Lasius tebessae

Lasius tebessae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Lasiini
Genus:	Lasius
Section:	niger clade
Species group:	niger
Species:	L. tebessae
Binomial name
Lasius tebessae Seifert, 1992 Specimen Labels

A forest dwelling species.

Identification

Keys including this Species

• Key to Palaearctic Lasius s. str.
• Key to Palaearctic Lasius subgenus Lasius s. st.

Distribution

Seifert (2020) - Occurring from North Morocco (34.915°N, 5.393°W) to East Algeria (35.400°N, 8.117°E) at elevations between 888 and 1750 m.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Algeria (type locality), Israel.

Distribution based on AntMaps

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.

Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.

Habitat

Seifert (2020) - The species is apparently bound to habitats with trees. Reported were Quercus ilex, Pinus halepensis and Picea forests and an open pasture with scattered trees.

Castes

.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

• tebessae. Lasius (Lasius) tebessae Seifert, 1992b: 37, fig. 27 (w.q.) ALGERIA.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Seifert (2020) - Absolute size rather large (CS 966 µm). Head length index large (CL/CW900 1.090), scape length index large (SL/CS900 1.037); postocular distance small (PoOc/CL900 0.218), eye and torulo-clypeal distance large (EYE/CS900 0.249, dClAn900 5.20); terminal segment of maxillary palp long (MP6/CS900 0.230). Number of mandibular dents of average level (MaDe900 8.13). Pubescence on clypeus denser than in L. emarginatus (sqPDCL900 4.07); frontal pubescence rather short (PLF900 27.6). Setae length slightly larger than in L. emarginatus but their number very similar (PnHL/CS900 0.155, GuHL/ CS900 0.136, nOcc900 11.6, nGen900 6.3, nGu900 7.0, nSc900 8.8, nHT900 14.7). Coloration: variable from concolorous medium to dark brown to moderately bicolored with mesosoma lighter than head and gaster. The concolorous pale yellowish-reddish brown pigmentation of the type specimens is possibly caused by bleaching during 25 years of ethanol storage.

See table 8 in Seifert 2020 for additional morphometrics. The abbreviated names of various quantitative data shown above are defined here: Seifert 2020 Lasius characters.

References

• Borowiec, L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
• Borowiec, L., Salata, S. 2020. Review of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Jordan. Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom, Entomology 29 (online 2): 1-26 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.3733156).
• Menchetti, M., Schifani, E., Alicata, A., Vila, R. 2023. Quantitative morphology and mtDNA reveal that Lasius maltaeus is not endemic to the Maltese Islands (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 95, 129–142 (doi:10.3897/jhr.95.96365).
• Seifert, B. 1992b. A taxonomic revision of the Palaearctic members of the ant subgenus Lasius s.str. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Abh. Ber. Naturkundemus. Görlitz 66(5): 1-67 (page 37, fig. 27 worker, queen described)
• Seifert, B. 2020. A taxonomic revision of the Palaearctic members of the subgenus Lasius s.str. (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Soil Organisms 92(1): 15-86 (doi:10.25674/so92iss1pp15).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
• Seifert B. 1992. A taxonomic revision of the Palaearctic members of the ant subgenus Lasius s.str. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Abhandlungen und Berichte des Naturkundemuseums Görlitz 66(5): 1-67.
• Vonshak M., and A. Ionescu-Hirsch. 2009. A checklist of the ants of Israel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Israel Journal of Entomology 39: 33-55.