Pheidole hetschkoi

From Wilson (2003): Occurs in montane rainforest. A seed cache was found in a nest in the Boraceia Biological Station, Salesópolis, São Paulo, col. W. L. Brown.

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
In addition to the types, from the state of Santa Catarina, I have examined series from Espirito Santo and São Paulo, variously at 750–800 m. (Wilson 2003)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Brazil.

Worker
Minor

Nomenclature

 *  hetschkoi. Pheidole hetschkoi Emery, 1896g: 66 (s.w.) BRAZIL. Senior synonym of frivola: Wilson, 2003: 705.
 * frivola. Pheidole hetschkoi var. frivola Santschi, 1923d: 57 (s.w.) BRAZIL. Junior synonym of hetschkoi: Wilson, 2003: 705.

Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS Similar to Pheidole antillana, Pheidole coveri and Pheidole gauthieri, differing in the following combination of traits.

Major: shallow antennal scrobes with surfaces weakly sculptured and shiny; patches of rugoreticulum mesad to the eyes and others posterior to the antennal scrobes; middle third of the dorsal head surface covered by longitudinal carinulae that reach the occipital border; anterior margin of the pronotal dorsum rugoreticulate, and lateral borders irregularly carinulate; postpetiolar cornicles strongly developed.

Minor: transverse carinulae cover the occiput; carinulae arising on the frontal lobes curve to the outside (laterad) to approach the eyes transversely; pronotal dorsum entirely carinulate; mesonotal dorsum rugoreticulate; mesonotum rugoreticulate; occiput narrow, with nuchal collar.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Lectotype major: HW 2.00, HL 2.14, SL 0.90, EL 0.24, PW 0.84. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.76, HL 0.86, SL 0.90, EL 0.16, PW 0.54.

COLOR Major: head, mesothorax, and appendages medium reddish brown, waist and gaster medium plain or reddish brown.

Minor: head and mesosoma medium brown; waist, gaster, and appendages brownish yellow.



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

Type Material
BRAZIL: Santa Catarina. - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Etymology
Eponymous. (Wilson 2003)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Drose W., L. R. Podgaiski, C. Fagundes Dias, M. de Souza Mendonca. 2019. Local and regional drivers of ant communities in forest-grassland ecotones in South Brazil: A taxonomic and phylogenetic approach. Plos ONE 14(4): e0215310.
 * Emery C. 1896. Studi sulle formiche della fauna neotropica. XVII-XXV. Bullettino della Società Entomologica Italiana 28: 33-107.
 * Favretto M. A., E. Bortolon dos Santos, and C. J. Geuster. 2013. Entomofauna from West of Santa Catarina State, South of Brazil. EntomoBrasilis 6 (1): 42-63.
 * Kempf W. W. 1978. A preliminary zoogeographical analysis of a regional ant fauna in Latin America. 114. Studia Entomologica 20: 43-62.
 * Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
 * Rosa da Silva R. 1999. Formigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) do oeste de Santa Catarina: historico das coletas e lista atualizada das especies do Estado de Santa Catarina. Biotemas 12(2): 75-100.
 * Santschi F. 1923. Pheidole et quelques autres fourmis néotropiques. Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 63: 45-69.