Pheidole bruesi Wheeler, 2003

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, pp. 163-216 : 174

Pheidole bruesi Wheeler , new status

Pheidole triconstricta var. bruesi Wheeler 191 lb: 169.

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology Named after the collector, the entomologist Charles T. Brues.

Diagnosis A small, yellow, nearly hairless member of the diligens group, similar to diligens , inversa , laidlowi , radoszkowskii , and triconstricta , and differing by the following combination of traits.

Major: cephalic sculpturing consisting exclusively of longitudinal carinulae and foveolae, which are usually confined to the dorsal surface anterior to the posterior margin of the eyes; promesonotal profile 3-lobed; petiolar node thick; lateral margins of postpetiolar node subangular; gaster entirely smooth and shiny.

Minor: promesonotal profile 3-lobed. The Grenada series collected by Stefan Cover and me are variable, especially in the amount of cephalic sculpturing. A series nearly identical to the Grenadan population was collected by William L. Brown between Manaus and Itacoatiara, Amazonas, Brazil; it differs from the Grenada bruesi types only in the convex occiput (frontal view) and convex petiolar dorsal border (rear view) of the minor. Thus the status of bruesi as a Grenadan or even West Indian endemic is in doubt. Measurements (mm) Lectotype major: HW 0.98, HL 1.00, SL 0.72, EL 0.20, PW 0.46. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.52, HL 0.60, SL 0.66, EL 0.12, PW 0.34. color Major and minor: yellow.

Range Known only from Grenada and, probably, Amazonian Brazil (see Diagnosis).

Biology At La Sagesse Bay, Stefan Cover and I found P. bruesi abundant in dry, semi-deciduous scrub woodland, nesting in soil covered by thin leaf litter. At Fort Jeudy, a nest was found in dry deciduous forest, in a small rotting stump with galleries extending downward into the soil. In a nutmeg grove at Concord Falls, we found nests common in the soil. A nest excavated at Sagesse Bay contained a single queen. Majors and minors were readily attracted to baits, following odor trails laid by individually foraging scout workers. A male was collected in a nest on Grenada by C. T. Brues in September.

Figure Upper: lectotype, major. Lower: paralectotype, minor. GRENADA, WEST INDIES: Grand Etang (Charles T. Brues). Scale bars = 1 mm.