Pheidole metana ^HNS new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology Named after the department of Colombia from which the type series originated.

Diagnosis Major and minor: pilosity of mesosomal dorsum short, erect, and consisting mostly of pairs (see also angusticeps ^HNS and meinerti ^HNS).

Major: dorsum of head covered to occipital margin by longitudinal carinulae, which are faint and broken in the posterior half; rest of sculpturing consists solely of foveolation, covering all of the body except the gaster, which is entirely smooth and shiny.

Minor: all of head and mesosoma foveolate and opaque; sculpturing otherwise entirely absent except for carinulae on margins of the frontal lobes; head narrowed posteriorly, but nuchal collar absent.

Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.80, HL 0.80, SL 0.60, EL 0.12, PW 0.40.

Paratype minor: HW 0.44, HL 0.52, SL 0.60, EL 0.08, PW 0.28.

Color Major and minor: concolorous medium yellow.

range Known from the type locality and from the Bogota-Villavicencio Road, Cundinamarca, 1100 m (Charles Kugler).

Biology Winged queens were found in the Bogota-Villavicencio series on 1 May.

Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. COLOMBIA: Transecto Sumapaz, Meta, 920 m (T. van der Hammen). Scale bars = 1 mm.