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Costa Rica: Penas Blancas.
This species inhabits wet forest, and is presumably arboreal, nesting in live plant stems.
Pheidole trunculaHNS new species
Types INB io.
Etymology L trunculaHNS, diminutive of trunca, cut off, maimed, referring to the head of the major.
Diagnosis a typical member of the lamiaHNS group: the major has a phragmotic head, with the anterior portion incorporating the clypeus and mandibles flattened (truncated), and deep antennal scrobes. This species is easily distinguished from the other members of the lamiaHNS group ( colobopsisHNS, lamiaHNS, pelorHNS) by the complete absence of carinulae on the head, which is instead foveolate and opaque, and by other differences in body form and sculpturing as depicted.
Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 0.74, HL 0.94, SL 0.42, EL 0.14, PW 0.44.
Paralectotype minor: HW 0.50, HL 0.52, SL 0.40, EL 0.10, PW 0.30.
color Major: concolorous yellowish brown.
Minor: light brown except for funiculus and tarsi, which are dark yellow.
range Known only from several collections from the type locality.
Biology Occurs at Penas Blancas in wet forest and nests at least in part arboreally, apparently in live plant stems (Longino 1997). On one occasion workers were mixed with those of the rare army-ant-like ponerine SimopeltaHNS, making it likely that the trunculaHNS were under attack as prey at the moment of collection.
Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. COSTA RICA: Penas Blancas, Alajuela, lO^ON 84°70 W 940 m (J. T. Longino). Scale bars = 1 mm.
Found most commonly in these habitats: 31 times found in montane wet forest, 2 times found in mature wet forest.
Found most commonly in these microhabitats: 1 times ex live stem Inga, 1 times ex Guarea, arbol 12m, 2 times Sobre Vegetacion, 2 times recent branchfall, nest in dead branch, 1 times ex Cecropia polyphlebia branch, simopelta raiding column. I followed the times wet forest, around Guindon cabin. 0830, 1 times madera muerta caida cerca quebrada, 1 times bajo de M/20, 1 times bajo de M/18.
Collected most commonly using these methods: 22 times Malaise, 2 times search, 2 times flight intercept trap, 2 times Foggin, 2 times Sweeping, 1 times Berlese.
Elevations: collected from 500 - 1100 meters, 1062 meters average
Type specimens: holotype major Pheidole truncula: inbiocri002279600; Paratype Pheidole truncula: inbiocri001283919, inbiocri002279601