Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius) - minors

MINOR - new description
TL ca 2.7 mm; CI 79, MI 40, SI 142, OI 30, PI 52
Head a somewhat elongated oval, sometimes with a straightish occiput; with a narrow to very narrow nuchal collar
Mandibles moderately long, with a mixture of minute teeth and small teeth on the masticatory margin; and with two larger apical teeth
Anterior margin of clypeus weakly convex, without a median or any other carinae; with only four weak forward facing long hairs
Frontal carinae short but widest apart at posterior limit; set well apart, about half the width of the head at the level of the antennal insertions
Scapes long and relatively thick, broadening in the apical one-third to about twice the basal width, surpassing the occiput by more than 1/3 of their length; funiculus about 25% longer than scape; the 3-segmented club has the apical segment about two-thirds the length of the two pre-apical segments; the pre-apical segments are about twice as long as they are wide
The eye is fairly small and only moderately convex; the anteriormost point is about 1.4 X own length back from the anterior point of the genae
Alitrunk profile with promesonotum evenly and moderately convex with the pro-mesonotal suture marked only by the presence of spiculate sculpturation on the mesonotum and not interrupting the profile; the metanotal groove is distinct but shallowly impressed both dorsally and laterally; the propodeum has the dorsum convex in profile, with very weak lateral margination culminating in very small sharp teeth, the declivity is straight
The petiole has a fairly long pedicel and a moderately high, narrow triangular profile, with a sharp the apex; the postpetiole has a low, assymetric, globular profile, from above it is pyriform, pear-shaped and no more than 1.5 X as wide as the petiole, with the widest part being slightly forward of the posterior margin
The gaster is narrowly ovoid viewed both laterally and from above; it has a straight anterior margin
The legs are relatively long with weakly swollen femora
The whole of the head, body, antennae and legs bear fine erect hairs which are oblique on the head and gaster
Very shiny with very little sculpturation other than very fine longitudinal striations on the lateral head and dense fine puncturation on the lateral mesonotum and the propodeum.

Specimens examined - Cameroun McKey Project - 3 majors, 14 minors; Gabon Braet - 3 majors, 24 minors; Mali King - 3 minors; Rwanda Bizimungu - 4 minors; Saudi Arabia, Mostaf Sharaf - 10 minors.

The photomontage is of minor specimens from Gabon, Pongara National Park, Pointe Wingombé; Gabon 25; 17.vii.2006; sweeping at the edge of the lagoon; collected by Yves Braet. Other images can be seen in the folder at - .

The photomontage is of minor workers from Saudi Arabia, Wadi Abha, 18°12'59"N 42°30'19"E; 1.i.2008; collector Mostafa Sharaf.