Pheidole peruviana ^HNS new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology Named after the country of origin of the type colony.

diagnosis Similar in various traits to amata ^HNS, ambigua ^HNS, celaena ^HNS, fera ^HNS, germaini ^HNS, rutilana ^HNS, schwarzmaieri ^HNS, superba ^HNS, and vomer ^HNS, differing as follows.

Major: reddish yellow; head in side view with strongly convex venter and weakly convex dorsum, tapering strongly toward occiput, and in full-face view subrectangular, somewhat elongate, with straight sides; small patch of rugoreticulum present just posterior to antennal fossa on each side; remainder of anterior half of head dorsum mostly carinulate, and posterior half smooth and shiny; humeri in dorsal-oblique view raised as prominent lobes; anterior third of pronotal dorsum carinulate and remainder of promesonotal dorsum smooth, as well as lower half of mesopleuron; postpetiole from above diamond-shaped.

Minor: occiput strongly narrowed, with nuchal collar; all of head posterior to eyes smooth; all of mesosoma foveolate; propodeal spines small and vertical on the propodeal basal face.

Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.80, HL 2.10, SL 0.86, EL 0.22, PW 0.88.

Paratype minor: HW 0.60, HL 0.72, SL 0.86, EL 0.12, PW 0.42.

Color Major: concolorous reddish yellow.

Minor: concolorous plain medium yellow.

range Known only from the type locality.

Biology Unknown.

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