Pheidole diana

An arboreal species that nests under epiphyte mats in the canopy of cloud forest and montane wet forest; some colonies are very large (Longino 1997).

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Upper elevations of Cordillera Central and Cordillera de Tilaran, Costa Rica, including the Braulio Carrillo National Park, Penas Blancas Valley, and Monteverde (Longino 1997).

This taxon was described from Costa Rica.

Nomenclature

 *  diana. Pheidole diana Forel, 1908b: 51 (s.w.q.) COSTA RICA. See also: Wilson, 2003: 187.

Description
From Wilson (2003): A medium-sized member of the diligens group, and inhabitant of high montane forests, similar to Pheidole alfaroi, Pheidole laelaps, Pheidole riveti, Pheidole seligmanni and Pheidole tepuicola, somewhat less so to Pheidole laticornis and Pheidole strigosa, and distinguished from these and other Pheidole species by the following combination of traits.

Major: sculpturing confined to carinulae on margins of frontal lobes, anterior third of the head capsule, and entire surface of the propodeum, with the rest of the body smooth and shiny; propodeal spines reduced to denticles; postpetiole from above diamond-shaped.

Minor: sculpturing confined to circular carinulae of antennal fossae and transverse carinulae of dorsal propodeal surface, with the rest of the body smooth and shiny; propodeal spines absent; basal and declivitous faces of propodeum meet in an obtuse angle; nuchal collar absent.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.40, HL 1.44, SL 0.90, EL 0.22, PW 0.72. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.66, HL 0.76, SL 0.72, EL 0.12, PW 0.44.

COLOR Major: appendages and most of body medium reddish yellow; gaster a slightly darker shade of plain light brown.

Minor: body concolorous plain light brown; appendages a slightly contrasting lighter shade.



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

Type Material
- as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
COSTA RICA: Las Palmas, near Bajo la Hondura, Braulio Carrillo National Park. (Wilson 2003)

Etymology
No allusion given; presumably after Diana, the Roman goddess of nature, fertility and conception, and the Moon. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Forel, A. 1908c. Fourmis de Costa-Rica récoltées par M. Paul Biolley. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 44: 35–72.

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