Pheidole perissothrix, Longino, 2019

Longino, John T., 2019, Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Middle American Wet Forest, Zootaxa 4599 (1), pp. 1-126 : 53

Pheidole perissothrix new species

( Plate 9 )

Pheidole JTL-175: morphospecies code previously used on AntWeb.

HOLOTYPE: 1 major worker, Guatemala, Izabal: 16km ESE Morales , 15.41764 -88.69683 ± 70 m, 410 m, 19- May-2009, 2° lowland rainforest, ex sifted leaf litter (LLAMA, Wm-B- 04-2-09) [ MCZC, unique specimen identifier CASENT0611573] . PARATYPES: major, minor workers: same data as holotype [ CAS, MCZC]; same data except 15.41274 -88.71023 ± 27 m, 415 m (Wm-B- 04-2-05) [ DZUP, USNM]; 5km NW Morales , 15.51133 - 88.86185 ± 35 m, 195 m, 18-May-2009, 2° lowland rainforest, ex sifted leaf litter (LLAMA, Wm-B- 04-1-04) [ JTLC, UVGC] .

Geographic range. Guatemala to Costa Rica.

Diagnosis. Minor: face uniformly foveolate; promesonotal groove absent; entire mesosoma foveolate; propodeal spines about one third length of posterior face of propodeum; gaster smooth and shining; setae on face and dorsal mesosoma short, curved; setae on gastral dorsum short, decumbent, often minutely branched (typically trifid); tibiae without erect setae; color orange yellow. Major: inner hypostomal teeth distinct, closely spaced; scape base terete; face with shallow antennal scrobes, dorsal margin delimited by extension of frontal carinae, ventral margin indistinct; face with subparallel, well-spaced, longitudinal carinae extending to vertex margin, interspaces smooth and shiny or with faint microsculpture; propodeal spines about one quarter length of posterior face of propodeum; gastral dorsum smooth and shining; pilosity on sides of head short, decumbent, other pilosity similar to minor worker.

Measurements, minor worker: HW 0.43, HL 0.47, SL 0.41, EL 0.08, WL 0.46, PSL 0.04, PTW 0.09, PPW 0.11, CI 91, SI 97, PSLI 9, PPI 128 (n=2).

Measurements, major worker: HW 0.72, HL 0.74, SL 0.43, EL 0.11, WL 0.60, PSL 0.05, PTW 0.13, PPW 0.21, CI 97, SI 60, PSLI 6, PPI 154 (n=2).

Biology. This species occurs in lowland wet to dry forest, typically in second growth areas. It is known mostly from Winkler samples of sifted litter and rotten wood. It occurs rarely at ground baits. Two collections from northwestern Costa Rica are a worker from a pitfall trip and a dealate queen from a Malaise trap.

Comments. Pheidole perissothrix in habitus is very similar to P. glomericeps and P. flavens , and it could easily be misidentified as these more common species. It differs in the distinctive short, curved, and often branched pilosity. Other " flavens " type species ( P. exigua , P. flavens , P. glomericeps , P. moerens , P. navigans ) have typical pilosity, which is longer, less curved, and suberect. COI barcoding on BOLD clusters two specimens from northwestern Costa Rica with a specimen from the Caribbean coast of Honduras. The image of a headless worker on BOLD matches the morphological features described above. The COI cluster is isolated in Pheidole and is not near P. flavens or P. glomericeps .

Etymology: In reference to the unusual setae.

Figures

PLATE 9.