Pheidole carinata

Occurs in leaf litter of cloud forest (Longino 1997).

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Only known from the type locality.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Costa Rica.

Worker
Minor

Nomenclature

 *  carinata. Pheidole carinata Wilson, 2003: 391, figs. (s.w.) COSTA RICA.

Description
A large brown member of the flavens group whose major is distinguished by its square head shape in frontal view, angulate profile of the mesonotal convexity, and rugoreticulate mesosomal dorsum. The minor is very distinctive in the completely rugoreticulate condition of the posterior half of the head, promesonotal dorsum, and mesopleuron.

Similar to Pheidole quadriceps of Colombia but differs in the major by its much shorter propodeal spine, less extensive sculpturing on the head, the rugoreticulum of the mesosoma, which is completely lacking in quadriceps, and in color, and in the minor by the mesosomal rugoreticulation, which is absent in the quadriceps minor, and also in color. See also the less similar Pheidole kuna, Pheidole obtusopilosa, Pheidole rectisentis, Pheidole scabriventris and Pheidole termitobia.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.14, HL 1.14, SL 0.62, EL 0.14, PW 0.54. Paratype minor : HW 0.54, HL 0.66, SL 60, EL 0.06, PW 0.38.

COLOR Major: head bicolorous, with head anterior to eyes yellow and remainder of head light brown (the holotype may be a callow); body light brown; tarsi and funiculi yellow; rest of legs light brown. Minor: body dark brown; tarsi and funiculi dark yellow; rest of appendages medium brown.



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

Type Material
COSTA RICA: Monteverde, Puntarenas, 10°18'N 84°48'W, 1560 m, J. T. Longino.

Etymology
L carinata, keeled or ridged, referring to the ridge-like mesonotal convexity in the major.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
 * Franco W., N. Ladino, J. H. C. Delabie, A. Dejean, J. Orivel, M. Fichaux, S. Groc, M. Leponce, and R. M. Feitosa. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674(5): 509-543.
 * Groc S., J. H. C. Delabie, F. Fernandez, M. Leponce, J. Orivel, R. Silvestre, Heraldo L. Vasconcelos, and A. Dejean. 2013. Leaf-litter ant communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a pristine Guianese rainforest: stable functional structure versus high species turnover. Myrmecological News 19: 43-51.
 * Groc S., J. Orivel, A. Dejean, J. Martin, M. Etienne, B. Corbara, and J. H. C. Delabie. 2009. Baseline study of the leaf-litter ant fauna in a French Guianese forest. Insect Conservation and Diversity 2: 183-193.
 * Longino J. T. L., and M. G. Branstetter. 2018. The truncated bell: an enigmatic but pervasive elevational diversity pattern in Middle American ants. Ecography 41: 1-12.
 * Longino J. T., and R. K. Colwell. 2011. Density compensation, species composition, and richness of ants on a neotropical elevational gradient. Ecosphere 2(3): 16pp.
 * Longino J. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/