Pheidole monstrosa ^HNS new species

types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology NL monstrosa ^HNS, strange.

diagnosis A member of the distorta ^HNS group, closest to distorta ^HNS, reclusi ^HNS, and scapulata ^HNS, differing in the following combination of traits.

Major: dorsal half of head in side view moderately concave; occiput, frontal lobes, frontal triangle, and clypeus longitudinally carinulate, rest of dorsal head surface rugoreticulate; dorsa of promesonotum, petiolar node, and postpetiolar node rugoreticulate; anterior fourth of first gastral tergite striate; promesonotum in profile raised and strongly convex, descending to the metanotum through a nearly vertical face.

Minor: almost all of head and all of promesonotal dorsum conspicuously carinulate. measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.42, HL 1.84, SL 0.68, EL 0.20, PW 0.84. Paratype minor: HW 0.64, HL 0.64, SL 0.56, EL 0.12, PW 0.42.

color Major: head and mesosoma light to medium reddish brown, waist and gaster dark brown, appendages medium brown. Minor: body and head dark brown except anterior fifth of gena, which is yellowish brown; appendages medium to dark brown.

Range Known only from the type locality.

Biology Unknown.

Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. BRAZIL: Cuiaba, Mato Grosso (James C. Trager). Scale bars = 1 mm.