Pheidole tepuicola ^HNS new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology L tepuicola ^HNS, tepui dweller.

Diagnosis A member of the diligens ^HNS group, similar to the species listed in the heading, distinguished by the following combination of traits.

Major: antennal scape exceeds occipital lobe by 2X its own maximum width; posterior third of head capsule dorsum smooth and shiny; carinulae originating on the frontal lobes relatively sparse, and those near the frontal carinae bend outward (laterad) toward the lateral margins of the head; propodeal spines reduced to erect denticles.

Minor: nuchal collar relatively thin and indistinct; propodeal spines reduced to erect denticles that point slightly forward; all of posterior dorsal half of head and of mesosomal dorsum crossed by transverse carinulae. Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.24, HL 1.28, SL 1.08, EL 0.20, PW 0.62. Paratype minor: HW 0.54, HL 0.80, SL 0.96, EL 0.14, PW 0.40. color Major: concolorous brownish yellow.

Minor: head and gaster light brown; mesosoma, waist, and appendages brownish yellow.

Range Known only from the type locality.

Biology Unknown.

figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. VENEZUELA: east slope of Kamarkabarai Tepui, Bolivar, 5°5W 62°01 W, 1800 m (J. Lattke). Scale bars = 1 mm.