1906.] Wheeler, The Ants of the Grand Canon. 339 



as the petiole, distinctly broader than long and much broader behind than in 

 front, with subangular sides. Gaster somewhat flattened above, convex on 

 the ventral side. Legs long and slender. 



Smooth and shining; head finely granular except on the front; epinotum 

 subopaque, finely punctate. 



Hairs like those of the soldier but sparser; pubescence on the antennae rather 

 conspicuous. 



Sordid yellow; head, with the exception of the clypeus and mandibles, 

 black. Posterior -| of scutellum and upper surface of gaster dark brown, an- 

 terior portion of basal segment j'^ellow. Wings grayish hyaline, with brown 

 stigma and yellowish veins. 



The types of this species, comprising several specimens of each 

 of the above described phases, were taken at Fort Davis, Texas 

 (5400 feet), during June, 1902. It forms rather populous colonies 

 under stones or in rough crater nests, often in very dry spots in the 

 desert, and like Ph. dentata is highly carnivorous. I have taken it also 

 at Ash Fork, Prescott, Phoenix, and Tucson, Arizona (May, 1905). 

 In Prescott one of the colonies was found nesting in a dry pine log. 

 In both soldiers and workers from this locality the epinotal spines 

 are very short, almost absent in the worker. The two following 

 varieties may be distinguished among my specimens from other 

 localities in the southwest: 



Pheidole desertorum var. comanche var. nov. 

 Based on numerous soldiers and workers taken in the Paisano 

 Pass near Alpine, Texas, (5079 feet, June, 1902) and at Terlingua in 

 the Great Bend of the Rio Grande (Dec. 1901). These specimens 

 are much darker than those of the typical form, the head, thorax, 

 pedicel and gaster both in the soldier and worker being uniformly 

 chestnut brown, the legs yellowish. The head of the soldier is some- 

 what more shining, especially behind. A single dealated female of 

 this variety from the Paisano Pass differs from the female of the typical 

 form in having the gaster black and the mesonotum darker in the 

 middle. 



Pheidole desertorum var. maricopa var. nov. 



In this variety the soldiers and workers are yellow throughout, 

 except the borders of the mandibles, frontal carinae and anterior 

 border of the clypeus, which are dark brown, and the antennal scapes 

 and occipital groove, which are reddish. The head of the soldier is 

 less shining than in the preceding variety and the mandibles have 

 minute teeth along their basal border. 



Described from several soldiers and workers taken from a single 



