Pheidole texana Wheeler

Wilson, E. O., 2003, Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus., Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press : 353

Pheidole texana Wheeler

Pheidole texana Wheeler 1903c: 97.

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

Etymology Named after state of origin of type colony.

Diagnosis A member of the fallax group, distinguished by the following combination of traits.

Major: posterior third of dorsal surface of the head rugoreticulate; scape slightly expanded at the base; promesonotal dorsum transversely carinulate; postpetiolar node from above very wide, and elliptical; small subpostpetiolar process present.

Minor: occiput rugoreticulate; promesonotal dorsum transversely carinulate; postpetiole from above very broad, and bell-shaped; mesosoma, waist, and all head except frontal triangle and middle of clypeus foveolate and opaque.

Measurements (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.40, HL 1.54, SL 0.86, EL 0.26, PW 0.74.

Paralectotype minor: HW 0.68, HL 0.78, SL 0.84, EL 0.16, PW 0.48.

Color Major and minor: concolorous light reddish brown.

Range Known from the type locality, as well as Sutton and Uvalde Counties in western Texas.

biology P. texana is evidently a rare species. Wheeler (1903c) discovered only four colonies over many years' collecting, and all in Travis County, Texas; all were in grassland, nesting in open soil, with the entrances surmounted by small mounds about 10 cm in diameter. During their intensive collecting in western Texas, Moody and Francke (1982) found only two colonies, nesting in open, fully exposed clayey loam.

Figure Upper: lectotype, major. Lower: paralectotype, minor. TEXAS: Austin, Travis Co. (W. M. Wheeler). Scale bars = 1 mm.