Pheidole fallax Mayr

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 290

Pheidole fallax Mayr

Pheidole fallax Mayr 1870b: 984. Syn.: Pheidole fallax r. columbica Forel 1886b: xliv, n. syn.; Pheidole jelskii var. fallacior Forel 1901j: 356, n. syn.; Pheidole fallax var. britoi Forel 1912g: 221, n. syn.; Pheidole fallax var. ovalis Forel 1912g: 221, n. syn. Raised to species level in this monograph: infraspecific variants jelskii , obscurithorax , puttemansi .

Types Naturhist. Mus. Wien.

Etymology L fallax , deceitful, false; allusion unknown.

diagnosis A member of the fallax group, similar to gigas , jelskii , obscurithorax , puttemansi , roushae , tobini , and valens , and especially the very abundant and widespread jelskii , with which it is easily confused.

Major: posterior half of dorsal surface of head primarily carinulate, with rugoreticulum extensive mesad of the eye most of the way to the occiput; pronotum transversely carinulate; anterior fourth to third of central strip of first gastral tergite shagreened; head tapered toward occiput in side view, as shown.

P. fallax differs from P. jelskii as follows and as depicted: in major, petiolar node higher and descending to peduncle by a much more concave curve, and scapes shorter (Scape Length/Head Width 0.50-0.59 as opposed to 0.60-0.70 in jelskii major); and in minor, occiput much broader and nuchal collar thinner than in jelskii .

Measurements (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.72, HL 1.84, SL 0.90, EL 0.24, PW 0.80. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.60, HL 0.72, SL 0.92, EL 0.18, PW 0.40.

Color Major and minor: body medium reddish brown, with gaster sometimes dark reddish brown.

Range A circum-Caribbean species, which I have verified from the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico), Central America, Colombia, and Venezuela. No certain records exist from the Lesser Antilles, where the closely related jelskii abounds.

Biology Because fallax has a range enclosed by the more abundant jelskii and is so easily confused with it, natural history notes published in the past under the name of either species are generally unreliable.

Figure Upper: major (compared with lectotype); variation in hypostomal teeth shown is with specimens from Puerto Rico (4 teeth) and Cuba (3 teeth). Lower: minor (compared with paralectotype, which shares the long, thin propodeal spine depicted; the very short spine at the top is of a Panama specimen, and the medium-length spine in the middle is of a syntype of the synonymous " var. columbica "). CUBA: Soledad, Las Villas. (Type locality: Cuba.) Scale bars = 1 mm.