Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus.
Author
Wilson, E. O.
text
2003
Harvard University Press
Cambridge, MA
http://atbi.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/reference-full.html?id=20017
book
20017
Pheidole obtusopilosa
Mayr
Pheidole obtusopilosa
Mayr 1887: 586. Raised to species level in this monograph:
heterothrix
.
Types Naturhist. Mus. Wien.
Etymology L
obtusopilosa
, blunt-haired, allusion uncertain.
Diagnosis Similar to
heterothrix
, distinguished from it and other
Pheidole
species by the following combination of traits. Major: entire dorsal surface of head rugoreticulate except for frontal lobes, frontal triangle, clypeus, and anterior genae; humeri rugoreticulate; anterior margin of pronotal dorsum carinulate; all of mesosoma and waist foveolate; postpetiole from above elliptical. Minor: almost all of body except gaster foveolate and opaque; humeri subangulate; propodeal spines moderately long and slender; occipital margin concave; nuchal collar absent.
Measurements (mm) Lectotype major: HW 1.16, HL 1.18, SL 0.54, EL 0.14, PW 0.60.
Paralectotype minor: HW 0.56, HL 0.58, SL 0.50, EL 0.10, PW 0.36.
Color Major: body light reddish brown except for gaster, which is plain medium brown.
Range Recorded from Uruguay; and, in Argentina, the northern and central provinces of Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Jujuy, La Pampa, and Tucuman (Kempf 1972b). I have confirmed a series from Sao Paulo.
biology A collection of
obtusopilosa
was made by William L. Brown at the Boraceia Biological Station, near Salesopolis, Sao Paulo, in wet mountain forest at 850 m.
Figure Upper: lectotype, major. Lower: paralectotype, minor. URUGUAY (no further locality). Scale bars = 1 mm.