Pheidole lilloi (Kusnezov)

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 135

Pheidole lilloi (Kusnezov)

Elasmopheidole lilloi Kusnezov 1952d: 74. Combination in Pheidole by Kempf 1972b: 184.

types Inst. Miguel Lillo, Tucuman; Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology Named after Miguel Lillo.

diagnosis A member of the aberrans group closest to fracticeps, differing from it and other species of the group by the following combination of traits.

Major: very small; brownish yellow with brown spot on vertex; hypostoma 4-toothed; in side view, occiput projects out like a brow, its apex rounded and the profile of the head below it dipping away as a strong convexity; in full-face view, occiput bearing several widely spaced carinulae that travel from the dorsal midline obliquely toward the occipital corners; eye oval, placed forward to its anterior border is only a little more than an Eye Length from the anterior genal border.

Minor: almost all of head, mesosoma, and waist foveolate; most of dorsal surface of head carinulate, with a rugoreticulum mesad to each eye.

Measurements (mm) Lectotype major: HW 0.64, HL 0.84, SL 0.30, EL 0.12, PW 0.40.

Paralectotype minor: HW 0.40, HL 0.44, SL 0.32, EL 0.06, PW 0.24.

Color Major: overall brownish yellow, with a light brown spot on the vertex.

Minor: overall brownish yellow except for posterior half of dorsum of head, which is medium brown.

Range Recorded from Tucuman and Misiones, Argentina.

biology Unknown.

Figure Upper: lectotype, major. Lower: paralectotype, minor. ARGENTINA: Tucuman. Scale bars = 1 mm.