Pheidole pampana

Nothing is known about the biology of pampana.

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Only known from the type locality.

This taxon was described from Argentina.

Nomenclature

 *  pampana. Pheidole nitidula st. pampana Santschi, 1929d: 283, figs. 6-8 (s.w.m.) ARGENTINA. Raised to species and material of the unavailabel name nigrior referred here: Wilson, 2003: 334.

Description
From Wilson (2003): A member of the fallax group, similar in various characters to Pheidole bergi, Pheidole cordiceps, Pheidole eidmanni and Pheidole nitidula, distinguished as follows.

Major: head slightly bicolorous (see Color below); humerus in dorsal-oblique view subangulate; rugoreticulum of head covering a swath between each eye and antennal fossa; carinulae absent from center of vertex, and those to each side reach less than half the distance from eye level to level of occiput; anterior strip of pronotal dorsum carinulate.

Minor: pilosity very long, with some hairs longer than Eye Length; pronotum entirely smooth; occiput narrowed, with convex border, but lacking nuchal collar.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.40, HL 1.40, SL 0.86, EL 0.22, PW 0.70. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.72, HL 0.76, SL 0.82, EL 0.20, PW 0.46.

COLOR Major: body concolorous medium reddish brown except for anterior vertex and anterior one-third of head, which is brownish yellow; appendages yellow.

Minor: body plain medium brown, with venter and genae tending to yellowish brown; appendages brownish yellow.



'''Figure. Upper: lectotype, major. Lower: paralectotype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Material
- as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
ARGENTINA: Alta Gracia, Córdoba. (Wilson 2003)

Etymology
Referring to the pampas, the Argentine grasslands where presumably the types were collected. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Santschi, F. 1929d. Nouvelles fourmis de la République Argentine et du Brésil. An. Soc. Cient. Argent. 107: 273–316.

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