Pheidole skwarrae

The type colony was nesting beneath a stone.

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Only known from the type locality.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Mexico.

Nomenclature

 *  skwarrae. Pheidole skwarrae Wheeler, W.M. 1934g: 163 (s.w.q.) MEXICO. See also: Wilson, 2003: 349.

Description
From Wilson (2003): A member of the fallax group, closet to Pheidole vistana and distinguished from it and other fallax group species by the following combination of traits.

Major: head elongate, with deep occipital cleft and subangulate occipital lobes in full-face view; antennal scape exceeding the occipital lobe by 2x its own maximum width; entire body, including all of the tergites and sternites of the gaster, foveolate and opaque; space between eye, frontal lobes, and frontal carinae rugoreticulate.

Minor: entire body, including at least the anterior two segments of the gaster, foveolate and opaque; nuchal collar well developed; antennal scape very long, extending 2X the distance between its insertion and nuchal collar.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.32, HL 1.60, SL 1.42, EL 0.24, PW 0.64. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.54, HL 0.84, SL 1.20, EL 0.16, PW 0.42.

COLOR Major and minor: body concolorous medium brown, appendages yellowish brown.



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

Type Material
Described from one soldier, one female and two workers taken from a single colony (No. 803) nesting under a stone at Cuernavaca, Morelos.

MEXICO: Cuernavaca, Morelos, col. Elisabeth Skwarra.

Etymology
Named after the collector, Elisabeth Skwarra.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
 * Fernandes, P.R. XXXX. Los hormigas del suelo en Mexico: Diversidad, distribucion e importancia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).
 * Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
 * Rivas-Arancibia, S. P., H. Carrillo-Ruiz, A. Bonilla-Arce, D. M. Figueroa-Castro, and A. R. Andres-Hernandez. 2014. Effect of disturbance on the ant community in a semiarid region of central Mexico. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research 12: 703-716.
 * Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133
 * Wilson, E.O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A Dominant, Hyperdiverse Genus. Harvard University Press