Pheidole vallicola

Stefan Cover (unpublished collection notes) found vallicola to favor creek banks and open woodland with a wide range of species composition, from ponderosa pine to oak, pine-oak-juniper, and oak-mesquite-sumac. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Recorded by Stefan Cover in numerous collections at 1200–1900 m in the following mountain ranges of southeastern Arizona: Chiricahua, Dragoon, Huachuca, Pajarito, Pinal, and Sierra Ancha. (Wilson 2003)

This taxon was described from the United States.

Nomenclature

 *  vallicola. Pheidole crassicornis subsp. vallicola Wheeler, W.M. 1915b: 409 (s.w.) U.S.A. Raised to species: Creighton, 1950a: 191. See also: Wilson, 2003: 162.

Description
From Wilson (2003): A member of the crassicornis group, similar to Pheidole crassicornis, Pheidole diversipilosa, Pheidole porcula and Pheidole tetra, but differing by the following combination of traits.

Major: pilosity consisting of sparse, very long hairs (some on first gastral tergite are 2! the maximum eye length); head in side view tapered toward occiput; rugoreticulum forms a broad swath from antennal fossa to eye on each side; carinulae along midline of dorsum of head continue to occiput; pronotum sparsely foveolate and feebly shining on sides, smooth and shiny on dorsum; postpetiole from above laterally subangulate.

Minor: petiolar node from side thin, and tapered toward apex; pilosity sparse, as illustrated; dorsum of head (except for frontal triangle and middle section of clypeus), all of mesosoma, and most of waist foveolate and opaque.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.34, HL 1.44, SL 0.80, EL 0.20, PW 0.64. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.64, HL 0.70, SL 0.82, EL 0.14, PW 0.44.

COLOR Major: body light reddish brown except for gaster, which is a slightly contrasting medium reddish brown.

Minor: concolorous medium reddish brown.



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

Type Material
- as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
From Wilson (2003): ARIZONA: Miller Canyon, Huachuca Mts., southeastern Arizona, col. W. M. Wheeler.

Etymology
L vallicola, valley dweller, referring to the habitat of the type colony. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Wheeler, W. M. 1915b. Some additions to the North American antfauna. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 34: 389–421.

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