Pheidole pidax

The type colony was collected in montane rainforest. Winged queens were present on 28 July.

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Only known from the type locality.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Colombia.

Nomenclature

 *  pidax. Pheidole pidax Wilson, 2003: 732, figs. (s.w.) COLOMBIA.

Description
DIAGNOSIS Sharing some traits with Pheidole guayasana, Pheidole rhytifera, Pheidole rosae, Pheidole rosula, Pheidole securigera, as well as others with some members of the flavens group, distinguished as follows.

Major: frontal lobes extended forward as blunt right-angular processes; shallow antennal scrobes present; propodeal spines half as long as basal propodeal face anterior to them; hypostoma 2-toothed; humerus in dorsal-oblique view very prominent, right-angular; carinulae originating on frontal lobes and seen in full-face view spread outward, away from the midline, for their entire length.

Minor: propodeal spines half as long as basal propodeal face and curved strongly backward; all of head, mesosoma, and petiole foveolate and opaque.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.24, HL 1.56, SL 0.62, EL 0.22, PW 0.64. Paratype minor: HW 0.56, HL 0.60, SL 0.62, EL 0.12, PW 0.38.

COLOR Major: body brownish yellow, appendages plain medium yellow.

Minor: concolorous medium yellow.



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

Type Material
COLOMBIA: Queremal, Rio San Juan, Valle, 1300 m, col. William L. Brown.

Etymology
Gr pidax, fountain, referring to the spray-like pattern of the cephalic carinulae.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Wilson E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, [ix] + 794 pp.