: Pheidole wheeleri Mann 1916: 431, n. syn.

Types Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Genova.

Etymology l polita , smooth, polished.

Diagnosis A shiny, reddish or brownish yellow member of the tristis group, somewhat similar to balzani , fabricator , nigella , and tristis but immediately distinguishable from these and other species in the group by the following traits.

Major and minor: body mostly smooth and shiny, reddish brown; humeri very prominently angulate, in major seen from above extending well beyond the lower sides of the pronotum; hind tibiae greatly swollen. Major: occipital border in full-face view very broadly and moderately concave. Measurements (mm) Major ( polita lectotype): HW 1.20, HL 1.20, SL 0.62, EL 0.12, PW 0.62. Minor ( polita paralectotype): HW 0.64, HL 0.66, SL 0.60, EL 0.08, PW 0.40.

Color Major ( polita lectotype): body brownish yellow, appendages dark yellow ( wheeleri types are medium to light reddish brown, appendages a lighter shade of reddish brown).

Minor: concolorous yellowish brown ( wheeleri types have body medium reddish brown, appendages yellowish to reddish brown.

Range Rio Beni, Bolivia ( polita types); Rio Madeira, Rondonia, Brazil ( wheeleri types); and Cuzco Amazonico, near Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, Peru.

biology At Cuzco Amazonico, Peru, Stefan Cover and John E. Tobin found a dense population of this species in a large clearing filled with logging detritus.

Figure Upper: major (syntype of synonymous wheeleri ). Lower: minor (syntype of synonymous wheeleri ). Hind tibia shown in both castes. (Type locality: Rio Beni, Bolivia, Luigi Balzan.) Scale bars = 1 mm.