Pheidole ruida, Wilson, E. O., 2003

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 499

Pheidole ruida new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

etymology L ruida , rough, referring to the heavy sculpturing of the head.

Diagnosis A small species, with medium to dark brown major and minor; major with completely sculptured cephalic dorsum, including rugoreticulate occiput, smoothly semicircular promesonotal profde, and relatively long propodeal spine. Similar to ceibana of Honduras but differing in many details of sculpture, including the completely foveolate head dorsum and promesonotum of the minor, and longer propodeal spine.

See also the somewhat less similar harrisonfordi , lemnisca , peltastes , sospes , verricula , and xyston .

measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.74, HL 0.78, SL 0.36, EL 0.10, PW 0.38.

Paratype minor: HW 0.38, HL 0.42, SL 0.34, EL 0.06, PW 0.26.

color Major: body medium to dark brown, appendages brownish yellow.

Minor: body medium brown, appendages brownish yellow.

Range Costa Rica and Panama.

Biology On Panama, in lowland tropical evergreen forest of Barro Colorado Island (W. L. Brown and E. L. McCluskey). In Costa Rica, both Atlantic and Pacific slopes up to 1600 m, in mature wet forest, including cloud forest at higher elevations, where it occurs in leaf litter on the forest floor and can be drawn to baits (J. T. Longino 1997).

figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. PANAMA: Barro Colorado Island (W. L. Brown and E. S. McCluskey). Scale bars = 1 mm.