1906.] Whefler, The Ants of the Grand Canon. 337 



southern New York. It is a grain-storing species and seems to build 

 indifferently under stones or in the open soil. In the latter case its 

 shallow nests are surmounted by straggling craters scarcel}^ more 

 than an inch in diameter. 



7. Pheidole ceres Wheeler. — A few colonies of this seed-storing 

 species, which is common through the mountains of Colorado at an 

 elevation of 6000 to 8000 feet, were found under stones near the 

 Bright Angel Hotel on the rim of the canon. 



8. Pheidole desertorum sp. nov. 



Soldier. Length 4.5-5 mm. 



Head distinctly longer than broad; sides evenly arcuate, with the rather 

 large convex eyes in front of the middle; posterior margin deeply excised, with 

 a pronounced occipital groove. Mandibles convex, with two stout apical teeth. 

 Clypeus short, fiat, carinate in the middle, with a broad median excision in its 

 anterior border. Frontal carinas about J as long as the head; frontal area 

 subtriangular, somewhat truncated behind. Antennae very slender, scapes 

 slightly curved at the base, but not flattened, slightly thickened towards their 

 tips which extend a little beyond the posterior corners of the head. Funiculus 

 very slender, all the joints more than twice as long as broad; the 3 -jointed club 

 more than f as long as the remainder of the funiculus, its joints subequal, 

 nearly 4 times as long as broad. Thorax in front half as broad as the head, 

 without distinct humeral angles; promesonotal depression shallow but distinct; 

 mesoepinotal depression deep. Basal surface of epinotum fiat, longer than the 

 declivity, which is sloping and longitudinally impressed in the middle. Epinotal 

 spines small and erect, a little further apart at their bases than long. Petiole 

 more than twice as long as broad; from above somewhat violin-shaped, with 

 a rather high node, compressed anteroposteriorly and somewhat notched in the 

 middle; its anterior slope long and concave, its posterior slope short and abrupt. 

 Postpetiole short, about twice as broad as long, gradually narrowed anteriorly , 

 truncated behind ; in profile rounded above in front and abruptly concave behind . 

 Lower surfaces of petiole and postpetiole rather fiat. Gaster smaller than the 

 head. Legs long and slender. 



Shining; mandibles very sparsely and coarsely punctate; punctures elongated 

 and parallel on the inner edges of the blades, outer basal surfaces very coarsely 

 striated. Clypeus smooth in the middle, striated on the sides. Frontal area 

 smooth. Anterior f of head longitudinally and somewhat reticulately rugose, 

 most distinctly on the cheeks and between the frontal carinae; the spaces between 

 the rugae more or less punctate. Posterior corners smooth, without distinct 

 ptmctures. Pro thorax shining; meso- and metathorax with dense but shallow 

 punctures. Petiole and postpetiole finely punctate, except the dorsal portion 

 of the former, which is smooth. Gaster finely shagreened at the base. 



Hairs abundant, suberect, pale yellow, covering the body and appendages 

 throughout. 



Body yellowish red or reddish brown; mandibles, clypeus and pedicel some- 

 what darker; gaster and edges of mandibles black, the base of the former yellow- 

 ish or brownish. Legs and antennae yellow. 



[Sept., ipo6.] 22 



