Pheidole protensa ^HNS new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology L protensa ^HNS, stretched out, referring to the somewhat elongate head of the major.

Diagnosis A very small, yellow member of the flavens ^HNS group, distinguished in the major by an elongated head entirely covered dorsally with longitudinal carinulae, which grow faint and curve inwardly in the posterior third of the head to converge toward and meet at the midline, becoming horizontal near the occiput.

Major: also with broken transverse carinulae on pronotal dorsum; a small but distinct mesonotal convexity; propodeal spines reduced to denticles; and a large propodeal spiracle.

Minor: all of head and mesosoma foveolate and opaque; propodeal spines reduced to denticles. Similar to browni ^HNS, casta ^HNS, mera ^HNS, olsoni ^HNS, and prolixa ^HNS, but easily distinguished by the above traits. Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.60, HL 0.82, SL 0.34, EL 0.10, PW 0.32. Paratype minor: HW 0.38, HL 0.44, SL 0.34, EL 0.06, PW 0.36. Color Major and minor concolorous medium yellow.

Range Known from the type series; from near Cuichapa, Veracruz, 1600 m; and from Tuli Creek, near San Miguel, Nicaragua.

biology In Veracruz, protensa ^HNS has been found in both lowland rainforest and in montane cafetals, i.e., forest with coffee.

figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. MEXICO: Las Hamacas, 17 km north of Santiago Tuxtla, Veracruz (E. O. Wilson). Scale bars = 1 mm.