Pheidole tobini

The type colony was found in terra firme rainforest, nesting in an epiphyte mass on a large fallen tree. A second colony was discovered at the same locality and habitat, nesting beneath the bark of a fallen log at the edge of a tree gap. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Only known from the type locality.

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

Nomenclature

 *  tobini. Pheidole tobini Wilson, 2003: 356, figs. (s.w.) PERU.

Description
A member of the fallax group, similar to Pheidole fallax, Pheidole jelskii, Pheidole obscurithorax, Pheidole puttemansi, Pheidole roushae and Pheidole valens, and distinguished as follows.

Major: dark brown; head narrowed toward occiput in side view, and subrectangular in full-face view; occipital cleft deep; posterior fourth of head, including occiput, and frontal lobes longitudinally carinulate, contrasting with the mostly rugoreticulate anterior threefourths of the head; humerus in dorsal-oblique view subangulate; petiolar peduncle thin, and node in side view tapering almost to a point at the apex; anterior half of the first gastral tergite shagreened and opaque.

Minor: occiput constricted to a neck with a broad nuchal collar; petiolar peduncle slender.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.68, HL 1.80, SL 1.00, EL 0.22, PW 0.80. Paratype minor: HW 0.56, HL 0.82, SL 1.12, EL 0.14, PW 0.44.

COLOR Major: head dark reddish brown, body dark and in some places blackish brown.

Minor: head, mesosoma, and petiolar peduncle medium brown; gaster and rest of waist light brown; appendages light brown.



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

Type Material
PERU: Cuzco Amazónico, 15 km northeast of Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, col. Stefan Cover and John E. Tobin.

Etymology
Named after John E. Tobin, one of the collectors, and a student of the Amazon arboreal ant fauna.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Mertl A. L., J. F. A. Traniello, K. Ryder Wilkie, and R. Constantino. 2012. Associations of two ecologically significant social insect taxa in the litter of an amazonian rainforest: is there a relationship between ant and termite species richness? Psyche doi:10.1155/2012/312054