Pheidole rectispina

Occurs on the floor of primary rainforest. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
From Wilson (2003): Atlantic slope of Costa Rica from lowlands to montane forest (Longino 1997) and Belize (Hummingbird Gap, near Stann, col. S. Peck).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico.

Worker
Minor

Nomenclature

 *  rectispina. Pheidole rectispina Wilson, 2003: 495, figs. (s.w.) COSTA RICA.

Description
DIAGNOSIS Similar in various traits to Pheidole bilimeki, Pheidole floridana, Pheidole hazenae, Pheidole rectiluma, Pheidole rectisentis, Pheidole rectitrudis, Pheidole sospes and Pheidole stomachosa, differing as follows.

Major: propodeal spine half as long as propodeal basal face and perpendicular to it; humeri low and subangulate; mesonotal convexity present; postpetiole from above elliptical, with angulate lateral margins; all of dorsal surface of head except occipital lobes, frontal triangle, and midclypeus carinulate; all of mesosoma and most of head and waist foveolate and opaque; anterior fringe of first gastral tergite shagreened.

Minor: propodeal spine half as long as the propodeal face and vertical on it; postpetiolar node somewhat depressed; occiput broad, its margin concave; all of head and mesosoma foveolate and opaque, no rugoreticulum and almost no carinulae.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.00, HL 1.14, SL 0.56, EL 0.14, PW 0.50. Paratype minor: HW 0.44, HL 0.50, SL 0.46, EL 0.08, PW 0.30.

COLOR Major: dark, even blackish brown.

Minor: body medium brown, appendages yellowish brown.



'''Figure. Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Material
COSTA RICA: La Selva Biological Station, near Puerto Viejo, Heredia, col. E. O. Wilson.

Etymology
L rectispina, upright spine.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
 * Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
 * Longino J. T. L., and M. G. Branstetter. 2018. The truncated bell: an enigmatic but pervasive elevational diversity pattern in Middle American ants. Ecography 41: 1-12.
 * Longino J. T., J. Coddington, and R. K. Colwell. 2002. The ant fauna of a tropical rain forest: estimating species richness three different ways. Ecology 83: 689-702.
 * Longino J. T., and R. K. Colwell. 2011. Density compensation, species composition, and richness of ants on a neotropical elevational gradient. Ecosphere 2(3): 16pp.
 * Longino J. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/