Pheidole lignicola

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 444

Pheidole lignicola Mayr

Pheidole lignicola Mayr 1887: 586. Syn.: Pheidole lignicola var. levocciput Forel 1908h: 370, n.syn. Raised to species level in this monograph: bruchella , victima .

Types Naturhist. Mus. Wien.

Etymology L lignicola , dwelling in wood.

Diagnosis Similar in various traits to the species listed in heading above, distinguished as follows.

Major: yellowish brown; occiput and space between eye and antennal fossa on each side rugoreticulate; most of rest of dorsal surface of head carinulate; antennal scape relatively long, its tip touching the sides of the head just posterior to the midpoint between the eye and level of the occipital lobe; mesonotal convexity well defined both anteriorly and posteriorly; humerus, in dorsal-oblique view low and smoothly rounded; propodeal spine moderately long and thin; postpetiole from above narrow and oval; almost all of body except gaster foveolate.

Minor: posterior half of venter of head in profile weakly concave; humerus in dorsal-oblique view subangulate; propodeal spine vertical to propodeal basal face; occiput slightly narrowed, its margin weakly concave, and nuchal collar absent. Almost all of head and mesosoma foveolate and opaque.

Measurements (mm) Lectotype major: HW 0.88, HL 0.90, SL 0.56, EL 0.10, PW 0.44. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.42, HL 0.52, SL 0.50, EL 0.06, PW 0.30. Color Major: medium yellowish brown. Minor: light yellowish brown.

range Recorded from Buenos Aires, Argentina; San Bernardino and Jejuimi, Paraguay; and Sao Paulo and Santa Catarina states, Brazil.

biology Unknown.

Figure Upper: major, compared with lectotype. Lower: minor, compared with paralectotype.

BRAZIL: Caraguatatuba, Sao Paulo (W. L. Brown). (Type locality: Santa Catarina, Brazil.) Scale bars = 1 mm.