Pheidole bellatrix, Wilson, E. O., 2003

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 663

Pheidole bellatrix new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology L bellatrix , female warrior.

diagnosis An unusually large member of the tristis group, similar to napoensis of Ecuador and more distantly so to pepo , rotundiceps , sphaerica , and subsphaerica , which are species variously from Colombia and Ecuador, and distinguished by the following set of traits.

Major: promesonotum in side view forms a very large hump towering over the propodeum; from above the humeri are very broad, completely covering the rest of the pronotum below; from above the anterior margin of the postpetiolar node forms a perfect semicircle, with the posterior border a straight line forming its base; antennal scrobes absent; entire body covered by dense pilosity. measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 2.00, HL 2.06, SL 0.92, EL 0.22, PW 1.30. Paratype minor: HW 0.78, HL 0.82, SL 0.76, EL 0.14, PW 0.48. Color Major: body light reddish brown, appendages brownish yellow. Minor: concolorous light brownish yellow.

Range In addition to the type locality in Huila, bellatrix has been collected in Cundinamarca (1100 m), Magdalena (elevation unknown), and Meta (1000 m).

Biology Winged queens were collected from the type nest sometime during 9-13 January.

Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype minor. COLOMBIA: Finca Merenberg, 12 km west of Belen, Huila, 2200 m (C. Kugler and J. Hahn). Scale bars = 1 mm.