Pheidole tragica

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

Identification
See the description in the nomenclature section.

Distribution
Only known from the type locality.

This taxon was described from Mexico.

Nomenclature

 *  tragica. Pheidole tragica Wheeler, W.M. 1934g: 167 (s.w.) MEXICO. See also: Wilson, 2003: 526.

Description
From Wilson (2003): DIAGNOSIS A somewhat larger brown species, whose major has a bicolorous head, rugoreticulum mesad to the eye, conspicuous foveae scattered over the otherwise smooth posterior half of the dorsal head capsule, and cornulate postpetiole. The mesonotum of the major and minor has no dorsal convexity, and its posterior face descends abruptly to the metanotum.

Somewhat similar to Pheidole arhuaca, Pheidole caulicola, Pheidole chalca, Pheidole chalcoides, Pheidole mixteca and Pheidole scabriventris, but easily distinguished by combinations of many or all of the above traits.

MEASUREMENTS (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.04, HL 1.20, SL 0.60, EL 0.18, PW 0.56. Paralectotype minor: HW 0.54, HL 0.58, SL 0.50, EL 0.12, PW 0.34.

COLOR Major: head bicolorous, with anterior third brownish yellow and posterior two-thirds medium brown; rest of body concolorous medium brown.

Minor: body concolorous medium brown.



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

Type Material
- as reported in Wilson (2003)

Type Locality Information
MEXICO: Pedregal, near Mexico City, col. Elisabeth Skwarra. (Wilson 2003)

Etymology
Gr tragicus, pertaining to tragedy, significance unknown. (Wilson 2003)

Additional References
Wheeler, W. M. 1934g. Neotropical ants collected by Dr. Elisabeth Skwarra and others. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 77: 157–240.

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