Pheidole sensipelada, Longino, 2019

Longino, John T., 2019, Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Middle American Wet Forest, Zootaxa 4599 (1), pp. 1-126 : 57

Pheidole sensipelada new species

( Plate 52 )

Pheidole JTL-251: morphospecies code previously used on AntWeb.

HOLOTYPE: 1 major worker, Costa Rica, San José: Cerro Plano , 9.48446 -83.96228 ± 200 m, 1030 m, 6-Jul- 2015, cloud forest, at bait (ADMAC, Ba-E- 06-2-03-14) [ MUCR, unique specimen identifier CASENT0631275] . PARATYPES: major, minor workers: same data as holotype [ CAS, DZUP, JTLC, MCZC, MUCR, USNM] .

Geographic range. Costa Rica.

Diagnosis. Minor: face smooth and shining; head rounded behind; promesonotal groove present, distinctly impressed; pronotum smooth and shiny; katepisternum foveolate; propodeal spines about one quarter length of posterior face of propodeum; gaster smooth and shining; dorsal mesosoma, petiole, and postpetiole with long flexuous erect setae; tibiae with very long erect setae, as long as or longer than twice width of tibia; gastral dorsum with extremely sparse, short, fully appressed pubescence, and either lacking erect setae or with a few long erect setae near postpetiolar insertion; color dark brown to black. Major: inner hypostomal teeth widely spaced, acicular; scape base terete; face almost entirely smooth and shining, with short longitudinal carinulae between eye and antennal fossa; promesonotal groove impressed; propodeal spines about one quarter length of posterior face of propodeum; gastral dorsum smooth and shiny; face with very sparse appressed pubescence similar to gaster; sides and posterior margin of head lacking erect setae; otherwise pilosity similar to minor worker.

Measurements, minor worker: HW 0.68, HL 0.74, SL 0.97, EL 0.18, WL 0.99, PSL 0.06, PTW 0.19, PPW 0.26, CI 91, SI 143, PSLI 9, PPI 134 (n=1).

Measurements, major worker: HW 1.07, HL 1.07, SL 0.85, EL 0.21, WL 1.09, PSL 0.08, PTW 0.32, PPW 0.41, CI 101, SI 80, PSLI 7, PPI 130 (n=1).

Biology. This species occurs in lowland to lower montane wet forest. The few collections are from ground baits and from a beating sample.

Comments. This species has the general habitus of P. sensitiva , with which it is sympatric. It differs from P. sensitiva in larger size (minor worker mean HW 0.68 vs. 0.59) and reduced pilosity.

Etymology: In reference to the very long flexuous setae on the mesosoma.

Figures

PLATE 52.