Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
|
|
|
|
|
|
Identification
Minor worker: head length 0.74mm, head width 0.61mm, scape length 0.90mm, Webers length 0.93mm (n=1). Head rounded behind, vertex collar very narrow; promesonotal and metanotal grooves well impressed; propodeal spines short; face smooth and shiny, with widely-spaced striae in area between eye, frontal carina, and mandibular insertion; pronotum smooth and shiny; rest of mesosoma uniformly foveolate; gaster smooth and shiny; scapes with abundant erect setae; face and mesosoma with abundant, long, flexuous setae; pilosity on upper surface of hind femur erect; gaster with abundant suberect setae, a few very long and projecting above the rest; color red brown.
Major worker: head length 1.12mm, head width 1.15mm, scape length 0.86mm (n=1). Face shiny throughout; mostly smooth, with widely-spaced striae in area between eye, frontal carina, and mandibular insertion; hypostomal margin with pair of widely-spaced, spiniform teeth, located near small recessed teeth flanking mandibles; scapes flattened and curved at base; setae projecting from face and vertex margin, but setae on sides of head appressed, not projecting; mesosoma with abundant dorsal setae; gaster with sparse but long appressed pubescence, and sparse long flexuous erect setae.
Similar species: indagatrix.
Range
Costa Rica (Central Valley).
Natural History
W. M. Wheeler collected specimens in Cartago in 1911 (see Comments).
Comments
Emery described this form as a subspecies of pubiventris, based on a collection from San Jose. Wilson (2003) raised it to species. At the MCZ are two series collected by W. M. Wheeler in Cartago in 1911. The figures above are from these. One of the pins bears a determination label indicating it was compared with the type of pubiventris by W. L. Brown in 1963. Pheidole pubiventris Mayr 1887 is a very similar (and perhaps conspecific) species from South America.
Page authors:
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA. longinoj@evergreen.edu
Stefan Cover, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138 USA. scover@oeb.harvard.edu
Go back to top