Pheidole biolleyi

According to Longino (1997), colonies of biolleyi inhabit cloud forests, where they nest in the soil. He has observed workers foraging both on the ground and in low vegetation. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Pheidole biolleyi occurs in the upland Central Valley of Costa Rica around Cartago and Monteverde. (Wilson 2003)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Costa Rica, Mexico.

Worker
Minor

Nomenclature

 *  biolleyi. Pheidole biolleyi Forel, 1908b: 48 (s.w.q.m.) COSTA RICA. Senior synonym of tristani: Wilson, 2003: 170.
 * tristani. Pheidole biolleyi subsp. tristani Forel, 1908b: 50 (s.w.) COSTA RICA. Junior synonym of biolleyi: Wilson, 2003: 170.

Taxonomic Notes
This following is included in the notes about biolleyi in Wilson (2003): Pheidole biolleyi Forel 1908c: 48. Syn.: Pheidole biolleyi tristani Forel 1908c: 50, n. syn. The syntypes of biolleyi used in the figure, and which are housed in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard, are from La Palma, 1600 m. The type locality given by Forel is “Costa del Tablazo,” which Longino (1997) suggests is the same as Cerro Tablazo, located at about 1500 m near Cartago. There are differences between my drawings of the La Palma specimens and Longino’s photographs in the shapes of the head and postpetiole, but otherwise the series appear close and I am treating them as conspecific. The tristani syntypes vary in head shape in the same way, and otherwise appear identical to the La Palma biolleyi syntypes.

Longino (2019) - The syntype series of P. biolleyi subsp. tristani consists of two species. A major worker, designated here as the lectotype of tristani, is the same as P. biolleyi and maintains Wilson's synonymy of tristani under biolleyi. A minor worker from Santa Maria de Dota is identified here as the new species Pheidole tinamu. I chose to maintain the synonymy by making the major worker the lectotype, rather than making the minor worker the lectotype and resurrecting P. tristani, so that P. tinamu could have a major worker as a holotype and be based on a full type series of fresh material.

Description
From Wilson (2003): This species appears to be intermediate between the biconstricta and diligens groups, and is therefore placed in the latter only tentatively. It is distinguished in the major by variable 2- or 4-dentate hypostoma (as in biconstricta), smaller size, absence of a rugoreticulum on the head, smooth first gastral tergite, and abundant, subappressed hairs on the first gastral tergite.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Syntype major: HW 1.14, HL 1.22, SL 0.94, EL 0.16, PW 0.60. Syntype minor: HW 0.64, HL 0.78, SL 1.00, EL 0.16, PW 0.44.

COLOR Major: concolorous light orange.

Minor: concolorous light brownish yellow.



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

Etymology
Named after the collector, Paul Biolley. (Wilson 2003)