Pheidole mallota ^HNS new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

etymology Gr mallota ^HNS, woolly, referring to dense, curving pilosity of body.

diagnosis Similar in various traits to amabilis ^HNS, arhuaca ^HNS, citrina ^HNS, crinita ^HNS, delicata ^HNS, hedlundorum ^HNS, laselva ^HNS, melastomae ^HNS, nitidicollis ^HNS, similgena ^HNS, terresi ^HNS, and tillandsiarum ^HNS, differing as follows.

Major: yellow; head as broad as long; antennal scapes long, their tips touching sides of head much more than halfway from eye to occipital corner; propodeal spines moderately long, directed backward, and curved; pilosity long, and many of the hairs curved and tangled; promesonotal profile flat; apex of petiolar node in side view broad and rounded; postpetiole from above elliptical, with angulate sides; carinulae cover only anterior half of head dorsum; most of body smooth and shiny.

Minor: eye narrow; occiput broad, convex; antennal scapes exceed occipital margins by a third their own length; propodeal spines very thin, needle-like.

Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.90, HL 0.90, SL 0.58, EL 0.10, PW 0.42.

Paratype minor: HW 0.48, HL 0.54, SL 0.60, EL 0.06, PW 0.30.

color Major: concolorous medium yellow, with a dark yellow spot on vertex.

Minor: concolorous dark yellow.

Range Known only from the type locality.

biology Unknown.

Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. PANAMA: Nusagandi, San Bias (Leeanne E. Tennant-Alonso). Scale bars = 1 mm.