Pheidole pubiventris Mayr ^HNS

Pheidole pubiventris Mayr ^HNS 1887: 595, 604, 607. Syn.: Pheidole pubiventris r. cearensis ^HNS Forel 190 lj: 353, n. syn.; Pheidole pubiventris var. nevadensis ^HNS Forel 1901J: 353, n. syn.; Pheidole pubiventris r. timmii ^HNS Forel 1901m: 62, n. syn. (Types not seen: Pheidole pubiventris ^HNS vw. foederalis Borgmeier ^HNS 1928a: 34.)

TYPES Naturhist. Mus. Wien; Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

etymology L pubiventris ^HNS, hairy belly, evidently alluding to the conspicuously long pilosity of the gaster.

Diagnosis A medium-sized brown member of the diligens ^HNS group with relatively sparse, extremely long, erect to suberect curving

hairs over the dorsa of the head and body.

Major: sculpturing of head consists entirely of carinulae, which are confined to the anterior half of the head capsule; promesonotal profile trilobous and pronotal humerus subangulate in dorsal-oblique view. Minor: humerus angulate; pronotum mostly foveolate and opaque.

Similar to longiseta ^HNS, sensitiva ^HNS, and variegata ^HNS; differing in many details of body form, sculpturing, and pilosity, as illustrated. See also the less similar blumenauensis ^HNS, rochai ^HNS, seeldrayersi ^HNS, and vafra ^HNS.

Majors from Colombia have shorter pilosity and more angulate humeri than the Brazilian series; and thus may represent a distinct species.

Measurements (mm) Syntype major (Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard): HW 1.14, HL 1.12, SL 0.86, EL 0.22, PW 0.56.

Syntype minor (Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard): HW 0.54, HL 0.68, SL 0.86, EL 0.16, PW 0.40.

Color Major: light reddish yellow (probably a callow or faded; fresher specimens are blackish brown).

Minor: body medium brown, with light brown appendages (fresher specimens are blackish brown).

Range Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, and Ceara, Brazil; and Magdalena, Colombia.

biology The localities, combined with a note accompanying a specimen from El Campano, Magdalena, Colombia ("in road," W. L. Brown), suggests that this species may be adapted to disturbed habitats. A winged queen was collected at El Campano in June.

figure Upper: syntype, major. Lower: syntype, minor. BRAZIL: Santa Catarina. (The specimens shown are in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University). Scale bars = 1 mm.