Pheidole iceni Fernández, 2011

Guerrero, Roberto J., García, Emira & Fernández, Fernando, 2022, The Pheidole Westwood, 1839 ants (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) in Colombia: new records including two species with remarkable morphology, Zootaxa 5154 (3), pp. 319-332 : 323-324

Pheidole iceni Fernández, 2011 .

Amended description of soldier. Mandible smooth and shiny, with abundant piligerous puncta, reclinated short hairs and longer erect hairs on masticatory border; frontal carinae slightly obliquely slanted posteriorly, central clypeus, area between frontal carinae and vertex with longitudinal striation, otherwise head densely striate reticulate, head with dense appressed short setae and two rows of central long setae; scape smooth and shining, terete at base, with abundant erect setae as longer as maximum width of scape; hypostomal margin sinuous (in both sides of the middle); median tooth absent; inner hypostomal teeth small, stout; outer hypostomal teeth large, pointed; promesonotal groove present; propodeal spines present and prominent; metanotal groove deep; pronotum with transverse striation, including sides; rest of mesosomal dorsum with oblique transverse striations; sides of mesosoma with irregular longitudinal rugulae; dorsal (outer) margin of hind tibia with abundant suberect setae shorter than maximum width of tibia; pilosity abundant on mesosomal dorsum; postpetiole in dorsal view diamond shaped, much broader than long, with transverse striations; first gastral tergite with very fine and dense longitudinal striations, with abundant long erect setae; color red brown, head darker, hairs lighter.

Comments. Due to an error at the time of publication, the description of the soldier was incorrect, and was text from a previously described species. The description of the worker, as well as the measurements of the worker and soldier, photographs and location are correct in Fernández (2011). We provide here a corrected description of the soldier and comments on the separation of the species from P. fiorii . The rest of the information is as provided in Fernández (2011).

The smooth and shiny head, well developed occipital carinae, and long, downturned propodeal spines differentiate the minor worker of this species from any other in the genus, including those in the fallax group. Pheidole fiorii Emery is closely related to this species, but with clear differences (see diagnosis), including setae (shorter in iceni ), color (light brown in iceni ) the smooth and shining pronotum, and sides of the petiole (variably foveolated in fiorii ).

The dense head sculpturing, the transverse striation of mesosomal dorsum and postpetiole, deep metanotal groove, and conspicuous propodeal spines differentiate the soldier of this species from any other in the genus, including the fallax group.