Pheidole skwarrae Wheeler

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 349

Pheidole skwarrae Wheeler

Pheidole skwarrae Wheeler 1934g: 163.

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology Named after the collector, Elisabeth Skwarra.

Diagnosis A member of the fallax group, closet to vistana and distinguished from it and other fallax group species by the following combination of traits.

Major: head elongate, with deep occipital cleft and subangulate occipital lobes in full-face view; antennal scape exceeding the occipital lobe by 2X its own maximum width; entire body, including all of the tergites and sternites of the gaster, foveolate and opaque; space between eye, frontal lobes, and frontal carinae rugoreticulate.

Minor: entire body, including at least the anterior two segments of the gaster, foveolate and opaque; nuchal collar well developed;

antennal scape very long, extending 2X the distance between its insertion and nuchal collar.

Measurements (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.32, HL 1.60, SL 1.42, EL 0.24, PW 0.64.

Paralectotype minor: HW 0.54, HL 0.84, SL 1.20, EL 0.16, PW 0.42.

Color Major and minor: body concolorous medium brown, appendages yellowish brown.

range Known only from the type locality.

Biology The type colony was nesting beneath a stone.

figure Upper: lectotype, major. Lower: paralectotype, minor. MEXICO: Cuernavaca, Morelos (Elisabeth Skwarra). Scale bars = 1 mm.