Pheidole tsontekonwei

This species was collected by Jonathan Amith during his ethnographic studies in coastal Guerrero, Mexico. It is a large seed harvesting ant that nests in the soil. Amith noted that the entrance of nest was a short, upright, hollow cylinder of white powdery material.

Identification
Minor: head subquadrate in full face view; face with patchy, faint foveolation, overlain with sparse longitudinal carinulae; promesonotal groove absent; mesosoma generally smooth and shining, with patches of very faint foveolation; propodeal spines thin, upturned, about one third length of posterior face of propodeum; gaster smooth and shining; mesosomal dorsum and gaster with abundant, short, erect setae; tibiae without erect setae; color light yellow brown.

Major: inner hypostomal teeth lacking; scape base terete; face with fine longitudinal carinulae on anterior third to half, transverse medial band smooth and shiny, vertex lobes with abundant transverse rugulae; propodeal spines short, upturned, about one third length of posterior face of propodeum; gastral dorsum smooth and shining; pilosity on sides of head very short, suberect, other pilosity similar to minor worker.

Measurements, minor worker: HW 0.77, HL 0.89, SL 0.85, EL 0.19, WL 1.19, PSL 0.09, PTW 0.14, PPW 0.26, CI 87, SI 110, PSLI 11, PPI 191 (n=5).

Measurements, major worker: HW 2.56, HL 2.58, SL 1.06, EL 0.30, WL 1.91, PSL 0.13, PTW 0.37, PPW 0.76, CI 99, SI 42, PSLI 5, PPI 208 (n=5).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Mexico.

Biology
In Economo et al. (2019, as JTL203), this species is related to Pheidole pilifera and other seed harvesting species of the arid southwest of North America. Although not strictly within the geographic scope of this work, this was an opportunity to name this highly distinctive species and to facilitate Amith's ethnographic work in the region.

Minor
Images from AntWeb

Nomenclature

 *  tsontekonwei. Pheidole tsontekonwei Longino, 2019: 62, fig. 56 (w.) MEXICO.

Type Material

 * HOLOTYPE: 1 major worker, Mexico, Guerrero: Oapan, 17.97725 -99.46567 ±20 m, 742 m, 26-Jun-2011, nest in soil (J. Amith & J. Herrera) [UNAM, unique specimen identifier CASENT0624331].
 * PARATYPES: major, minor workers: same data as holotype [CAS, DZUP, JTLC, MCZC, UNAM, USNM].

Etymology
The name means "big head" in Nahuatl (J. Amith, pers. com.).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Longino J. T. 2019. Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Middle American wet forest. Zootaxa 4599: 1-126