Pheidole davidsonae, Wilson, E. O., 2003

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA, USA: Harvard University Press : 185

Pheidole davidsonae new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology Named after the collector and distinguished insect ecologist Diane W. Davidson.

Diagnosis a member of the diligens group similar in various characters to the species listed in the heading above, and distinguished as follows.

Major: head tricolorous (see Color below); antennal scapes thick and short, their tips touching the lateral margin of the head well short of half the distance from eye to occipital corner; propodeal spine straight, about one-third as long as the basal propodeal face; pronotum peaks at middle to form subangle; rugoreticulum present between eye and antennal fossa; carinulae on head do not extend beyond eye level more than half the Eye Length; in full-face view, concavity of occipital margin very broad.

Minor: occiput narrowed, with nuchal collar; pronotum smooth except for foveolate anterior rim; postpetiole from above bell-shaped. Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.06, HL 1.06, SL 0.64, EL 0.20, PW 0.56. Paratype minor: HW 0.48, HL 0.60, SL 0.70, EL 0.14, PW 0.34.

Color Major: head tricolorous, with clypeus yellow, head posterior to clypeus light brown, rest of head rich dark reddish brown; mesosoma and waist medium to dark reddish brown; gaster dark brown, tarsi yellow, and other appendages brownish yellow. Minor: body medium brown; tarsi yellow; other appendages light brown.

Range Known only from the type locality.

Biology Unknown.

Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. PERU: Cocha Cashu Research Station, Madre de Dios, 400 m (Diane W. Davidson). Scale bars = 1 mm.