Pheidole godmani

P. godmani was found near streams in mountain forest at 460 m. One colony was discovered nesting beneath dead leaves, a second in soil under a log. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Known from St. Vincent. This species, with its nearest known relatives in South America, may be an endemic of the island. If so, it is a threatened species; H. H. Smith, whose collecting on St. Vincent in the 1890s was notably thorough, found it only three times. (Wilson 2003)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Lesser Antilles, St. Vincent.

Nomenclature

 *  godmani. Pheidole godmani Forel, 1893g: 404 (s.w.q.) ANTILLES. See also: Wilson, 2003: 698.

Description
DIAGNOSIS From Wilson (2003): A member of the tristis group, similar to Pheidole balzani, Pheidole gaigei and Pheidole huilana, and to lesser degree the species listed with them, distinguished as follows.

Major: reddish yellow; low, lobose subpostpetiolar process present; antennal scape short, its tip reaching the lateral border of the head in full-face view less than half the distance from eye to occipital corner; postpetiole from above cone-shaped; carinulae of head reaching two-thirds the distance from eye to occipital corner; humerus prominent, lobose, in dorsal-oblique view extending well above the low mesonotal convexity.

Minor: all of posterior dorsum of head and of entire dorsum of promesonotum transversely carinulate; semicircular carinulae fill the space between the antennal fossa and the eye.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.44, HL 1.52, SL 0.82, EL 0.14, PW 0.64. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.62, HL 0.66, SL 0.72, EL 0.12, PW 0.42.

COLOR Major: head and body light reddish yellow, except for postpetiole and gaster, which are medium reddish yellow with a brownish tinge.

Minor: head and mesosoma medium yellowish brown; waist, gaster, and appendages a slightly contrasting light yellowish brown.



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

Type Material
- as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
St. Vincent, West Indies, col. H. H. Smith. (Wilson 2003)

Etymology
Named after F. D. Godman, organizer of the British Association and Royal Society survey of the biota of the Antilles. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Forel, A. 1893. Formicides de l’Antille St. Vincent, récoltés par Mons. H. H. Smith. Trans. Entomol. Soc. Lond. 1893: 333–418.

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