Pheidole midas

Stefan Cover collected the type colony from a nest in a rotting stick on the floor of montane rainforest. (Wilson 2003)

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Known from the type locality (Trinidad) as well as series from Panama, Colombia, Brazil (Pará), Peru, and Ecuador. (Wilson 2003)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Ecuador, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela.

Nomenclature

 *  midas. Pheidole midas Wilson, 2003: 324, figs. (s.w.) TRINIDAD.

Description
A small yellow member of the fallax group characterized by the following combination of traits.

Major: head heart-shaped; pilosity over all of body, and especially clypeus, mesosoma, waist, and gaster, very long, dense, and erect to suberect; a large-celled patch of rugoreticulum present to the side and behind each antennal fossa; carinulae on head and body almost entirely limited to the anterior half of the head, with most of the frontal lobes bare.

Minor: occiput broad, lacking nuchal collar; pilosity very long and mostly erect to suberect; only carinulae present are the circular ones around the antennal fossae, and foveolation is limited to the meso- and metathorax and propodeum, with the rest of the body smooth and shiny.

Similar to Pheidole aenescens, Pheidole alienata, Pheidole bergi, Pheidole chrysops, Pheidole cordiceps and Pheidole nesiota, as described and illustrated.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.92, HL 0.88, SL 0.74, EL 0.14, PW 0.46. Paratype minor: HW 0.50, HL 0.62, SL 0.70, EL 0.10, PW 0.34.

COLOR Major and minor: concolorous medium yellow.



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

Type Material
TRINIDAD: Aripo Ridge, Arima Valley, 550–650 m, col. Stefan Cover and Mark W. Moffett.

Etymology
Gr Midas, mythical king whose touch turned everything to gold; with reference to the color of the workers.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Delabie J. H. C., R. Céréghino, S. Groc, A. Dejean, M. Gibernau, B. Corbara, and A. Dejean. 2009. Ants as biological indicators of Wayana Amerindian land use in French Guiana. Comptes Rendus Biologies 332(7): 673-684.
 * Fichaux M., B. Bechade, J. Donald, A. Weyna, J. H. C. Delabie, J. Murienne, C. Baraloto, and J. Orivel. 2019. Habitats shape taxonomic and functional composition of Neotropical ant assemblages. Oecologia 189(2): 501-513.
 * Franco W., N. Ladino, J. H. C. Delabie, A. Dejean, J. Orivel, M. Fichaux, S. Groc, M. Leponce, and R. M. Feitosa. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674(5): 509-543.
 * Groc S., J. H. C. Delabie, F. Fernandez, F. Petitclerc, B. Corbara, M. Leponce, R. Cereghino, and A. Dejean. 2017. Litter-dwelling ants as bioindicators to gauge the sustainability of small arboreal monocultures embedded in the Amazonian rainforest. Ecological Indicators 82: 43-49.
 * Groc S., J. Orivel, A. Dejean, J. Martin, M. Etienne, B. Corbara, and J. H. C. Delabie. 2009. Baseline study of the leaf-litter ant fauna in a French Guianese forest. Insect Conservation and Diversity 2: 183-193.
 * Mertl, A.L., K.T. Ryder Wilkie and J.F.A. Traniello. 2009. Impact of Flooding on the Species Richness, Density and Composition of Amazonian Litter-Nesting Ants. Biotropica 41(5):633-641
 * Nascimento Santos M., J. H. C. Delabie, and J. M. Queiroz. 2019. Biodiversity conservation in urban parks: a study of ground-dwelling ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Rio de Janeiro City. Urban Ecosystems https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-019-00872-8
 * Peres M. C. L. 2012. Efeito de clareiras naturais sobre as assembleias de formigas (Formicidae) e aranhas (Araneae) num trecho de Mata Atlantica. PhD thesis, Universidade Federal da Bahia, 111 pages.
 * Pires de Prado L., R. M. Feitosa, S. Pinzon Triana, J. A. Munoz Gutierrez, G. X. Rousseau, R. Alves Silva, G. M. Siqueira, C. L. Caldas dos Santos, F. Veras Silva, T. Sanches Ranzani da Silva, A. Casadei-Ferreira, R. Rosa da Silva, and J. Andrade-Silva. 2019. An overview of the ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the state of Maranhao, Brazil. Pap. Avulsos Zool. 59: e20195938.
 * Siqueira de Castro F., A. B. Gontijo, P. de Tarso Amorim Castro, and S. Pontes Ribeiro. 2012. Annual and Seasonal Changes in the Structure of Litter-Dwelling Ant Assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Atlantic Semideciduous Forests. Psyche doi:10.1155/2012/959715