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; first 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. Mesoépinotal 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. 
