Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Dorsal view of face of major, showing clypeal keel.
Identification
Minor worker: head length 0.62mm, head width 0.56mm, scape length 0.54mm, Webers length 0.78mm (n=1). Head somewhat flattened behind; promesonotum evenly arched, mesonotal suture absent; propodeal spines short, sharp, upturned; face smooth and shining, or with faint sculpture on vertex and stronger punctatorugose sculpture between eye and frontal carinae; katepisternum and side of propodeum largely smooth and shining; dorsal pilosity abundant, long, flexuous; color red brown.
Major worker: head length 1.45mm, head width 1.27mm, scape length 0.61mm (n=1), CI 88-91 (n=3). Face punctatorugose on anterior half lateral to frontal carinae; areas beneath sweep of scapes shallowly foveolate; medial area between frontal carinae with parallel longitudinal carinae; posterior half of face smooth and shining; clypeus with prominent medial tooth, tooth laterally compressed, keel-like, concave shiny area on each side of tooth, bounded laterally by prominent carinae extending obliquely from base of frontal carinae; bases of frontal carinae elevated, tooth-like; hypostomal margin with no medial tooth, pair of subtriangular teeth located close to midline, less than one quarter distance to recessed teeth flanking mandibles; dorsal pilosity abundant; head with abundant setae projecting from sides of head in face view.
Similar species: Pheidole rhinoceros.
Range
Costa Rica.
Natural History
This species occurs in lowland mature wet forest. It is common in Winkler samples. Nests have been found under loose bark of dead trees, in rotten stumps, and in dead sticks in the low arboreal zone (1-2m above the ground). Occasionally nests are in live stems of plants with soft pith such as Piper coenocladum and Myriocarpa.
Comments
See discussion under Pheidole rhinoceros.
Page authors:
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA. longinoj@evergreen.edu
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