Pheidole humeralis

P. humeralis is evidently a rare species. During their intensive collecting in western Texas, Moody and Francke (1982) found the species only once, four colonies in Kinney County at 220 meters nesting in open clayey soil. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
From Wilson (2003): Known only from the type locality and western Texas (Moody and Francke 1982).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Nearctic Region: United States.

Nomenclature

 *  humeralis. Pheidole humeralis Wheeler, W.M. 1908e: 456, pl. 27, fig. 39 (s.w.) U.S.A. See also: Wilson, 2003: 438.

Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS Similar in some traits to Pheidole furtiva, Pheidole mera and Pheidole tysoni, differing as follows.

Major: reddish yellow, with pale brown spot on vertex; head elongate, its posterior ventral profile flat; humeri strongly developed and subangulate, in dorsal view overhanging the rest of the pronotum beneath them and in dorsal-oblique view extending more than 4 higher above the metanotal groove than the mesonotal convexity; propodeal spines robust, as long as half the propodeal basal face preceding them; postpetiole from above oval.

Minor: posterior half of head and all of pronotum smooth and shiny; in dorsal-oblique view, humerus subangulate and promesonotal profile behind it flat before dropping to metanotal groove; occiput broad, its margin strongly concave.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.02, HL 1.28, SL 0.52, EL 0.12, PW 0.60. Paratype minor: HW 0.50, HL 0.52, SL 0.46, EL 0.08, PW 0.32.

COLOR Major: body and appendages medium reddish yellow except for pale brown spot on vertex and yellowish brown gaster. Minor: body medium brown, appendages yellowish brown.



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

Type Material
- as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
TEXAS: Corsicana, Navarro Co., near Dallas-Ft. Worth, col. Mary Cooper. (Wilson 2003)

Etymology
L humeralis, of the shoulder, alluding to the elevated humerus of the major. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Moody, J. V., Francke, O. F. 1982. The ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of western Texas, Part 1: Subfamily Myrmicinae. Grad. Stud. Tex. Tech Univ. 27: 1–80.

Wheeler, W. M. 1908h. The ants of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. (Part I.). Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 24: 399–485.

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