Pheidole bruchella

This species is only known from type specimens. Nothing is known about its biology.

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Only known from the type locality.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Argentina.

Nomenclature

 *  bruchella. Pheidole lignicola var. bruchella Forel, 1915c: 355 (s.w.) ARGENTINA. Raised to species: Wilson, 2003: 386.

Description
From Wilson (2003): Similar in various traits to Pheidole breviscapa (=Pheidole perpusilla), Pheidole caracalla, Pheidole micon, Pheidole subreticulata and Pheidole tennantae, differing as follows.

Major: brown; metanotum seen from side raised as a ridge; mesonotal convexity seen from side subangulate; pronotal dorsum in dorsal-oblique view bilobate; postpetiole from above trapezoidal; occipital lobes smooth and shiny; rugoreticulum present between eye and antennal fossa on each side; most of dorsal head surface and anterior half of pronotal dorsum carinulate.

Minor: ventral surface of head in profile feebly concave; all of head and mesosoma foveolate and opaque; propodeal spines small; occiput narrowed slightly, but with strongly concave margin and no nuchal collar.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Lectotype major: HW 0.94, HL 0.94, SL 0.50, EL 0.10, PW 0.48. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.44, HL 0.52, SL 0.62, EL 0.08, PW 0.30.

COLOR Major: body dark brown, appendages medium brown.



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

Type Material
- as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
Argentina.

Etymology
Named for the Argentine entomologist Bruch, Carlos (1869-1943). (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Forel, A. 1915c. Formicides d’Afrique et d’Amérique nouveaux ou peu connus, Ile partie. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 50: 335–364.

Text and images from this publication used by permission of the author.