Pheidole caracalla, Wilson, E. O., 2003

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 388

Pheidole caracalla new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology L caracalla , great coat with hood, referring to the dense, long pilosity.

diagnosis Similar in various traits to breviscapa , bruchella , micon , nana , subreticulata , and tennantae , differing as follows.

Major: reddish brown; pilosity thick and long, especially on mesosoma, waist, and gaster, where many hairs are 1.5X Eye Length or longer; pronotum weakly bilobate in dorsal-oblique view; propodeal spines robust and moderately long; petiolar node in side view thick, its apex broad and rounded; postpetiole from above bell-shaped; a narrow band of rugoreticulum extends from eye to antennal fossa on each side; most of head carinulate, except for occiput, frontal triangle, and midclypeus; sides of propodeum carinulate.

Minor: reddish yellow; pilosity dense and long; pronotum in dorsal-oblique view subangulate; petiolar node in side view thick, with broadly rounded apex; occiput slightly narrowed, with straight posterior margin.

Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.90, HL 0.90, SL 0.44, EL 0.12, PW 0.46.

Paratype minor: HW 0.52, HL 0.54, SL 0.46, EL 0.08, PW 0.32.

Color Major: light reddish brown except for gaster, which is dark brown.

Minor: medium reddish yellow except for gaster, which is dark brown.

range Known only from the type locality and from Yasuni National Park, Puerto Tipugini, Ecuador (S. O'Donnell).

biology Winged queens were found in March at the type locality and in April in Yasuni National Park (S. O'Donnell).

figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. PERU: Tingo Maria, Huanaco (W. L. Brown and W. Sherbrooke). Scale bars = 1 mm.