Pheidole perpusilla

Two colonies in Guyana were found in the abandoned portions of Nasutitermes carton nests. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Recorded from Panama, Guyana, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago and Pará, Brazil. (Wilson 2003)

This taxon was described from Brazil.

Nomenclature

 *  perpusilla. Pheidole flavens subsp. perpusilla Emery, 1894c: 157 (s.w.q.) BRAZIL. Combination in P. (Decapheidole): Forel, 1912f: 237. Raised to species: Emery, 1896g: 80. Senior synonym of decem, emersoni: Wilson, 2003: 553; of breviscapa: Longino, 2009: 61..
 * breviscapa. Pheidole flavens var. breviscapa Forel, 1899c: 77 (s.) GUATEMALA. Raised to species: Wilson, 2003: 383. Junior synonym of perpusilla: Longino, 2009: 61.
 * decem. Pheidole decem Forel, 1901e: 366 (s.) TRINIDAD. Combination in P. (Decapheidole): Forel, 1912f: 237. Junior synonym of perpusilla: Wilson, 2003: 553.
 * emersoni. Pheidole (Hendecapheidole) emersoni Wheeler, W.M. 1922d: 4, fig. 2 (w.q.m.) GUYANA. Junior synonym of perpusilla: Wilson, 2003: 553.

Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS A member of the perpusilla group (10-segmented antenna, very small body size), distinguished within the group by the following traits.

Major: dorsum of head except for frontal triangle and mid-clypeus completely covered by longitudinal carinulae; propodeal spines short and stout, less than a third as long as the basal propodeal face anterior to them; first gastral tergite and dorsum of postpetiolar node smooth and shiny; pronotum varies from foveolate (South America) to smooth (Panama).

Minor: all of head and mesosoma foveolate and opaque.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Major (Mazaruni, Guyana): HW 0.60, HL 0.62, SL 0.26, EL 0.06, PW 0.32. Minor (syntype of synonymous emersoni): HW 0.34, HL 0.38, SL 0.28, EL 0.06, PW 0.26.

COLOR Major: most of body and appendages reddish yellow, gaster medium to dark brown.

Minor: body yellowish brown, appendages in contrasting yellow.



'''Figure. Upper: major, composite of specimens from Mazaruni, Guyana, and Barro Colorado Island, Panama (latter specimen compared with syntype in Emery collection by W. L. Brown). Lower: minor, Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Material
- as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
Belém, Pará, Brazil. (Wilson 2003)

Etymology
L perpusilla, extremely small. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Emery, C. 1894d. Studi sulle formiche della fauna neotropica, VI–XVI. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 26: 137–241.

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