Pheidole cubaensis

Evidently a rare species: few collections have been made despite its conspicuously large size. I found a colony in Blanco’s Woods, Las Villas Province, Cuba, with winged reproductives on 25 June 1953. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Cuba.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Cuba, Greater Antilles.

Nomenclature

 *  cubaensis. Pheidole cubaensis Mayr, 1862: 747 (s.w.) CUBA. Senior synonym of grayi Mann: Wilson, 2003: 624.
 * grayi. Pheidole cubaensis var. grayi Mann, 1920: 426 (s.w.) CUBA. [Unresolved junior primary homonym of grayi Forel, above.] Junior synonym of cubaensis: Wilson, 2003: 624.

Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS A large, dark reddish brown member of the scrobifera group.

Major: deep antennal scrobes present; rear third of the dorsal head surface rugoreticulate; propodeal spines moderately long and slender; postpetiole cornulate; a small subpostpetiolar process present; pilosity short, dense, and erect.

Minor: postpetiolar node diamond-shaped; propodeal spines long, slender, and straight; venter of head transversely carinulate; dorsa of head and mesosoma almost entirely foveolate and opaque.

A unique species, placed in the scrobifera group tentatively because of the habitus of the major, but the minor shows overall resemblance to the tristis-group species Pheidole alayoi, Pheidole macromischoides and Pheidole naylae of Cuba and Pheidole androsana of the Bahamas.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Major (“var. grayi” syntype): HW 1.92, HL 2.16, SL 0.86, EL 0.20, PW 0.82. Minor (“var. grayi” syntype): HW 0.66, HL 0.72, SL 0.82, EL 0.14, PW 0.44.

COLOR Major and minor: body dark reddish brown, appendages dark yellow to yellowish brown.



'''Figure. Upper: major, syntype of var. grayi. Lower: minor, syntype of var. grayi.’’ Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Material
- as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
CUBA: Limones. (Wilson 2003)

Etymology
Named after the country of origin. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Mayr, G. 1862. Myrmecologische Studien. Verh. K-K. Zool.-Bot.Ges. Wien 12: 649–776.

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