Pheidole arhuaca

Forel found the type colony under a dried pat of cow dung. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Known only from the types of arhuaca sens. str. (Colombia) and of its variety bimons (Ceará, Brazil). (Wilson 2003)

This taxon was described from Colombia.

Nomenclature

 *  arhuaca. Pheidole arhuaca Forel, 1901e: 364 (s.w.q.) COLOMBIA. Senior synonym of bimons: Wilson, 2003: 373.
 * bimons. Pheidole arhuaca r. bimons Forel, 1912f: 234 (s.w.) BRAZIL. Junior synonym of arhuaca: Wilson, 2003: 373.

Description
From Wilson (2003): A medium-sized, yellow species with conulate humerus in both major and minor, when seen in dorsal-oblique view. Close to Pheidole caulicola of Costa Rica but with less prominent humeri, longer antennal scapes, and broader, more angulate postpetiolar node in both castes, as well as completely foveolate central pronotal dorsum in the major.

Also similar but less so to Pheidole chalca, Pheidole chalcoides, Pheidole mincana, Pheidole schmalzi and Pheidole tragica.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Syntype major (Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard): HW 0.80, HL 0.86, SL 0.40, EL 0.10, PW 0.44. Syntype minor (Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard): HW 0.46, HL 0.50, SL 0.44, EL 0.06, PW 0.30.

COLOR Major and minor: concolorous yellow.



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

Type Material
and  - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
COLOMBIA: San Antonio, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, col. Auguste Forel.

Etymology
Referring to the type locality, San Antonio, an “arhuaque” (Arawak) village. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Forel, A. 1901. Variétés myrmécologiques. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 45: 334–382.

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