Pheidole platyscapa

This species occurs in lower montane wet forest and in open, agricultural areas. Minor and major workers recruit to ground baits, and workers occur in Winkler samples of sifted litter and rotten wood. A nest was observed in soil of a stream bank, in a coffee plantation. While night collecting in a small dry stream channel in a coffee farm, a few minor workers were foraging on the bank. Baiting recruited more minor workers from a nest entrance that was an unadorned crack in a vertical bank. Excavation revealed nest chambers 5-10 cm deep, with abundant minors and majors and some brood. The nest continued deeper but was not excavated further.

Identification
Minor: face smooth and shining; head rounded behind; occipital carina thin; promesonotal groove present; pronotum and dorsal mesonotum smooth and shining, rest of mesosoma foveolate; propodeal spines upturned, one quarter to one third length of posterior face of propodeum; gaster smooth and shining; abundant, flexuous, erect setae on mesosomal dorsum, tibiae, and gastral dorsum; color red brown.

Major: inner hypostomal teeth acicular, widely spaced; scape base thickened, somewhat flattened, curved, as wide at basal curve as at apex; face mostly smooth and shining, overlain with reticulate rugae anteriorly; propodeal spines about one fourth length of posterior face of propodeum; gastral dorsum smooth and shiny; abundant erect setae on face, sides of head, mesosomal dorsum, tibiae, and gastral dorsum.

Measurements, minor worker: HW 0.61, HL 0.73, SL 0.95, EL 0.16, WL 0.93, PSL 0.06, PTW 0.11, PPW 0.17, CI 84, SI 156, PSLI 9, PPI 151 (n=5).

Measurements, major worker: HW 1.17, HL 1.19, SL 0.98, EL 0.20, WL 1.18, PSL 0.08, PTW 0.20, PPW 0.29, CI 98, SI 84, PSLI 7, PPI 144 (n=4).

This species is very similar to Pheidole guerrerana, with which it is broadly sympatric. Pheidole platyscapa has the scape base of the major relatively broader and flatter, and the pilosity is shorter in both castes. DNA sequence data clearly separate the two species.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Nicaragua.

Nomenclature

 *  platyscapa. Pheidole platyscapa Longino, 2019: 53, fig. 43 (w.) NICARAGUA.

Type Material

 * HOLOTYPE: 1 major worker, Nicaragua, Madriz: 8km S Somoto, 13.40463 -86.58306 ±20 m, 1390 m, 22-Apr-2011, coffee farm, nest in stream bank (J.Longino, JTL7389) [MCZC, unique specimen identifier CASENT0619339].
 * PARATYPES: major, minor workers: same data as holotype [CAS, DZUP, JTLC, MCZC, USNM].

Etymology
In reference to the flattened scape.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Longino J. T. 2019. Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Middle American wet forest. Zootaxa 4599: 1-126