Pheidole urbana

This species nests in clay soils, always near fallen trees or logs, although colonies have also been found inside houses in urban areas (R.J. Guerrero, pers. obs.). Soldiers and workers commonly forage on the ground and easily reach for baits.

Identification
With the generalized morphological profile of Pheidole amabilis, Pheidole arhuaca and Pheidole boliviana, and with a concordant profile of the species of the informal group “flavens” including that of P. amabilis, but relatively larger than that of P. arhuaca and P boliviana.

Worker: Eight flattened and widened hairs at the apex, located on the back of the promesonotum, contrasting with the long, cylindrical hairs in P. arhuaca and the abundant hairs much longer and thinner in P. amabilis and P. boliviana. Triangular projections on the propodeum directed obliquely outward, which differ from the propodeal spines conspicuous in the workers of the three species.

Soldier: Clypeus with a deep notch in the center of the anterior margin, different from the straight anteroclypeal margin in P. amabilis, P. arhuaca and gently concave in P. boliviana. In dorsal view, face with a combination of lateral longitudinal carinules of unequal lengths forming a concave outline with respect to the set of central longitudinal carinules that extend to the middle of the cephalic length, contrasting with the carinules in P. amabilis scant and widely separated each other, barely reaching the first anterior third of the cephalic length, while the of P. arhuaca and P. boliviana are relatively thicker, distant from each other, and exceed half the head length. Heavily lobed posterior cephalic vertex, with a wide and deep concavity, relatively similar in P. boliviana, but contrasting with the slightly concave profile in P. amabilis and P. arhuaca (variable trait among these species). Propodeum armed with short triangular projections, as long as they are wide, different from the short but sharp spines both in P. amabilis (directed upwards), P. arhuaca and in P. boliviana (in the latter two directed backwards). Trapezoidal postpetiole, wider than long, with convex anterior margin, contrasting with oval postpetiole in all three species. Line of long, pointed, erect hairs scattered on the back of the posterior cephalic margin and the central area of ​​the back of the head; the rest of the cephalic capsule with lying hairs, contrasted with the long and erect hairs on the entire back and posterior margin of the head of P. amabilis (relatively different from the other species in comparison), P. arhuaca and P. boliviana. Promesonotum with few erect hairs, concentrated mainly in the pronotum, contrasting with the abundant erect and semi-erect hairs in the promesonotum of P. amabilis, P. arhuaca and P. boliviana (more abundant and long in the latter). Dorsal margin of the tibia of the hind leg with long lying hairs, never semi-erect as in P. amabilis and P. arhuaca or a combination of long erect and short semi-erect as in P. boliviana. Very dark reddish brown color relatively similar to that found in P. boliviana, but contrasting with the uniform yellow of P. amabilis and P. arhuaca.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Colombia.

Nomenclature

 *  Pheidole urbana Camargo-Vanegas & Guerrero, 2020: 17, figs. 14A-D (w.s.) COLOMBIA.