Pheidole cavifrons

The type colony of synonymous arciruga was collected from a termite mound in Rio Grande do Sul. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Recorded from Buenos Aires, Argentina; Uruguay; and Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná, Brazil. (Wilson 2003)

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

Worker
Minor

Nomenclature

 *  cavifrons. Pheidole cavifrons Emery, 1906c: 144, fig. 21 (s.w.) URUGUAY. Combination in P. (Elasmopheidole): Emery, 1915i: 190. Senior synonym of fuscipunctis: Gallardo, 1932c: 182; of arciruga: Wilson, 2003: 132.
 * arciruga. Pheidole arciruga Forel, 1908c: 381 (w.) BRAZIL. Combination in P. (Elasmopheidole): Bruch, 1914: 219. Junior synonym of cavifrons: Wilson, 2003: 132.
 * fuscipunctis. Pheidole (Elasmopheidole) cavifrons var. fuscipunctis Santschi, 1916e: 374, fig. (s.w.q.) ARGENTINA. Junior synonym of cavifrons: Gallardo, 1932c: 182.

Description
From Wilson (2003): Closest to Pheidole longior, somewhat less similar to Pheidole aberrans and Pheidole obnixa, distinguished as follows.

Major: head markedly elongate (Head Length/Head Width 1.39); concolorous yellow; hypostoma toothless; dorsal posterior half of head flat; frontal lobes in full-face view with lobose anterior margins; carinulae originating on frontal lobes end far short of midpoint between eyes and occiput; mesonotal convexity in side view reduced; propodeal spines strongly developed; promesonotum smooth and shiny.

Minor: pronotal dorsum covered by semicircular carinulae.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Lectotype major: HW 0.76, HL 1.06, SL 0.34, EL 0.06, PW 0.54. Minor: HW 0.46, HL 0.52, SL 0.34, EL 0.04, PW 0.32.

COLOR Major: concolorous medium yellow. Minor: concolorous pale yellow.



'''Figure. Upper: lectotype, major (La Sierra, Uruguay). Lower: minor (arcirug syntype, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, compared with cavifrons paralectotype). Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Material
La Sierra, Uruguay. - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Etymology
L cavifrons, hollow front, evidently referring to the deep antennal scrobes. (Wilson 2003)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
 * Gallardo A. 1915. Observaciones sobre algunas hormigas de la República Argentina. Anales del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Buenos Aires 27: 1-35.
 * Kempf W. W. 1978. A preliminary zoogeographical analysis of a regional ant fauna in Latin America. 114. Studia Entomologica 20: 43-62.
 * Kusnezov N. 1952. El género Pheidole en la Argentina (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Acta Zoologica Lilloana 12: 5-88.
 * Osorio Rosado J. L, M. G. de Goncalves, W. Drose, E. J. Ely e Silva, R. F. Kruger, and A. Enimar Loeck. 2013. Effect of climatic variables and vine crops on the epigeic ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Campanha region, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. J Insect Conserv 17: 1113-1123.
 * Rosado J. L. O., M. G. de Gonçalves, W. Dröse, E. J. E. e Silva, R. F. Krüger, R. M. Feitosa, and A. E. Loeck. 2012. Epigeic ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in vineyards and grassland areas in the Campanha region, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Check List, Journal of species lists and distribution 8(6): 1184-1189.
 * Zolessi L. C. de, Y. P. Abenante, and M. E. de Philippi. 1988. Lista sistematica de las especies de Formicidos del Uruguay. Comun. Zool. Mus. Hist. Nat. Montev. 11: 1-9.
 * Zolessi L. C. de; Y. P. de Abenante, and M. E. Philippi. 1989. Catálogo sistemático de las especies de Formícidos del Uruguay (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Montevideo: ORCYT Unesco, 40 + ix pp.
 * de Zolessi, L.C., Y.P. de Abenante and M.E. Philippi. 1987. Lista sistemática de las especies de formícidos del Uruguay. Comunicaciones Zoologicas del Museo de Historia Natural de Montevideo 11(165):1-9