Pheidole pugnax

According to Longino (1997), pugnax is one of the most common ants of the Pacific lowlands of Costa Rica, where it thrives in disturbed habitats, second-growth forest vegetation, and open terrain generally. Nests are usually excavated in the soil, and, in one instance observed, beneath the loose bark of an understory tree. Workers forage over the ground and onto low vegetation. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
I have confirmed series from El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama. J. T. Longino (1997) reports it from Honduras and the Pacific lowlands and slopes of Costa Rica to 1500 m. (Wilson 2003)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama.

Nomenclature

 * militaris. Pheidole radowszkowskii r. militaris Emery, 1890b: 49 (s.w.) COSTA RICA. [Junior primary homonym of militaris Smith, F. 1860a: 74, above.] Replacement name: pugnax Dalla Torre, 1892: 91.
 *  pugnax. Pheidole radoszkowskii subsp. pugnax Dalla Torre, 1892: 91. Replacement name for militaris Emery, 1890b: 49. [Junior primary homonym of militaris Smith, F. 1860a: 74.] Raised to species: Wilson, 2003: 219.

Description
From Wilson (2003): A member of the diligens group very similar to the more widespread Pheidole radoszkowskii, as well as Pheidole diligens, and distinguished as follows.

Major: promesonotal dorsum hairy; space between eye and antennal fossa rugoreticulate; carinulae of frontal lobes extend posteriorly beyond eye level only about a single Eye Length; all of dorsal surface of head except frontal triangle and all of mesosoma and waist foveolate and opaque; three-fourths to all of central strip of first gastral tergite and the posterior central strip of second shagreened; pronotum in dorsal-oblique view subangulate, not bilobous.

Minor: all of head and body foveolate and opaque; all of central strip of first gastral tergite and posterior central strip of second gastral tergite shagreened.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Syntype major: HW 1.42 HL 1.42, SL 0.84, EL 0.20, PW 0.66. Minor (Quetzaltepeque, El Salvador): HW 0.54, HL 0.60, SL 0.76, EL 0.12, PW 0.34.

COLOR Major and minor: varies among series from dark yellow to medium reddish brown.



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

Type Material
and - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
EL SALVADOR: 2–4 km south of Quetzaltepeque, col. William L. Brown, compared with syntypes. (Wilson 2003)

Etymology
L pugnax, combative. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Dalla Torre, K. W. von. 1892. Hymenopterologische Notizen. Wien. Entomol. Ztg. 11: 89–93.

Text and images from this publication used by permission of the author.