Pheidole furtiva

The type colony was found nesting in soil beneath a pat of dried cow dung in a grassy, grazed meadow with scattered juniper (Stefan Cover). Other colonies were found by Cover beneath a rock in a grassy juniper flat, in a cryptic soil nest on a rocky hillside covered by acacia-opuntia scrub, and under a rock in an overgrazed, grassy creek valley. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Known only from several Arizona collections made by Stefan Cover in the Chiricahua Mts., 1550–1650 m; Pajarito Mts., Santa Cruz Co., 1110 m; and Patagonia Mts., 1420 m. (Wilson 2003)

This taxon was described from the United States.

Nomenclature

 *  furtiva. Pheidole furtiva Wilson, 2003: 425, figs. (s.w.) U.S.A.

Description
Similar in various traits to Pheidole chalca, Pheidole floridana, Pheidole daphne, Pheidole nebulosa, Pheidole quercicola, Pheidole specularis, Pheidole stomachosa and Pheidole tysoni, but easily distinguished as follows.

Major: dark yellow; head elongate, subrectangular; eyes very small; from above, humeri angulate and overhanging rest of pronotum, and in dorsal-oblique view are bilobate; mesonotal convexity in dorsal-oblique view angulate; propodeal spiracles large; propodeal spines robust, directed backward; angular subpostpetiolar process present in side view; postpetiole from above broad and spinose; small patch of rugoreticulum present behind each antennal fossa.

Minor: head mostly carinulate and foveolate, with a rugoreticulum behind each eye; anterior and lateral margins of pronotal dorsum rugulose and rugoreticulate, and all of mesosoma foveolate.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.90, HL 1.08, SL 0.56, EL 0.06, PW 0.46. Paratype minor: HW 0.54, HL 0.60, SL 0.52, EL 0.04, PW 0.32.

COLOR Major: body dark yellow, appendages medium yellow.

Minor: concolorous medium yellow.



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

Type Locality Information
ARIZONA: 6.9 km west-northwest of junction FSR42 and FSR42B, Cochise Co., 1650 m, col. Stefan Cover.

Etymology
L furtiva, hidden, concealed, alluding to the nest site.

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