Pheidole sarcina

Rosumek (2017) assessed trophic resource use and period of activity within the ant community in a southern Brazil Atlantic forest. He found this species collected more seeds and feces than other more generalist Phediole species sampled in this study. It is known to commonly nest in twigs within leaf litter (Fernandes et al., 2018).

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
From Wilson (2003): Known from type locality, from other localities in São Paulo, and from near Bucay, Guayas, Ecuador (W. L. Brown).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Brazil, Ecuador.

Worker
Minor

Nomenclature

 *  sarcina. Pheidole breviconus var. sarcina Forel, 1912f: 230 (s.w.) BRAZIL. Raised to species: Wilson, 2003: 748.

Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS Similar in various traits to Pheidole alpinensis, Pheidole androsana, Pheidole antillana, Pheidole avia, Pheidole bakeri, Pheidole guilelmimuelleri and Pheidole praeses, differing in the following combination.

Major: frontal lobes project for short distance as lobes, in side view; humerus obliquely subangulate and mesonotal convexity rightangulate in dorsal-oblique view; petiolar node tapers to a rounded point in side view; postpetiole spinose; shallow, narrow antennal scrobe present; carinulae originating on frontal lobes spread outward all the way to the occiput; occipital lobes smooth with scattered foveae; small rugoreticulum behind each antennal fossa; most of pronotal dorsum and propodeal dorsum carinulate.

Minor: occiput narrow, with nuchal collar; all of posterior dorsum of head and almost all of mesonotal and propodeal dorsa “tigerstriped” with semicircular and transverse carinulae; propodeal spine reduced to denticle.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Syntype major: HW 1.54, HL 1.54, SL 0.80, EL 0.18, PW 0.72. Syntype minor: HW 0.60, HL 0.70, SL 0.82, EL 0.12, PW 0.46.

COLOR Major: body medium reddish brown, appendages light reddish brown.

Minor: head and mesosoma medium reddish brown; waist, gaster, and appendages light reddish brown.



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

Type Material
BRAZIL: Botucatu, São Paulo. - as reported in Wilson (2003)

Etymology
L sarcina, package, bundle, possibly alluding to frontal cephalic carinulae. (Wilson 2003)