Pheidole otisi

According to Longino (1997), the species nests in pieces of dead wood in the ground litter of lowland wet forest, including beneath the bark of rotten logs. It forages on the ground and in low vegetation, and workers have been observed at extrafloral nectaries of Passiflora pittieri.

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
The Atlantic and Pacific lowlands of Costa Rica (Longino 1997).

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

Nomenclature

 *  otisi. Pheidole otisi Wilson, 2003: 481, figs. (s.w.) COSTA RICA.

Description
DIAGNOSIS A small, yellow species in the flavens group similar to Pheidole longinoi and Pheidole prolixa, distinguished in the major by a brown spot on the vertex of the yellow head; by the very low mesonotal convexity; stout, posteriorly directed propodeal spines; and absence of carinulae over most of the frontal lobes and entire middle half of the cephalic dorsum; and in the minor by the absence of a central convexity in the mesonotum, which drops steeply at the rear to the metanotal groove.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.58, HL 0.66, SL 0.30, EL 0.08, PW 0.38. Paratype minor: HW 0.36, HL 0.38, SL 0.30, EL 0.06, PW 0.24.

COLOR Major: gaster and appendages clear light yellow, rest of body medium yellow, with a contrasting fuzzily defined brown spot 0.1 mm across in the middle of the head one-third forward from the occipital border.

Minor: concolorous medium yellow.



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

Type Locality Information
COSTA RICA: La Selva Biological Station, near Puerto Viejo, Heredia, col. Stefan Cover and Mark Moffett.

Etymology
Acronymic, referring to the Organization of Tropical Studies, sponsoring organization of the La Selva Biological Station, site of the type collection.

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