Pheidole diabolus

The type colony, found on a forested mountain ridge, was nesting in a 4-cm-wide, rotten tree branch on the ground. A cache of seeds was present, as well as a male (1-4 June). (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Known from Costa Rica and Columbia.

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

Worker
Minor

Nomenclature

 *  diabolus. Pheidole diabolus Wilson, 2003: 681, figs. (s.w.) COLOMBIA.

Description
DIAGNOSIS Similar in various respects to Pheidole binasifera, Pheidole gravida, Pheidole mirabilis, Pheidole moseni, Pheidole nasifera, Pheidole mosenopsis, Pheidole rhinoceros and Pheidole unicornis'', but strongly distinguished as follows.

Major: a sharp, upcurved horn grows from the center of the clypeus; humeri are very prominent, seen from above extending beyond the rest of the pronotum below, and in dorsal-oblique view forming a large equilateral triangle; propodeal spines more than half as long as the propodeal basal face; carinulae and rugulae on the frontal lobes give way posteriorly to a tight rugoreticulum, which then yields to a loose rugoreticulum, and next to foveolae, which finally are replaced by a smooth zone on the occiput.

Minor: all of head and meso soma and most of waist foveolate; humeri angulate; propodeal spines half as long as the propodeal basal face and curved backwards.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.18, HL 1.36, SL 0.54, EL 0.20, PW 0.64. Paratype minor: HW 0.52, HL 0.54, SL 0.58, EL 0.l2, PW 0.52.

COLOR Major: body and mandibles medium reddish brown; other appendages yellow.

Minor: concolorous brownish yellow.



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

Type Material
COLOMBIA: Finca Los Guaduales, 10 km southwest of San Jose del Palmar, Rio Torito, Choco, col. Charles Kugler.

Etymology
L diabolus, devil, evil spirit.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * 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. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/
 * Smith M. A., W. Hallwachs, D. H. Janzen. 2014. Diversity and phylogenetic community structure of ants along a Costa Rican elevational gradient. Ecography 37(8): 720-731.