Pheidole tigris, Wilson, E. O., 2003

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 354

Pheidole tigris new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology L tigris , tiger, i.e. "striped" like one with carinulae.

Diagnosis A large, very distinctive member of the fallax group, recognizable as follows.

Major: "orange"; almost all of promesonotal and propodeal dorsa, as well as mesopleuron, covered by transverse carinulae; entire rear third of head, including occiput, rugoreticulate; and almost all the anterior two-thirds of the head carinulate, with no accompanying rugoreticulum; petiolar node from the side very high, strongly tapered toward the apex; postpetiolar node 2X broader than petiolar node from above, and elliptical in shape; body everywhere densely pilose.

Minor: yellow; all of posterior dorsal half of head and all of mesosomal dorsum transversely rugulose; propodeal spine absent; occiput drawn into a neck with broad nuchal collar.

Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 2.16, HL 2.28, SL 1.22, EL 0.34, PW 1.04. Paratype minor: HW 0.61, HL (including collar) 0.90, SL 1.34, EL 0.10, PW 0.50.

color Major: body and antennae very light reddish brown ("orange"), with a dark reddish brown stripe running the length of the midline of the head anteriorly to include the frontal triangle; legs dark reddish yellow.

Minor: concolorous yellow.

Range Known only from the type locality.

Biology The type colony was found in spring bamboo (Guadua) forest, nesting in a rotting log. A seed cache and males were present in the nest at the time of collection, 1-4 June.

Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. COLOMBIA: 10 km south of San Jose del Palmer, Rio Torito, Choco (Charles Kugler). Scale bars = 1 mm.