Pheidole mamore

Stefan Cover and John E. Tobin found this species on the floor of forest transitional from terra firme to floodplain at Cuzco Amazónico, near Puerto Maldonado, Peru. I encountered it in primary rainforest near Manaus. Colonies nest in pieces of rotten wood on the forest floor. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
In addition to the types, I have seen material from around Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil; near Puerto Maldonado, Leticia, and Tingo Maria, Peru; Suriname; and Guyana. (Wilson 2003)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Brazil, Guyana, Peru, Suriname.

Nomenclature

 *  mamore. Pheidole (Pheidole) guilelmimuelleri subsp. mamore Mann, 1916: 429 (s.w.q.) BRAZIL. Raised to species: Wilson, 2003: 627.

Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS Distinguished among members of the scrobifera group (as well as the somewhat similar Pheidole antillana, Pheidole avia, Pheidole bucculenta, Pheidole guilelmimuelleri, Pheidole hetschkoi, Pheidole heyeri, Pheidole hortonae, Pheidole praeses and Pheidole rhytifera in the tristis group) as follows.

Major: rugoreticulum on head limited to a patch posterior to each eye and another inside the anterior part of each antennal scrobe; anterior strip of pronotal dorsum transversely carinulate, the remainder rugoreticulate; mesonotal convexity subangulate in side view.

Minor: propodeal spines reduced to denticles; entire body smooth and shining, with the sole sculpturing being the circular carinulae around the antennal fossae.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.64, HL 1.64, SL 0.74, EL 0.20, PW 0.90. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.60, HL 0.64, SL 0.68, EL 0.14, PW 0.38.

COLOR Major: medium to dark reddish brown, appendages light reddish brown.

Minor: body plain medium (“chocolate”) brown, appendages medium brownish yellow.



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

Type Material
- as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
BRAZIL: Madeira-Mamoré railway track, km 284, Rondônia, col. W. M. Mann. (Wilson 2003)

Etymology
Named after the type locality. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Mann, W. M. 1916. The Stanford Expedition to Brazil, 1911, John C. Branner, Director: The ants of Brazil. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 60: 399–490.

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