I think these are the coolest Pheidole species ever, and won't rest until I get myself a colony of them.
I just came across more Pheidole vistana yesterday while hiking in Modjeska Canyon, California, and figured I'd share some of the pictures and video I got of them. Some day soon I will get myself a really nice camera, but until then, this is all I have to work with. This time I actually found the nest, and was able to wrangle a major into a container to take pictures of later, while she was at the nest entrance fighting off Phorid flies.
Here's a little video I put together of them foraging. They're pretty funny how fast they move with their long legs, and how much stuff they bring back to their nest. Most Pheidole I've seen (usually the very tiny ones) move fairly slow, but not these guys.
Here's some video I got of them being attacked by Phorid flies.