Pheidole vallicola Wheeler

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 162

Pheidole vallicola Wheeler

Pheidole crassicornis subsp. vallicola Wheeler 1915b: 409. Raised to species level by Creighton 1950a: 191. Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology L vallicola , valley dweller, referring to the habitat of the type colony.

diagnosis A member of the crassicornis group, similar to crassicornis , diversipilosa , porcula , and tetra , but differing by the following combination of traits.

Major: pilosity consisting of sparse, very long hairs (some on first gastral tergite are 2X the maximum eye length); head in side view tapered toward occiput; rugoreticulum forms a broad swath from antennal fossa to eye on each side; carinulae along midline of dorsum of head continue to occiput; pronotum sparsely foveolate and feebly shining on sides, smooth and shiny on dorsum; postpetiole from above laterally subangulate.

Minor: petiolar node from side thin, and tapered toward apex; pilosity sparse, as illustrated; dorsum of head (except for frontal triangle and middle section of clypeus), all of mesosoma, and most of waist foveolate and opaque. Measurements (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.34, HL 1.44, SL 0.80, EL 0.20, PW 0.64. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.64, HL 0.70, SL 0.82, EL 0.14, PW 0.44.

color Major: body light reddish brown except for gaster, which is a slightly contrasting medium reddish brown. Minor: concolorous medium reddish brown.

Range Recorded by Stefan Cover in numerous collections at 1200-1900 m in the following mountain ranges of southeastern Arizona: Chiricahua, Dragoon, Huachuca, Pajarito, Pinal, and Sierra Ancha.

Biology Stefan Cover (unpublished collection notes) found vallicola to favor creek banks and open woodland with a wide range of species composition, from ponderosa pine to oak, pine-oak-juniper, and oak-mesquite-sumac. Nests were usually under stones in either shade or exposed areas, although occasionally they had been constructed in open soil.

Figure Upper: lectotype, major. Lower: paralectotype, minor. ARIZONA: Miller Canyon, Huachuca Mts., southeastern Arizona (W. M. Wheeler). Scale bars = 1 mm.