Pheidole pholeops

Cover and Tobin collected several colonies at the type locality (Cuzco Amazónico, Peru) in terra firme forest and forest transitional between terra firme and seasonally flooded forest, nesting in rotting sticks and logs on the forest floor and (in one case) in the soil. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Known from the type locality; from the vicinity of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil; and from Yasuni National Park, Puerto Tipugini, Ecuador. (Wilson 2003)

This taxon was described from Peru.

Description
Similar to Pheidole asperithorax, Pheidole exigua, Pheidole flavens and Pheidole nuculiceps, differing as follows.

Major: a small depression in the posterior center of the vertex gives an illusion of a hole; posterior dorsal profile of head very feebly concave; promesonotum raised, with two pronotal and one angular mesonotal convexity in dorsal-oblique view; postpetiole diamond-shaped; faint antennal scrobes present; almost all of dorsal surface of head carinulate and foveolate; all of mesosoma foveolate, and anterior third of pronotum carinulate.

Minor: eye large and set forward on head; propodeal spines reduced to denticles; all of dorsal surface of head and mesosoma foveolate.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.70, HL 0.76, SL 0.40, EL 0.12, PW 0.34. Paratype minor: HW 0.34, HL 0.36, SL 0.32, EL 0.08, PW 0.22.

COLOR Major: body light brownish yellow (“bronze”), appendages clear medium yellow.



'''Figure. Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Locality Information
PERU: Cuzco Amazónico, 15 km northeast of Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios (Stefan Cover and John Tobin).

Etymology
Gr pholeops, like a hole, or cavity, referring to illusion of a small hole in vertex.