Pheidole tarchon, Wilson, E. O., 2003

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 517

Pheidole tarchon new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology Named after Tarchon, founder of Tarquinii and the Etruscan dodecapolis.

Diagnosis Similar to tetrica and victima , distinguished as follows.

Major: brownish yellow; head covered by carinulae, except for occiput, the frontal triangle, strip behind the frontal triangle, and midclypeus; dorsal profile of promesonotum flat, dropping steeply to metanotum through a posterior face; head quadrate, Head Width equaling Head Length, antennal scape long, its tip touching the side of the head in full-face view two-thirds from eye to occipital corner; petiolar node in side view thick, with broad, semicircular apex; postpetiole from above bell-shaped; anterior fringe of pronotal dorsum carinulate, and mesosoma otherwise completely smooth and shiny.

Minor: promesonotal profile in side view flat; body almost completely smooth and shiny; antennal scape long; occiput moderately narrowed in full-face view but lacking nuchal collar.

measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.22, HL 1.22, SL 0.82, EL 0.18, PW 0.52. Paratype minor: HW 0.68, HL 0.72, SL 0.66, EL 0.14, PW 0.40. color Major and minor: concolorous brownish yellow.

Range Known only from the type locality.

Biology The type colony was collected in alder woods in a ravine; a winged queen was in the nest on 30 January.

Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. ARGENTINA: 3 km northeast of Tafi del Valle, Tucuman, about 2200 m (W. L. Brown). Scale bars = 1 mm.