MANN: THE ANTS OF BRAZIL. 431 



81. Pheidole (Pheidole) wheeleri, sp. nov. 

 Plate 3, fig. 23. 



Soldier. (Plate 3, fig. 23). Length 3.5 mm. 



Head, excluding mandibles, a fourth longer than broad, narrowed 

 in front, with slightly convex sides, broadly rounded occipital corners 

 and narrowly excavated border. Mandibles thick, blunt at apex, 

 with one blunt subapical tooth. Clypeus flat, without a keel; the 

 anterior border at middle rather strongly bisinuate. Frontal area 

 large, triangular. Frontal carinae moderately elevated at base, 

 nearly straight, diverging, extending as far as apex of antennal scapes. 

 Antennal scapes slightly bent at base, thickened at apex; reaching to 

 half the distance between eye and occipital corners. Funiculus short 

 and thick, the club as long as the remainder; fu"st joint twice as long 

 as broad, joints 2-7 broader than long, joints 8-9 longer than broad; 

 apical joint of club as long as the two preceding together. Eye small, 

 flat, located at sides of anterior third of head. Pronotum twice as 

 broad as long, in front narrow and flat; sides from above drawn out 

 into strong conical projections, in front of which the straight side 

 margins converge to the flattened portion. Promesonotal suture 

 discernible, but not impressed. Mesonotum flat above to the pos- 

 terior fourth, where it is declivous. Mesoepinotal suture broad and 

 deep. Base of epinotum longer than the declivity, narrowly excavated 

 longitudinally; the sides rounded; base strongly depressed; spines 

 stout, erect, half as long as the base. Petiolar node wedge-shaped in 

 profile; from above, more than twice as broad as long. Postpetiole 

 transverse, one and a half times as broad as the petiole, the sides 

 bluntly conical. Gaster short and oval. Legs short, the femora very 

 much swollen; tibiae thickened at anterior half. 



Body, except epinotum, head, mandibles, antennae, and legs shining. 

 Mandibles with very distinct, regular, scattered punctures; clypeus 

 smooth and shining. Cheeks and sides of the anterior portion of 

 front longitudinally striate, the striae short, extending to about 

 opposite the eyes; the spaces between shining. Front with rather 

 strong, regular, widely separated punctures. Pro- and mesonotum 

 with sparse punctures; the conical lateral pronotal projections densely 

 punctate at apex. Epinotum sublucid, shallowly granulosely punc- 

 tate. Petiole, postpetiole, and gaster sparsely punctate, the posterior 

 portion and sides of the postpetiole transversely rugulose. 



