332 
Psyche 
[December 
soldiers weigh against considering them as different species, so per- 
haps the queens of the new species found nests by entering the nest 
of some other Pheidole species. If so, then what is the need for the 
phragmotic posterior in the queen? Does she enter a circular burrow 
in a twig or in rotten wood in or near the host nest, and seal herself 
off from the host workers by phragmosis? 
Whatever the truth proves to be, it will certainly make a fascinat- 
ing story when the life history of the new Pheidole is better known. 
One interesting but inconspicuous feature is the presence of a few 
short, fine, outstanding setae ranged around the rim of the phrag- 
motic face of the gaster (Fig. 6) ; undoubtedly these serve as 
“vibrissae”, or sense hairs that inform the insect as to how snugly 
the plug is fitting into whatever passage or entrance it presumably 
blocks during some critical phase of adult life. 
Pheidole embolopyx sp. nov. (Figs. 1-7) 
Holotype soldier: TL (total outstretched length, including man- 
dibles) 3.5, HL (length of head without mandibles) 1.03, HW 
(without eyes) 0.96, (Cephalic Index 93), WL (diagonal length of 
alitrunk in side view, without pronotal cervix) 0.9 1, scape L (chord 
to basal collar) 0.75, greatest diameter of compound eye 0.16 mm. 
Form of head and body as in Figs. 1 and 3. Median sulcus of 
head reaching to frontal triangle; triangle and middle of clypeus 
smooth and shining, as are mandibles except for basolateral striation. 
As seen in perfect full-face view when held straight back, the scapes 
miss the apices of the occipital lobes by somewhat more than the width 
of the scape apex. The scapes appear more slender in some front 
views than they do in Fig. 3, and more curved towards the base 
(compare Fig. 1). 
The alitrunk resembles those of P. triconstricta and P. radoszkow- 
skii, with its deeply notched mesonotum and lesser constriction of the 
posterior pronotum along its suture with the mesonotum (indicated 
by black shading in Fig. 1 ) . In dorsal view, raised but rounded 
humeri project from the middle of the pronotal sides. Propodeal 
dorsum sulcate its length, the sulcus wider behind. 
Petiole slender, with a rather long anterior peduncle and antero- 
posteriorly compressed, almost squamiform node (W about 0.14 mm), 
with horizontal crest, vertical sides, and rounded corners as seen 
from behind. Postpetiole bun-shaped as seen from above, only about 
1/3 wider than the petiole (W 0.20 mm) and its own length (0.14 
mm) ; sides gently rounded in front, then nearly straight to posterior 
