Pheidole punctatissima Mayr, 1870

The following account is from Sarnat et al. (2015) and figure numbers refer to that publication.

Pheidole punctatissima is a small species with entirely punctate minor workers that are usually dark red brown to nearly black. The major workers are easily recognizable by the distinct bicolored head which is dark anteriorly and yellowish white posteriorly. Pheidole punctatissima is a member of the Neotropical P. punctatissima clade, together with P. anastasii and P. bilimeki (Economo et al. 2015). Among species treated here, it is easily confused with the aforementioned and with members of the P. flavens complex. Minor workers can also be confused with those of P. parva. Within the P. punctatissima clade, the major workers of P. punctatissima are immediately distinguished from those of both P. anastasii and P. bilimeki by their bicolored heads (Fig. 33). The minor workers of P. punctatissima tend to have relatively narrower posterior head margins and longer antennal scapes than those of P. anastasii and P. bilimeki, but separation can be difficult. See section under P. anastasii for identification notes.