Pheidole simplex

At Cuzco Amazónico, near Puerto Maldonado, Peru, Stefan Cover and John E. Tobin found a colony in terra firme forest, nesting in a rotten log. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Poorly known; records are from Amazonian Brazil and Peru. (Wilson 2003)

This taxon was described from Peru.

Nomenclature

 *  simplex. Pheidole biconstricta subsp. simplex Wheeler, W.M. 1925a: 21 (s.) PERU. Raised to species: Wilson, 2003: 148.

Description
From Wilson (2003): Distinguished from other members of the biconstricta group by the dense, long, suberect to erect pilosity and reduced propodeal spines in both the major and minor castes. Also, only the anterior half of the first gastral tergite is shagreened and opaque.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.42, HL 1.36, SL 0.92, EL 0.16, PW 0.68. Paralectotype minor (Aleixo, Brazil): HW 0.64, HL 0.74, SL 0.90, EL 0.14, PW 0.44.

COLOR Major and minor: yellowish red, with gaster of minor a slightly contrasting brownish yellow.



'''Figure. lectotype, major (PERU: “Llinquipata”). Lower: minor (BRAZIL: Aleixo, near Manaus), compared with paralectotype from type locality. Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Material
and - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
PERU: “Llinquipata” (Wilson 2003)

Etymology
L simplex, simple, anatomical reference unknown. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Wheeler, W. M. 1925a. Neotropical ants in the collections of the Royal Museum of Stockholm. Ark. Zool. 17A(8): 1–55.

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