Pheidole zeteki

A colony found on the Blanchiseusse Road in Trinidad was in montane rainforest, nesting in a very decayed log (Stefan Cover, collection notes).

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Known from single collections on Barro Colorado, Panama; Morne Bleu, Northern Range and the Blanchiseusse Road, Trinidad; Puyo, Pastaza, Ecuador; and Cuzco Amazónico, near Maldonado, Peru. (Wilson 2003)

This taxon was described from Panama.

Nomenclature

 *  zeteki. Pheidole (Decapheidole) zeteki Smith, M.R. 1947h: 194 (w.) PANAMA. See also: Wilson, 2003: 554.

Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS A member of the perpusilla group (very small, with 10-segmented antennae), close to Pheidole perpusilla. Distinguished as follows.

Major: anterior half of dorsum of head mostly covered by longitudinal carinulae, and posterior half foveolate and opaque; propodeal spines long and backward-directed; dorsum of postpetiolar node and anterior half of central strip of first gastral tergite foveolate and opaque.

Minor: all of head and mesosoma foveolate and opaque.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Major (Trinidad): HW 0.66, HL 0.66, SL 0.34, EL 0.08, PW 0.34. Minor (Trinidad): HW 0.32, HL 0.36, SL 0.30, EL 0.06, PW 0.24.

COLOR Major: concolorous medium yellow.

Minor: concolorous light reddish yellow.



'''Figure. Upper: major. Lower: minor. TRINIDAD: Blanchiseusse Road, 10 km marker. Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Material
and  - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Etymology
Named after James Zetek, early biologist of the Barro Colorado field station. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Smith, M. R. 1947h. Notes on Pheidole (Decapheidole) and the description of a new species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Am. Midl. Nat. 38: 150–161.

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