Pheidole dinophila, Wilson, E. O., 2003

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 408

Pheidole dinophila new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard; Mus. Zool. Univ. Sao Paulo.

Etymology Gr dinophila , lover (friend) of the terrible, referring to communal life with the giant ant Dinoponera .

Diagnosis Similar in various traits to the species listed in the heading above, differing as follows.

Major: central portion of the lateral strip of mesopleuron covered by broken rugulae; remainder of mesopleuron and entire posterior half of head entirely smooth and shiny; pronotum with small convexity visible above its dorsal profde in side view; mesonotal convexity present; pilosity of head dense, short, and of nearly uniform length, in comparison with pilosity on remainder of body; propodeal spines vary from reduced and denticulate to equilaterally triangular; postpetiole from above elliptical. Minor: mesosomal pilosity very sparse, with hairs on the pronotal dorsum spatulate; eyes large; occiput narrowed, with a thin nuchal collar; humerus in dorsal-oblique view denticulate; a strip across middle of mesopleuron foveolate, and remainder of mesosoma smooth and shiny.

Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.00, HL 1.04, SL 0.64, EL 0.16, PW 0.50. Paratype minor: HW 0.60, HL 0.64, SL 0.58, EL 0.10, PW 0.38.

color Major: body dark reddish brown; appendages medium reddish brown except for light reddish brown antennae and tarsi. Minor: body medium reddish brown, appendages light reddish brown.

Range P. dinophila has been collected in the type locality (Mato Grosso do Sul) and far to the east, at Itirapina, near Rio Claro, Sao Paulo. Another series from Niquelandia, Goias, has been tentatively placed in dinophila , but differs from the types by the more extensive sculpture and longer propodeal spines of the major and by the absence of spatulate hairs in the minor; and thus may prove to be a distinct species.

biology All of the series at Itirapina and the one at Campo Grande were collected in nests of the giant ponerine ant Dinoponera australis by Ricardo V. S. Paiva and C. Roberto F. Brandao (Paiva, personal communication).

Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. BRAZIL: 10 km east of Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul (Carlos Roberto F. Brandao). Scale bars = 1 mm.