Pheidole tuculutan, Longino, 2019

Longino, John T., 2019, Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Middle American Wet Forest, Zootaxa 4599 (1), pp. 1-126 : 63

Pheidole tuculutan new species

( Plate 16 )

Pheidole JTL-201: morphospecies code previously used on AntWeb.

HOLOTYPE: 1 major worker, Guatemala, Zacapa: 7.5km NE Teculután , 15.04367 -89.67501 ± 30 m, 475 m, 28-Jun-2009, stream gully in dry scrub, at bait (J. Longino, JTL6785-s) [ MCZC, unique specimen identifier CASENT0612794] . PARATYPES: major, minor workers: same data as holotype [ CAS, DZUP, JTLC, MCZC, USNM, UVGC] .

Geographic range. Guatemala.

Diagnosis. Minor: face smooth and shiny; promesonotal groove absent; pronotal dorsum smooth and shiny, lateral pronotum smooth medially, foveolate peripherally, mesonotum weakly foveolate, dorsal face of propodeum foveolate, katepisternum foveolate; propodeal spines short, upturned, about one fifth length of posterior face of propodeum; gaster smooth and shining; mesosomal dorsum and gaster with abundant, short, stiff setae; tibiae without erect setae; color dark brown to black. Major: inner hypostomal teeth present, closely spaced; scape base terete; antennal scrobes weakly impressed, not sharply delimited; head elongate, subrectangular; face mostly smooth and shiny, space between eye and antennal fossa foveolate, overlain with rugulae; medial frons between frontal carinae faintly foveolate, overlain with fine, widely spaced longitudinal carinulae; propodeal spines about one fifth length of posterior face of propodeum; gastral dorsum smooth and shining; sides of head with erect setae; dorsal mesosoma, gaster, and tibiae with abundant flexuous erect setae; color dark brown.

Measurements, minor worker: HW 0.47, HL 0.52, SL 0.41, EL 0.09, WL 0.62, PSL 0.04, PTW 0.10, PPW 0.14, CI 90, SI 88, PSLI 8, PPI 135 (n=4).

Measurements, major worker: HW 0.79, HL 1.22, SL 0.48, EL 0.13, WL 0.88, PSL 0.06, PTW 0.17, PPW 0.23, CI 65, SI 61, PSLI 8, PPI 136 (n=4).

Biology. This species is known from one site in Guatemala. It was an area of dry scrub habitat. Minor and major workers recruited to a ground bait placed in a stream gully.

Comments. This small, black species with very elongate head of the major is distinctive, not morphologically close to other species. In Economo et al. (2019) this species (as JTL201) is on a long branch, distantly related to other species. The closest relatives in that phylogeny bear little morphological resemblance.

Etymology: From the type locality.

Figures

PLATE 16.