Pheidole simplex

At Cuzco Amazónico, near Puerto Maldonado, Peru, Stefan Cover and John E. Tobin found a colony in terra firme forest, nesting in a rotten log. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Poorly known; records are from Amazonian Brazil and Peru. (Wilson 2003)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Brazil, Peru.

Nomenclature

 *  simplex. Pheidole biconstricta subsp. simplex Wheeler, W.M. 1925a: 21 (s.) PERU. Raised to species: Wilson, 2003: 148.

Description
From Wilson (2003): Distinguished from other members of the biconstricta group by the dense, long, suberect to erect pilosity and reduced propodeal spines in both the major and minor castes. Also, only the anterior half of the first gastral tergite is shagreened and opaque.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.42, HL 1.36, SL 0.92, EL 0.16, PW 0.68. Paralectotype minor (Aleixo, Brazil): HW 0.64, HL 0.74, SL 0.90, EL 0.14, PW 0.44.

COLOR Major and minor: yellowish red, with gaster of minor a slightly contrasting brownish yellow.



'''Figure. lectotype, major (PERU: “Llinquipata”). Lower: minor (BRAZIL: Aleixo, near Manaus), compared with paralectotype from type locality. Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Material
PERU: “Llinquipata”. and - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Etymology
L simplex, simple, anatomical reference unknown. (Wilson 2003)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Escalante Gutiérrez J. A. 1993. Especies de hormigas conocidas del Perú (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Revista Peruana de Entomología 34:1-13.
 * Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
 * Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
 * Wheeler W. M. 1925. Neotropical ants in the collections of the Royal Museum of Stockholm. Arkiv för Zoologi 17A(8): 1-55.