Pheidole brandaoi ^HNS new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology Named in honor of the distinguished Brazilian myrmecologist C. Roberto F. Brandao.

diagnosis a unique yellow member of the diligens ^HNS group similar to perdiligens and radoszkowskii, but distinguished from these and other species of the group as follows.

Major: with sparse pilosity on the mesosomal dorsum, including a pair of clavate hairs on the pronotum; pilosity on gastric tergites consisting of a carpet of short suberect pubescence in addition to longer erect to suberect hairs; no hairs on profde of head in full face except clypeus; mesosomal convexity very large, and subtriangular in side view; rugoreticula present between eyes and antennal fossae, and on anterior half of pronotum.

Minor: all of head, except frontal triangle, and most of mesosoma, foveolate and opaque; propodeal spines long and stout.

Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.96, HL 1.00, SL 0.70, EL 0.18, PW 0.52.

Paratype minor: HW 0.60, HL 0.66, SL 0.76, EL 0.14, PW 0.44.

color Major: body and mandibles dark yellow, other appendages light yellow.

Minor: concolorous medium yellow.

Range Known only from the type locality.

Biology The type series was collected in lowland rainforest.

Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. COLOMBIA: Mun. Buenaventura (Bajo Calima, Villa Clara), Valle (William L. Brown and Richard B. Root). Scale bars = 1 mm.