Pheidole gulo

Nothing is known about the biology of gulo.

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Longino (2019) - In most populations of P. gulo, the minor worker has a fully foveolate face and mesosoma. Specimens from Los Tuxtlas Biological Station in Veracruz, Mexico, and from the slopes of Volcán Atitlán in Guatemala have the face and parts of the pronotum smooth and shining. There is no known site of sympatry of the two forms. The morphospecies code JTL197 was used for the shiny form of P. gulo. In Economo et al. (2019) a shiny specimen from Volcán Atitlán is genetically close to a foveolate specimen from Nicaragua. Pending further evidence, I treat this as one species with geographic variation.

Distribution
Only known from the type locality.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua.

Nomenclature

 *  gulo. Pheidole gulo Wilson, 2003: 295, figs. (s.w.) NICARAGUA.

Description
A member of the fallax group somewhat similar to Pheidole cockerelli and Pheidole perpilosa (see also the less similar species listed with them), but easily distinguished as follows.

Major: yellow; almost entire dorsal and lateral surfaces of head rugoreticulate, including frontal lobes, as illustrated; almost all of mesosoma and waist foveolate and opaque; pronotal dorsum in addition rugoreticulate; dorsa of petiolar and postpetiolar nodes in addition faintly carinulate; anterior fringe of central strip of first gastral tergite shagreened; pronotal profile in dorsal-oblique view bilobous; postpetiole from above diamond-shaped.

Minor: yellow; dorsal surface of head, mesosoma, and waist foveolate and opaque; anterior strip of pronotal dorsum rugulose; occiput narrowed but at most with a very thin nuchal collar; mesonotal convexity very prominent.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.46, HL 1.52, SL 1.00, EL 0.22, PW 0.76.

Paratype minor: HW 0.62, HL 0.74, SL 1.00, EL 0.16, PW 0.44.

COLOR Major: body medium reddish yellow (“orange”), appendages light reddish yellow.



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

Type Material
NICARAGUA: Rio Kukra, col. Ivette Perfecto.

Etymology
L gulo, glutton, wolverine.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
 * Longino J. T. 2019. Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Middle American wet forest. Zootaxa 4599: 1-126
 * Longino J. T. L., and M. G. Branstetter. 2018. The truncated bell: an enigmatic but pervasive elevational diversity pattern in Middle American ants. Ecography 41: 1-12.
 * Ottonetti L., L. Tucci, F. Frizzi, G. Chelazzi, and G. Santini. 2010. Changes in ground-foraging ant assemblages along a disturbance gradient in a tropical agricultural landscape. Ethology Ecology & Evolution 22: 7386.
 * Wilson, E.O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World: A Dominant, Hyperdiverse Genus. Harvard University Press