Pheidole dyctiota

Occurs in rainforest. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Known only from the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Wilson 2003)

This taxon was described from Brazil.

Nomenclature

 *  dyctiota. Pheidole dyctiota Kempf, 1972b: 451, figs. 1-5 (s.w.q.) BRAZIL. See also: Wilson, 2003: 682.

Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS Similar in various ways to Pheidole aper, Pheidole bambusarum, Pheidole brevicona, Pheidole laeviventris, Pheidole lutzi, Pheidole risii, Pheidole rugatula, Pheidole senilis, Pheidole sigillata, Pheidole trachyderma and Pheidole traini, distinguished as follows.

Major: head transversely rectangular, with Head Width 1.1X Head Length; entire dorsal surface of head wholly rugoreticulate except for frontal triangle and mid-c1ypeus, which are smooth; main lines ofrugoreticulum on frontal lobes oriented longitudinally, as illustrated; all of head and meso soma foveolate except mesopleuron, which is smooth; mesonotal convexity subangulate; postpetiole seen from above cone-shaped.

Minor: almost all of dorsal head surface and promesonotal dorsum rugoreticulate.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Paratype major: HW 1.16, HL 1.08, SL 0.42, EL 0.06, PW 0.60. Paratype minor: HW 0.58, HL 0.58, SL 0.46, EL 0.08, PW 0.38.

COLOR Major: dark reddish brown; appendages medium reddish brown.

Minor: body and mandibles dark reddish brown, almost black; appendages brownish yellow.



'''Figure. Upper: major (Boraceia Biological Station, Salesopolis, Sao Paulo, 850 m, W. L. Brown) (compared by me with paratype). Lower: paratype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Material
and - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
Nova Teutonia, Brazil. (Wilson 2003)

Etymology
Presumably from Gr dictyo-, pertaining to a net; i.e., the rugoreticulum of body surfaces. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Kempf, W. W. 1972. A study of some Neotropical ants of genus Pheidole Westwood. I. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Stud. Entomol. 15: 449–464.

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