Pheidole potosiana

This species occurs in wet to dry forest habitats. It is known almost exclusively from baits on the forest floor, although occasional workers occur in Winkler and Berlese samples. (Longino 2009)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Southern Mexico to Costa Rica.

This taxon was described from Mexico.

Nomenclature

 *  potosiana. Pheidole potosiana Wilson, 2003: 339, figs. (s.w.) MEXICO. See also: Longino, 2009: 66.

Description
A member of the fallax group similar in various characters to Pheidole psilogaster especially, also with Pheidole acamata, Pheidole cielana, Pheidole cockerelli, Pheidole dione, Pheidole hyatti and Pheidole midas, distinguished as follows.

Major: dorsal profile of first two gastral tergites lined with a fringe of subrecumbent short hairs of equal length; humerus in dorsaloblique view subangulate; rugoreticulum present on each side of the head as a broad swatch from eye to upper circular carinulae around antennal fossa; a patch of rugoreticulum also present around midline of occiput; entire promesonotum foveolate, and anterior pronotal dorsum carinulate.

Minor: posterior half of head dorsum smooth, but all of mesosoma and waist, and area mesad to eye, foveolate and opaque; occiput in frontal view weakly convex.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.94, HL 1.00, SL 0.74, EL 0.16, PW 0.52. Paratype minor: HW 0.52, HL 0.60, SL 0.72, EL 0.14, PW 0.36.

COLOR Holotype major (San Luis Potosi): gaster light brown, rest of body reddish yellow, with dark area on vertex and mid-occiput, as illustrated.

Paratype minor (San Luis Potosi): concolorous yellowish brown.

Paratype major (Nuevo León): concolorous medium brown, with slight reddish tinge.

Paratype minor (Nuevo León): plain light brown.



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

Type Locality Information
MEXICO: 3 km northeast of Xilitia, San Luis Potosi, col. A. B. Hamton and B. S. Ikeda.

Etymology
Named after the Mexican state of the type series.