Pheidole vafella Wheeler

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA, USA: Harvard University Press : 243

Pheidole vafella Wheeler

Pheidole vafella Wheeler 1925a: 15.

types Royal Mus. Stockholm; Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology L vafella , little cunning one.

diagnosis The major and minor are from different localities, as noted in the figure caption. One or more majors from the type locality may be in the Royal Museum of Stockholm and were not seen by me, hence the association of the two castes I have made here is based on Wheeler's judgment and what does appear to correspond between them in habitus, sculpturing, and pilosity. P. vafella is somewhat similar to crozieri and williamsi , differing as follows.

Major: scapes just reach occipital lobes, head heart-shaped in full-face view; propodeal spines reduced to a right angle in side view; propodeal dorsum transversely carinulate; densely covered with short, erect to suberect hairs. Minor: propodeal spine reduced to denticle; petiolar node low.

Measurements (mm) Syntype major (Mojo, Bolivia): HW 1.04, HL 1.08, SL 0.80, EL 0.16, PW 0.56. Syntype minor (Yanalomas, Bolivia): HW 0.56, HL 0.68, SL 0.84, EL 0.14, PW 0.40. color Major: concolorous dark yellow. Minor: concolorous brownish yellow.

range Known only from the two localities in Bolivia listed in the figure caption.

Biology Unknown.

Figure Upper: syntype, major (Mojo, Potosi, Bolivia, not the type locality and not certainly associated with the minor; see Diagnosis below). Lower: syntype, minor (from type locality: Yanalomas, Bolivia). Scale bars = 1 mm.