Pheidole scrobifera

According to Longino (1997), as well as Stefan Cover and James C. Trager (independent field notes), scrobifera is relatively common in mature wet forest, nesting in rotten logs and other pieces of rotten wood on the forest floor. Workers have been observed foraging at night. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Atlantic slope of Costa Rica to 900 m (Longino 1997).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Costa Rica, Honduras.

Nomenclature

 *  scrobifera. Pheidole scrobifera Emery, 1896g: 73, pl. 1, fig. 14 (s.w.q.m.) COSTA RICA. Combination in P. (Scrobopheidole): Emery, 1915i: 190. See also: Wilson, 2003: 629.

Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS Distinguished from other members of the scrobifera group as follows.

Major: pilosity very short, absent on anterior half of dorsal profile of head and present as uniform, suberect hairs along the posterior half of the profile; entire dorsal head surface posterior to the eyes rugoreticulate; promesonotal sculpturing consisting entirely of foveolation; petiolar and postpetiolar nodes entirely smooth and shiny; head capsule with bilateral dark spots.

Minor: humerus cornulate; propodeal spines long and slender; dorsal head surface and all of mesosoma foveolate, with no carinulae or rugulae anywhere on the body.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Major (La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica): HW 0.88, HL 1.08, SL 0.42, EL 0.14, PW 0.54. Minor (La Selva Biological Station): HW 0.44, HL 0.46, SL 0.36, EL 0.10, PW 0.30.

COLOR Major: head and mandibles light reddish brown, with bilateral dark brown spots on the dorsal surface, as illustrated; mesosoma a slightly lighter shade of light reddish brown; waist, gaster, legs, and antennae brownish yellow.

Minor: head and mesosoma dark, slightly reddish yellow; appendages clear medium yellow.



'''Figure. Upper: major (right hind femur shown at bottom). Lower: minor. COSTA RICA: La Selva Biological Station, near Puerto Viejo, col. Stefan Cover. Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Material
- as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
Jiménez, near Guapiles, Costa Rica. (Wilson 2003)

Etymology
L scrobifera, trench-bearer, alluding to the antennal scrobes. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Emery, C. 1896. Studi sulle formiche della fauna neotropica, XVII–XXV. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 28: 33–107.

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