Pheidole nitidicollis

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

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Described from Costa Rica by Emery, listed from Ceará, Brazil by Kempf (1972), and identified by me from series collected on Nevis in the Lesser Antilles, as well as Kingston, Jamaica. Pheidole nitidicollis is thus widespread and may be transported (as to Nevis) by human commerce. (Wilson 2003)

This taxon was described from Costa Rica.

Nomenclature

 *  nitidicollis. Pheidole dimidiata var. nitidicollis Emery, 1896g: 79 (s.w.) COSTA RICA. Subspecies of dimidiata: Emery, 1922e: 107. Raised to species: Wilson, 2003: 474. Senior synonym of sagana: Longin, 2009: 58.
 * sagana. Pheidole sagana Wheeler, W.M. 1934g: 169 (s.w.) MEXICO. Junior synonym of nitidicollis: Longino, 2009: 58.See also: Wilson, 2003: 501.

Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS A small, yellow member of the flavens group whose major has a prominent, rounded humerus that rises well above the mesonotum in dorsal-oblique view, a roughly semicircular outline of promesonotum in side view, and an oval postpetiolar node. Similar to tenerescens but with the major possessing a low mesonotal convexity present (in side view), longer cephalic carinulae, larger propodeal spine and spiracle, and with a brown as opposed to yellow gaster. See also the less similar Pheidole arhuaca, Pheidole flavifrons, Pheidole minutula, other species listed as close to Pheidole arhuaca, and members of the “flavens complex” listed under flavens (q.v.).

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Lectotype major: HW 0.80, HL 0.84, SL 0.44, EL 0.10, PW 0.40. Minor (Nevis): HW 0.42, HL 0.44, SL 0.40, EL 0.06, PW 0.24.

COLOR Major and minor: yellow.



'''Figure. Upper: lectotype, major. Lower: minor. Nevis, West Indies, col. Neal A. Weber, associated major compared with lectotype. Scale bars = 1 mm.'''

Type Material
- as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
COSTA RICA: Puerto Jiménez, Osa Peninsula.

Etymology
L nitidicollis, shiny neck, referring evidently to the smooth rear of head. (Wilson 2003)

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

Kempf, W. W. 1972b. Catálogo abreviado das formigas da região Neotropical. Stud. Entomol. 15: 3–344.

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