Pheidole obtusopilosa

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 477

Pheidole obtusopilosa Mayr

Pheidole obtusopilosa Mayr 1887: 586. Raised to species level in this monograph: heterothrix .

Types Naturhist. Mus. Wien.

Etymology L obtusopilosa , blunt-haired, allusion uncertain.

Diagnosis Similar to heterothrix , distinguished from it and other Pheidole species by the following combination of traits. Major: entire dorsal surface of head rugoreticulate except for frontal lobes, frontal triangle, clypeus, and anterior genae; humeri rugoreticulate; anterior margin of pronotal dorsum carinulate; all of mesosoma and waist foveolate; postpetiole from above elliptical. Minor: almost all of body except gaster foveolate and opaque; humeri subangulate; propodeal spines moderately long and slender; occipital margin concave; nuchal collar absent.

Measurements (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.16, HL 1.18, SL 0.54, EL 0.14, PW 0.60.

Paralectotype minor: HW 0.56, HL 0.58, SL 0.50, EL 0.10, PW 0.36.

Color Major: body light reddish brown except for gaster, which is plain medium brown.

Range Recorded from Uruguay; and, in Argentina, the northern and central provinces of Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Jujuy, La Pampa, and Tucuman (Kempf 1972b). I have confirmed a series from Sao Paulo.

biology A collection of obtusopilosa was made by William L. Brown at the Boraceia Biological Station, near Salesopolis, Sao Paulo, in wet mountain forest at 850 m.

Figure Upper: lectotype, major. Lower: paralectotype, minor. URUGUAY (no further locality). Scale bars = 1 mm.