Pheidole zeteki

A colony found on the Blanchiseusse Road in Trinidad was in montane rainforest, nesting in a very decayed log (Stefan Cover, collection notes).

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Known from single collections on Barro Colorado, Panama; Morne Bleu, Northern Range and the Blanchiseusse Road, Trinidad; Puyo, Pastaza, Ecuador; and Cuzco Amazónico, near Maldonado, Peru. (Wilson 2003)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago.

Nomenclature

 *  zeteki. Pheidole (Decapheidole) zeteki Smith, M.R. 1947h: 194 (w.) PANAMA. See also: Wilson, 2003: 554.

Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS A member of the perpusilla group (very small, with 10-segmented antennae), close to Pheidole perpusilla. Distinguished as follows.

Major: anterior half of dorsum of head mostly covered by longitudinal carinulae, and posterior half foveolate and opaque; propodeal spines long and backward-directed; dorsum of postpetiolar node and anterior half of central strip of first gastral tergite foveolate and opaque.

Minor: all of head and mesosoma foveolate and opaque.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Major (Trinidad): HW 0.66, HL 0.66, SL 0.34, EL 0.08, PW 0.34. Minor (Trinidad): HW 0.32, HL 0.36, SL 0.30, EL 0.06, PW 0.24.

COLOR Major: concolorous medium yellow.

Minor: concolorous light reddish yellow.



'''Figure. Upper: major. Lower: minor. TRINIDAD: Blanchiseusse Road, 10 km marker. Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Material
and  - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Etymology
Named after James Zetek, early biologist of the Barro Colorado field station. (Wilson 2003)