Pheidole peregrina Wheeler

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, pp. 163-216 : 214

Pheidole peregrina Wheeler

Pheidole peregrina Wheeler 1916p: 181. Syn: Pheidole impariceps Santschi 1923d: 47, n. syn.; Pheidole impariceps var. fusciclava Santschi 1923d: 48, n. syn.

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology L peregrina , traveling, foreign. Referring to discovery of the type colony on a floating log.

Diagnosis A small, yellow member of the diligens group whose major has posterior two-thirds of head capsule smooth and shiny, rugoreticulum present as a small patch just mesad to the eye, moderately abundant pilosity, and short equilaterally triangular propodeal spine in side view.

Similar to blumenauensis , laevifrons , mooreorum , rochai , and vafra , differing in many details of body form, sculpturing, and pilosity, as figured.

See also the somewhat less similar lemur , pubiventris , seeldrayersi , spilota , variegata , venatrix , and zelata . Measurements (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.00, HL 1.06, SL 0.74, EL 0.14, PW 0.56. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.54, HL 0.64, SL 0.76, EL 0.14, PW 0.36. color Major: concolorous dark yellow.

Minor: head light brownish yellow, rest of head and appendages clear dark yellow.

Range Known from several localities in Sao Paulo state.

biology On the type series, by Hermann von Ihering, as quoted by W. M. Wheeler (1916: 180-181): "One morning, while [Mr. Gaste, a local naturalist] was on the island of San Sebastian, he found a tree trunk that had floated to the shore during the night and was filled with a living ant-colony belonging to a species of Pheidole [ peregrina Wheeler ] unknown to me. San Sebastian is situated some kilometers off the coast of the mainland. Of course, we cannot say how long this log had been floating in the water before it reached the island." It may be that peregrina , like the anatomically similar and widespread vafra , is a specialist in marginal habitats. The types of the synonymous impariceps var. fusciclava were collected on another island in the same area, Ilha dos Alcatrazes.

figure Upper: lectotype, major. Lower: paralectotype, minor. BRAZIL: Isla Sao Sebastiao, Sao Paulo. Scale bars = 1 mm.