Pheidole bilimeki Reconsidered (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Pheidole bilimeki is a common ant species throughout northern South America, Central America, and southern Mexico. Character variation is reevaluated and Pheidole bilimeki is redefined. Pheidole anastasii rev. stat. and P. jamaicensis rev. stat., n. stat. are removed from synonymy and P. jamaicensis is elevated to species rank. Pheidole anastasii is a relatively uniform species that lives in plant cavities in the understory of closed canopy forest. Pheidole jamaicensis and P. bilimeki inhabit open areas and are often associated with human altered landscapes. Pheidole anastasii occurs in lowland Atlantic slope forests from Panama to Guatemala and southern Mexico (Chiapas); P. jamaicensis is restricted to the islands of Jamaica and Hispaniola; P. bilimeki occurs on Cuba, the Bahamas, and the American mainland. Differentiating characters are also provided for Pheidole punctatissima, a common species with habitus and habits similar to P. bilimeki.