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Pheidole indagatrixHNS new species

Types Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard.

etymology L indagatrixHNS, huntress.

diagnosis A member of the fallaxHNS group with some similarities to haskinsorumHNS, hectorHNS, and petrensisHNS, distinguished as follows. Major: antennal scape surpasses occipital corner by about its own maximum width; frontal lobes mostly rugoreticulate; pilosity dense and long over all the body, many hairs longer than Eye Length; rugoreticula mesad to each eye extend most of the way to the anterior border of head; all of posterior half of dorsal surface of head punctate and opaque, as well as most of pronotum; anterior half of central strip of first gastral tergite shagreened; propodeal spines long and thin; postpetiole from above diamond-shaped. Minor: propodeal spines long and thin; pilosity dense, with many hairs as long as Eye Length; occiput narrow, with nuchal collar. Measurements (mm) Holotype major: HW 1.18, HL 1.26, SL 1.10, EL 0.20, PW 0.60. Paratype minor: HW 0.60, HL 0.80, SL 1.04, EL 0.20, PW 0.42.

Color Major: body and mandibles medium reddish brown; gaster medium brown; legs and antennae light reddish brown except for the tarsi, which are yellow.

Minor: body and mandibles medium reddish brown; rest of appendages yellowish brown.

Range A common species in Costa Rica from Meseta Central northward, up to 1500 m (Longino 1997).

Biology According to Longino (1997), indagatrixHNS occurs in moist to wet forests, both on the ground and in the canopy, and forages both day and night. It is equally flexible in nesting sites, with colonies having been found variously in and under dead wood on the ground, and in one case each, under accreted soil on the side of a tree trunk and in a hollow live stem. Winged males have been found in nests in January and March.

Figure Upper: holotype, major. Lower: paratype, minor. COSTA RICA: 3-5 km east of Turrialba (William L. Brown). Scale bars = 1 mm.