Pheidole citrina ^HNS new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology L citrina ^HNS, of citron, referring to yellow body color.

Diagnosis A very small, yellow member of the flavens ^HNS group whose major is marked by its strongly curved propodeal spine (as though the tip had "melted" backward); long scapes, which reach the occipital comers; all of the sculpturing on the anterior half of the head consisting of longitudinal carinulae, with the posterior half smooth and shiny; and pronotal humerus in dorsal-oblique view rounded. Similar to onyx ^HNS, but in the major, citrina ^HNS has a more curved propodeal spine, far less carinulation on the dorsal head surface, and longer scapes, among other differences. See also the less similar grex ^HNS and humida ^HNS.

Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.66, HL 0.70, SL 0.54, EL 0.06, PW 0.38.

Paratype minor: HW 0.46, HL 0.50, SL 0.54, EL 0.10, PW 0.28.

Color Major and minor: concolorous yellow.

Range Atlantic lowlands of Costa Rica (Longino 1997).

Biology Collected from leaf litter in wet forest.

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