Pheidole aberrans Mayr

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 131

Pheidole aberrans Mayr

Pheidole aberrans Mayr 1868b: 172. Syn.: Pheidole aberrans var. diversiceps Santschi 1916e: 374, n. syn.; Pheidole (Elasmopheidole) aberrans var. fartilia Forel 1913m: 233, n. syn.; Pheidole aberrans var. mutica Emery 1906c: 142, n. syn. Raised to species level in this monograph: minensis , obscurifrons , weiseri .

Types Naturhist. Mus. Wien.

etymology L aberrans , wandering, astray, with possible reference to unusual major head.

Diagnosis A member of the aberrans group, closest to cavifrons , longior , and obnixa , distinguished as follows.

Major: frontal lobes seen from above bilaterally symmetrical, coming to a point an Eye Length from the anterior clypeal border; all of dorsal surface of head carinulate, except for a broad space posterior to the demarcating occipital carina; all pre-carina carinulae turn away (laterad) as they approach the carina; pronotum in dorsal-oblique view very high above smaller but well-developed mesonotal convexity, and semicircular in outline; hypostoma 2-toothed; propodeal spines well developed.

Minor: promesonotal dorsum covered with semicircular carinulae; posterior dorsal surface of head smooth or partially carinulate; propodeal spines well developed.

Measurements (mm) Major (Tucuman): HW 1.40, HL 1.64, SL 0.56, EL 0.14, PW 0.86. Minor (Tucuman): HW 0.68, HL 0.70, SL 0.46, EL 0.10, PW 0.44.

color Major: light reddish brown except for clypeus and edges of frontal lobes, which are plain medium brown.

Range Recorded by Kempf (1972b) from Buenos Aires and San Luis provinces of Argentina north to Goias and Pernambuco states in central Brazil. It has also been collected near Cuzco in Peru, and near Cochabamba, Bolivia (MCZ).

biology Bruch (1916) describes typical nests of aberrans in San Luis Province, Argentina, as excavated in open ground, comprising a single conspicuous hole, surrounded by a ring of excavated soil, and leading to a succession of flat-bottomed chambers about 5 cm across and up to 2 cm high, which are connected by vertical galleries. Trager (unpublished specimen data) has collected aberrans in cactus scrub, overgrazed pasture, a residential backyard, and on roadsides.

figure Upper: major. Lower: minor. ARGENTINA: Tucuman (N. Kusnezov). (Type locality: Buenos Aires, Argentina; P. de Strobel). Scale bars = 1 mm.