Pheidole boliviana

This species occurs in wet to moist forest habitats, from sea level to 800m elevation. Collections have been from second growth vegetation and a coffee plantation. Nests are in the low arboreal zone, within a meter or two of the ground but not in the leaf litter on the forest floor. Nests have been found in a small diameter dead stick and under loose bark of larger rotting trees. (Longino 2009)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama.

Worker
Minor

Images from AntWeb
Major

Nomenclature

 *  boliviana. Pheidole boliviana Wilson, 2003: 380, figs. (s.w.) BOLIVIA. Senior synonym of mincana, scitula: Longino, 2009: 17.
 * mincana. Pheidole mincana Wilson, 2003: 457, figs. (s.w.) COLOMBIA. Junior synonym of boliviana: Longino, 2009: 17.
 * scitula. Pheidole scitula Wilson, 2003: 505, figs. (s.w.) COSTA RICA. Junior synonym of boliviana: Longino, 2009: 17.

Description
Medium-sized brown member of the flavens group, whose major and minor have exceptionally long, abundant, erect to suberect hairs over most of the body, foveolate and opaque mesosoma and petiole, and small, nearly oval postpetiolar node only slightly wider than the petiolar node.

Major: promesonotum with convexities in dorsal-oblique view; petiolar node in rear view strongly convex; carinulae on the midline dorsum of the head reach the occiput.

Minor: humerus angulate in dorsal-oblique view; dorsal surface of head mostly foveolate and opaque.

Similar to Pheidole amabilis, Pheidole melastomae, Pheidole mixteca, Pheidole scitula, Pheidole terresi and Pheidole tysoni differing in the combination of traits cited above.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.86, HL 0.90, SL 0.46, EL 0.14, PW 0.44. Paratype minor: HW 0.50, HL 0.54, SL 0.44, EL 0.10, PW 0.34.

COLOR Major: head, mesosoma, waist, gaster, and antennae dark brown; legs brownish yellow.

Minor: dorsa of head and mesosoma medium brown; rest of body medium brown to brownish yellow; appendages brownish yellow.



'''Figure. Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Material
BOLIVIA: Las Gamas, P. N. Noel Kempff Mercado, Santa Cruz, 14°48'S 60°28'W, 700 m, col. Philip S. Ward. #12270

Longino (2009):

Pheidole mincana Holotype major and associated paratype minor worker: Colombia, Magdalena: Minca, 610 m, 26 Mar 1977 (C. Kugler), cafetal MCZ (examined).

Pheidole scitula Holotype major worker and associated paratype minor worker: Costa Rica, Puntarenas Prov., Parque Nacional Corcovado, Llorona, 8°35'N 83°42'W, 2 Jan 1982 (Longino) MCZ (examined).

Etymology
Named after country of origin of the type series.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Adams B. J., S. A. Schnitzer, and S. P. Yanoviak. 2016. Trees as islands: canopy ant species richness increases with the size of liana-free trees in a Neotropical forest. Ecography doi: 10.1111/ecog.02608
 * Adams B. J., S. A. Schnitzer, and S. P. Yanoviak. 2019. Connectivity explains local ant community structure in a Neotropical forest canopy: a large-scale experimental approach. Ecology 100(6): e02673.
 * Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.