Pheidole sospes

At Cuzco Amazónico, Stefan Cover and John E. Tobin collected four colonies, all in terra firme forest, nesting in small rotten sticks on the forest floor. (Wilson 2003) Similarly, Fernandes et al. (2018) found it commonly nesting in twigs within leaf litter.

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
São Paulo, Brazil; Misiones (El Dorado) in extreme northeastern Argentina; and Cuzco Amazónico, near Maldonado, Madre de Dios, Peru. (Wilson 2003)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru.

Worker
Minor

Nomenclature

 *  sospes. Pheidole anastasii var. sospes Forel, 1908c: 381 (s.w.) BRAZIL. Subspecies of anastasii: Santschi, 1929d: 291. Raised to species and senior synonym of minutissima: Wilson, 2003: 509.
 * minutissima. Pheidole minutissima Kusnezov, 1952b: 78 (s.w.) ARGENTINA. Junior synonym of sospes: Wilson, 2003: 509.

Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS A medium-sized, yellow member of the flavens group; the major has shallow but well-developed antennal scrobes; rugoreticulation across all of the occiput; a small mesonotal convexity, and angulate lateral postpetiolar margins, as well as posteriorly directed propodeal spine and rugoreticulate humerus. Resembles ademonia and peltastes, but easily distinguished by many features of sculpturing, development of the scrobe, and presence in the major of the mesonotal convexity, as illustrated.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Lectotype major: HW 0.84, HL 0.92, SL 0.44, EL 0.12, PW 0.44. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.44, HL 0.46, SL 0.42, EL 0.08, PW 0.30.

COLOR Major: appendages and gaster clear yellow, rest of body a slightly contrasting reddish yellow (“orange”).

Minor: concolorous clear yellow.



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

Type Material
BRAZIL: São Paulo. - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Etymology
L sospes, saving, delivering, significance unknown. (Wilson 2003)