Pheidole traini

According to Longino (1997),, traini occurs in Costa Rica in mature wet forests. Its nesting and feeding habits are unknown. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
In addition to the type locality, this species has been reported by Longino (1997), in Costa Rica on the southern Pacific slope. (Wilson 2003)

This taxon was described from Panama.

Description
DIAGNOSIS Similar in various traits to Pheidole aper, Pheidole bambusarum, Pheidole brevicona, Pheidole dyctiota, Pheidole laeviventris, Pheidole lutzi, Pheidole risii, Pheidole rugatula, Pheidole senilis, Pheidole sigillata, Pheidole trachyderma, differing as follows.

Major: yellow to dark reddish brown; head subrectangular, with almost perfectly straight sides in full-face view; occipital cleft deep, and occipital lobes subangular; in side view frontal lobes project well forward as conspicuous lobes; all of posterior half of dorsal head surface except for occipital margin rugoreticulate; pronotal dorsum rugoreticulate; mesonotal dorsum rugulose; most of sides of mesosoma with scattered short rugulae and carinulae; pilosity very dense, and in mesosoma much of it curved to give a woolly appearance; propodeal spines long, stout, and vertical on propodeal dorsal face.

Minor: all of posterior head surface and pronotum and dorsa of mesothorax and propodeum rugoreticulate; occiput narrowed but lacking nuchal collar.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.64, HL 1.80, SL 0.66, EL 0.18, PW 0.96. Paratype minor: HW 0.70, HL 0.70, SL 0.62, EL 0.10, PW 0.50.

COLOR Major: concolorous medium reddish yellow (types) or dark reddish brown (Costa Rica: San Vito).

Minor: head and mesosoma medium reddish yellow, with waist, gaster, and appendages medium yellow (types) to dark reddish brown (Costa Rica: San Vito).



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

Type Locality Information
PANAMA: Cerro Campana, col. William L. Brown.

Etymology
Named in honor of Russell E. Train, pioneer in the modern movement of global conservation.