Pheidole ursus

The Teoviscocla minor worker figured was collected in tropical forest with plantings of coffee. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico.

Worker
Minor

Nomenclature

 *  ursus. Pheidole ursus Mayr, 1870b: 986 (s.w.) MEXICO. Senior synonym of cressoni, gracilinoda: Brown, 1981: 528. See also: Wilson, 2003: 773.
 * cressoni. Macromischa cressoni André, 1887: 296 (w.) MEXICO. Combination in Aphaenogaster: Emery, 1896a: 103; in Pheidole: Emery, 1915d: 67. Junior synonym of ursus: Brown, 1981: 528.
 * gracilinoda. Pheidole ursus var. gracilinoda Forel, 1904d: 172 (w.) MEXICO. Junior synonym of ursus: Brown, 1981: 528.

Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS A very large, unique species similar in various traits to Pheidole horribilis, Pheidole minax, Pheidole terribilis and Pheidole macromischoides.

Major: very long propodeal spine, largely rugoreticulate surface of the meso soma and dorsal surface of the head, shallowly concave profile of the posterior half of the head in side view, completely foveolate and opaque surfaces of the gastral tergites.

Minor: extremely long propodeal spine and petiolar peduncle, rugoreticulate promesonotum, and somewhat narrowed occiput with a thin nuchal collar.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Syntype major: HW 2.64, HL 2.54, SL 1.22, EL 0.26, PW 1.02. Minor: HW 0.88, HL 0.86, SL 1.00, EL 0.18, PW 0.60.

COLOR Major: body and appendages dark to blackish brown.

Minor: body concolorous blackish brown with reddish overtones; appendages, including mandibles, a lighter shade of medium reddish brown; tarsi yellowish brown.



'''Figure. Upper: syntype, major. Mexico, no further locality (collected by "Prof. Bilimek"). Lower: minor. MEXICO: Santa Teoviscocia, near Cuichapa, Veracruz, 1600 m (col. Cornell University Mexico Field Party, August 1960). Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Material
Mexico, col. Prof. Bilimek. and - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Etymology
L ursus, bear, undoubtedly alluding to the large, rough-surface properties and dark color of the major. (Wilson 2003)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Ahuatzin D. A., E. J. Corro, A. Aguirre Jaimes, J. E. Valenzuela Gonzalez, R. Machado Feitosa, M. Cezar Ribeiro, J. Carlos Lopez Acosta, R. Coates, W. Dattilo. 2019. Forest cover drives leaf litter ant diversity in primary rainforest remnants within human-modified tropical landscapes. Biodiversity and Conservation 28(5): 1091-1107.
 * Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
 * Horvitz, C.C. and A.J. Beattie. 1980. Ant Dispersal of Calathea (Marantaceae) Seeds by Carnivorous Ponerines (Formicidae) in a Tropical Rain Forest. American Journal of Botany 67(3):321-326.
 * 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.
 * Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133