Pheidole petersoni, Wilson, E. O., 2003

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 486

Pheidole petersoni new species

types INBio.

etymology Named in honor of the great naturalist and artist Roger Tory Peterson, whose field-guide style inspired the form of the drawings used in this monograph.

diagnosis A very distinctive large member of the flavens group distinguished by its unique sculpturing.

Major: brown; mesopleuron and side of propodeum irregularly rugoreticulate; center and sides of pronotum smooth and shiny or at most with scattered punctures; humerus in dorsal-oblique view raised prominently.

Minor: yellow; mesopleuron and side of propodeum irregularly rugoreticulate; center and sides of pronotum smooth and shiny or at most with scattered punctures; humerus in dorsal-oblique view a pointed, "sharkfin" shape; occiput narrow surmounted by a thin collar. Similar in body form to erratilis of Costa Rica, which species lacks the rugoreticulum, has longer pilosity, and more extensive cephalic carinulae. See also the less similar angulifera , ecuadorana, polita (in the tristis group), schmalzi , and styrax . measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.08, HL 1.14, SL 0.64, EL 0.18, PW 0.58. Paratype minor: HW 0.60, HL 0.66, SL 0.66, EL 0.14, PW 0.40.

Color Major: medium to dark and slightly reddish brown, tarsi light yellowish brown. Minor: medium brown, tarsi brownish yellow.

range Known only from the type locality.

Biology New second-growth forest, on bananas and Piper; a colony was found nesting in a dead Piper stem (Longino 1997).

figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. COSTA RICA: Rio Penas, Blancas Valley, Alajuela, lO^CN 84075W, 940 m (J. T. Longino). Scale bars = 1 mm.