Pheidole orbica

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 480

Pheidole orbica Forel

Pheidole orbica Forel 1893j: 415.

TYPES Mus. Hist. Nat. Geneve.

Etymology L orbica , circular, possibly referring to the semicircular profile of the promesonotum.

diagnosis A member of the " flavens complex" within the larger flavens group, consisting of asperithorax , breviscapa , exigua , flavens , nuculiceps , orbica , and sculptior , as well as the less similar nitidicollis and species placed close to it (see under nitidicollis ), differing by the following combination of traits.

Major: occiput and entire body behind the head smooth and shiny; shallow antennal scrobes present, their surfaces partly carinulate and foveate and subopaque; a small patch of rugoreticulum present just laterad to the circular carinulae of the antennal fossae; longitudinal carinulae originating on the frontal lobes reach almost to the occiput, and those just mesad to the eye reach to halfway between the eye and occipital corner; promesonotum in side view forms a near-perfect semicircle; apex of petiolar node in side view acute.

Minor: except for sparse circular carinulae around the antennal fossae, head and body entirely smooth and shiny. Measurements (mm) Lectotype major: HW 0.82, HL 0.88, SL 0.42, EL 0.10, PW 0.38. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.40, HL 0.40, SL 0.36, EL 0.06, PW 0.24. Color Major: body variably brownish yellow to light reddish brown. Minor: body yellowish brown, appendages clear yellow.

range Known from St. Vincent, West Indies, and from Arroyo, Puerto Rico (J. A. Torres).

biology P. orbica may be a native species on St. Vincent and is likely local in distribution; Stefan Cover and I did not encounter it during a week's collecting on the neighboring island of Grenada. H. H. Smith (in Forel 1893j) found it rare on St. Vincent, in welldeveloped forest, nesting in pieces of rotting wood on the ground, under stones in the soil, or, in one case, beneath sod on a stone. Each colony contained several hundred individuals.

figure Upper: lectotype, major. Lower: paralectotype, minor. ST. VINCENT, WEST INDIES (H. H. Smith). Scale bars = 1 mm.