Pheidole gilva ^HNS new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology L gilva ^HNS, pale yellow, alluding to color of minor.

diagnosis Similar in various traits to the species listed in the heading above, differing as follows.

Major: yellow; humeri in dorsal-oblique view are a "sharkfin" shape, pointing forward, and from above extend just beyond the margins of the pronotum below; propodeal spines more than half as long as the propodeal basal face preceding them; postpetiole from above diamond-shaped; rugoreticulum fills space between each eye and adjacent antennal fossa, and rest of dorsal head surface mostly carinulate; most of dorsal head surface and all of mesosoma foveolate.

Minor: humeri acute-angular, each bearing a long seta at the tip; occiput narrowed, with a nuchal collar; all of head, mesosoma, and waist foveolate.

Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.12, HL 1.10, SL 0.64, EL 0.14, PW 0.56.

Paratype minor: HW 0.56, HL 0.62, SL 0.62, EL 0.08, PW 0.38.

color Major: concolorous medium yellow.

Minor: concolorous pale yellow.

Range Known only from the type locality.

biology The type colony was found in mature terra firme rainforest, nesting in a 8-cm-wide dead branch 3 m from the ground.

figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. PERU: Cuzco Amazonico, 15 km northeast of Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios (Stefan Cover and John E. Tobin). Scale bar = 1 mm.