Pheidole rectispina ^HNS new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

etymology L rectispina ^HNS, upright spine.

diagnosis Similar in various traits to bilimeki ^HNS, floridana ^HNS, hazenae ^HNS, rectiluma ^HNS, rectisentis ^HNS, rectitrudis, sospes ^HNS, and stomachosa ^HNS, differing as follows.

Major: propodeal spine half as long as propodeal basal face and perpendicular to it; humeri low and subangulate; mesonotal convexity present; postpetiole from above elliptical, with angulate lateral margins; all of dorsal surface of head except occipital lobes, frontal triangle, and midclypeus carinulate; all of mesosoma and most of head and waist foveolate and opaque; anterior fringe of first gastral tergite shagreened.

Minor: propodeal spine half as long as the propodeal face and vertical on it; postpetiolar node somewhat depressed; occiput broad, its margin concave; all of head and mesosoma foveolate and opaque, no rugoreticulum and almost no carinulae.

Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.00, HL 1.14, SL 0.56, EL 0.14, PW 0.50.

Paratype minor: HW 0.44, HL 0.50, SL 0.46, EL 0.08, PW 0.30.

Color Major: dark, even blackish brown.

Minor: body medium brown, appendages yellowish brown.

Range Atlantic slope of Costa Rica from lowlands to montane forest (Longino 1997); and Belize (Hummingbird Gap, near Stann; Stewart Peck).

biology Occurs on the floor of primary rainforest.

figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. COSTA RICA: La Selva Biological Station, near Puerto Viejo, Heredia (E. O. Wilson). Scale bars = 1 mm.