Pheidole hirsuta

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

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

This taxon was described from Costa Rica.

Description
From Wilson (2003): A large dark brown (major) or medium reddish brown (minor) member of the fallax group.

Major: a bicolorous head; rugoreticulation extending on either side of the dorsum of the head from its anterior margin to near the occiput, separated by a band of carinulae that originates on the frontal lobes; mesopleuron and side of propodeum covered by longitudinal carinulae; and propodeal spine short and erect.

Minor: bicolorous; completely smooth and shiny except for circular carinulae around the antennal fossae and longitudinal carinulae that cover the mesopleuron and side of propodeum; nuchal collar present.

Similar to Pheidole lourothi, differing in many details of the characters described above.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.96, HL 2.00, SL 1.14, EL 0.26, PW 0.94. Minor: HW 0.64, HL 0.82, SL 1.06, EL 0.14, PW 0.46.

COLOR Major: head bicolorous, mostly medium brown, with anterior one-fourth of capsule, including clypeus, genae anterior to eyes and anterior tips of frontal lobes yellowish brown; rest of body mostly dark brown; appendages light brown.

Minor: blackish brown, with contrasting yellow clypeal lateral wings, mandibles, antennal club, and tarsi.



'''Figure. Upper: holotype, major. Lower: minor. COSTA RICA: La Selva Biological Station, near Puerto Viejo, Heredia (E. O. Wilson). Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Material
- as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
Jiménez, near Guápiles, Limón. (Wilson 2003)

Etymology
L hirsuta, hairy. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Emery, C. 1896g. Studi sulle formiche della fauna neotropica, XVII–XXV. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 28: 33–107.

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