Pheidole klaman

Identification
Pheidole klaman is one of the four known yellow to orange species in the pulchella group, and appears closest to Pheidole pulchella. It is easily separable from the other yellow to orange coloured species in the group as follows:

Minor worker: while P. pulchella has appressed scape pilosity, P. klaman possesses long erect setae on the scapes that are as long as or longer than the scape width. Separation from Pheidole heliosa and Pheidole christinae is based on size, with P. klaman clearly smaller (HW: 0.64–0.71) and with relatively longer scapes (SI: 182–189) than the other two species (HW: 0.73–0.83, SI: 143–174).

Major worker: the major of P. christinae is unknown. The absence of setae laterally on the head and the presence of clearly demarcated antennal scrobes separates ''P. klaman from P. heliosa''. Separation from P. pulchella is also unambiguous, P. klaman clearly being smaller (HW: 1.65–1.75 vs 2.0–2.28 for P. pulchella), with more elongated head (CI: 88–93 vs. 98–104 in P. pulchella) and longer scapes (SI: 62–63 vs. 50–56). Sculpture is another separation character, with P. klaman being uniformly punctate from mesonotum to propodeum, versus more weakly and irregularly punctate sculpture in P. pulchella. In P. klaman the posterior third of face has faint incomplete longitudinal rugulae at most, reduced to weak, superficially reticulate punctures posteriorly, while in P. pulchella the posterior third of the face is longitudinally rugose and weakly to superficially punctate, changing to obliquely and weakly rugulose towards the posterior head margin.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Ivory Coast.

Nomenclature

 * . Pheidole klaman Gómez et al., 2022: 133, figs. 1-5, 6A,B, 7A,B, table 1, 2 (s.w.) IVORY COAST.

Type Material

 * Holotype major worker: Ivory Coast: Montagnes District, Site 05 (Taï N. P.) 200m, 5.8438, –7.3484, 11/11/2019. Hand collected (Gómez, K. & Kouakou, L.). Primary forest, ex. rotten log [CASENT0764691] HNMUK.
 * Paratype workers: same series, (1 major worker) [KGCOL00585] KGAC; (1 minor worker) [CASENT0745509] FHGC; (1 minor worker) [CASENT0764692] KGAC, (1 minor worker) [KGCOL00587] AFRC; (1 minor worker) [KGCOL00588] NHMUK; (1 minor worker) [KGCOL00590] YKPC; (3 minor workers, in ethanol) [KG04152] KGAC.