Pheidole paiute Gregg

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 588

Pheidole paiute Gregg

Pheidole bicarinata subsp. paiute Gregg 1959: 17. Raised to species level by G. C and J. Wheeler 1973e: 75.

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology Named after one of the Amerindian peoples of the southwestern United States.

diagnosis A member of the " bicarinata complex" of the larger pilifera group; for a characterization of the complex, see under bicarinata .

P. paiute is distinguished within the complex by the following combination of traits.

Major: propodeal spine in side view equilaterally triangular; humerus with a very low denticle in dorsal-oblique view; postpetiolar node laterally angular; sculpturing of head consists of carinulae confined entirely to the part anterior to the level of the posterior margin of the eyes.

Minor: some of the hairs on the promesonotal dorsum are very long; propodeal spines in side view equilaterally triangular. Measurements (mm) Paratype major: HW 1.04, HL 1.14, SL 0.54, EL 0.18, PW 0.46. Paratype minor: HW 0.50, HL 0.56, SL 0.48, EL 0.12, PW 0.30. color Major: concolorous dark yellow.

Minor: body brownish yellow, appendages brownish yellow to clear yellow.

Range Deserts of Nevada and southern California.

Biology In Nevada, George C. and Jeanette N. Wheeler (1986g) encountered paiute at 1040-2100 m in cottonwood groves, a triplex scrubland, pinyon-juniper woodland, and in disturbed habitats, nesting mostly under stones but also in open soil, where colonies built craters about 25 mm across. At Deep Canyon, near Palm Springs, California, the same authors found the species in larrea-palo verde scrub and desert, nesting in the soil; in one nest excavated, they found a cache of Oenothera clavaeformis seeds.

Figure Upper: paratype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. NEVADA: Goldfield, Esmeraldo Co., Mojave Desert (William S. Creighton). Scale bars = 1 mm.