Pheidole chrysops, Wilson, E. O., 2003

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA, USA: Harvard University Press : 180

Pheidole chrysops new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology Gr chrysops , like gold, referring to the dark yellow color of the major.

Diagnosis A small, yellow species tentatively placed in the diligens group but with clear ties to some members of the fallax group, i.e., aenescens , bergi , cordiceps , and midas , from which it is distinguished by the following set of traits.

Major: head heart-shaped, but with occipital angles in full-face view tending toward subangulate; propodeal spine short, equilaterally triangular; pronotal profde in dorsal-oblique view slightly bilobous; pilosity long and dense; head lacking rugoreticulum, and carinulae limited to anterior half of head with frontal lobes mostly bare.

Minor: occiput narrowed but lacking nuchal collar; in profile, mesonotum moderately convex.

Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.94, HL 0.96, SL 0.74, EL 0.18, PW 0.52.

Paratype minor: HW 0.46, HL 0.54, SL 0.66, EL 0.12, PW 0.34.

Color Major: concolorous dark ("golden") yellow.

Minor: clear medium yellow.

RANGE Known from the type locality and from a single series, nearly identical to the types, from Reserva Mbaracayii, Jejuimi, Dept. Canindeyu, Paraguay.

BIOLOGY The Paraguay colony was in a nest in leaf litter in "high forests" (Alex Wild).

Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. BRAZIL: Taperinha, Santarem, Para (Robert L. Jeanne). Scale bars = 1 mm.