Pheidole gagates, Wilson, E. O., 2003

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA, USA: Harvard University Press : 192

Pheidole gagates new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

etymology Gr gagates , jet (black), referring to the color of the workers.

Diagnosis Distinguished within the diligens group by the following set of traits.

Major: body concolorous blackish brown; pilosity extremely sparse, and completely absent from the mesosoma and waist; mesosomal convexity low, especially in dorsal-oblique view; postpetiolar node bell-shaped; patches of rugoreticulum present just mesad to the eyes; carinulae limited to lateral margins of the frontal lobes and sides of head anterior to the posterior margins of the eyes. Minor: body concolorous blackish brown; occiput narrow, with nuchal collar; sculpturing very sparse, limited to circular carinae around the antennal fossae and patches of foveolation as illustrated.

See also anima , diligens , mooreorum , nubila , piceonigra , radoszkowskii , stigma , triconstricta , venatrix , and zelata . Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.92, HL 0.96, SL 0.62, EL 0.16, PW 0.50. Paratype minor: HW 0.46, HL 0.56, SL 0.68, EL 0.12, PW 0.32. Color See description above in Diagnosis.

range Known from the type locality and from Yasuni National Park, Puerto Tipugini, Ecuador.

Biology At Cuzco Amazonico, Peru, Cover and Tobin found colonies nesting in small rotten tree branches lying in leaf litter on the floor of rainforest.

Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. PERU: Cuzco Amazonico, 15 km northeast of Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios (Stefan Cover and John E. Tobin). Scale bars = 1 mm.