Pheidole onyx ^HNS new species

Types LNBio.

Etymology Gr onyx ^HNS, a yellowish gem stone, alluding to the color of the workers.

Diagnosis A medium-sized, yellow member of the flavens ^HNS group whose major is distinguished by slightly backward curving propodeal spines, especially in dorsal-oblique view; all of the dorsal surface of the head up to the occipital border, and not including the mid-clypeus and frontal triangle, covered by longitudinal carinulae; and pronotal humerus subangulate.

Major and minor: scapes exceptionally long for flavens-group species, placing onyx ^HNS intermediate to the punctatissima ^HNS group.

Similar to citrina ^HNS, but the major of onyx ^HNS has a less curved propodeal spine, far more carinulation on the dorsal head surface, and shorter scapes, among other differences. See also the less similar grex ^HNS and humida ^HNS.

Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.80, HL 0.74, SL 0.58, EL 0.10, PW 0.38.

Paratype minor: HW 0.46, HL 0.52, SL 0.54, EL 0.06, PW 0.30.

color Major and minor: concolorous medium yellow.

Range Atlantic lowlands of Costa Rica (Longino 1997).

biology Nests under epiphytes in the canopy of natural wet forest (Longino 1997).

Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. COSTA RICA: La Selva Biological Station, near Puerto Viejo, Heredia (J. T. Longino). Scale bars = 1 mm.