Pheidole christopherseni

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 400

Pheidole christopherseni Forel

Pheidole christopherseni Forel 1912g: 229.

Types Mus. Hist. Nat. Geneve.

Etymology Eponymous.

Diagnosis One of the most distinctive of all Pheidole species, marked by extremely small size, greatly elongated head of the major, and almost complete lack of carinulae anywhere on the bodies of major and minor, even around the antennal fossae and on the metapleural gland bulla. In some series at least, majors have faint longitudinal carinulae on the frontal lobes, and both castes have a few such traces on sides of the head anterior to the eyes.

Measurements (mm) Syntype major: HW 0.34, HL 0.40, SL 0.34, EL 0.06, PW 0.24. Minor not measured.

Color Major: concolorous medium yellow. Minor: concolorous pale yellow.

range In addition to the type locality (Panama), Longino (1997) has recorded christopherseni from the Atlantic lowlands of Costa Rica and the Tayrona National Park of Colombia.

Biology In Costa Rica, christopherseni has been found in rainforest to 600 m, and in Colombia once in seasonal dry forest. This bizarre little species is strictly arboreal so far as is known. The type colony was nesting in a "very thin hollow stem" (Forel). Longino (1997) reports colonies from Costa Rica in the live, hollow stems of Bauhinia vines (a legume), as well as in a bignoniaceous liana, a small tree, and Cecropia saplings.

Figure Upper: syntype, major. Lower: syntype, minor. PANAMA. Scale bars = 1 mm.