Temnothorax aeolius

Temnothorax aeolius
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Temnothorax
Species group:	graecus
Species:	T. aeolius
Binomial name
Temnothorax aeolius (Forel, 1911) Syntype Specimen Label

This species is associated mostly with moderately humid to arid deciduous forests or mediterranean bushes and has been collected on rocks and stones (Salata & Borowiec, 2019). Salata et al. (2023) report it as a lowland species known from sites at an altitude 4–50 m in Greece. Workers were shaken off from maguis bushes to entomological umbrella in suburban area and from saline plants close to seacoast.

Identification

Temnothorax aeolius differs from all remaining members of the graecus species-group by a combination of the following characters (Salata et al., 2023):

• very low and regularly rounded petiolar node
• short and stout mesosoma
• indistinctly darkened antennal club
• medial frons and vertex shiny with sparse and thin rugulae and indistinct costulae
• short propodeal spines, in form of triangular denticles
• mesosoma laterally with dense rugulae and indistinct costulae with smooth interspaces
• dorsally with sparser and thicker rugocostulae (dorsal pronotum often only with sparse and thick costulae and shiny interspaces)

Temnothorax aeolius and Temnothorax smyrnensis differ from remaining members of the graecus species group in presence of low to very low and regularly rounded petiolar node. While Temnothorax aeolius differs from T. smyrnensis in presence of short and stout mesosoma, predominantly smooth medial frons and vertex with sparse and thin rugocostulae, and entire mesosoma rugocostulate. (Salata et al., 2023)

Keys including this Species

• Key to Temnothorax graecus species-group from Greece

Distribution

Recently recorded for Bulgaria (Lapeva-Gjonova & Borowiec, 2022). A rarely collected ant that is a member of the Temnothorax graecus species group (Salata and Borowiec 2019b). This species is known from Turkey, its type locality, as well as from Israel and the Greek islands (Borowiec and Salata 2012). It was recently recorded in Greek Thrace (Bračko et al.2016).

Salata et al. (2023) found the majority records of Temnothorax aeolius come from the Aegean Region: Greece (Kos, Rhodes, Samos) and Türkiye (İzmir Province). But it was also recorded from Greek mainland (Halkidiki) and Bulgaria (Lapeva-Gjonova & Borowiec 2022). Its presence in Israel (Borowiec 2014) needs confirmation as this record has no confirmation in literature.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 41.00683° to 37.69538°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps, Salata et al., 2023

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Bulgaria, Greece, Türkiye (type locality).

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.

Castes

• 

  Salata et al. (2023), Figures 1–2. Worker of Temnothorax aeolius. (1) – dorsal, (2) – lateral. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.
• 

  Salata et al. (2023), Figure 3. Worker of Temnothorax aeolius. Head (scale bar = 0.5 mm).

Nomenclature

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

• aeolius. Leptothorax bulgaricus subsp. aeolius Forel, 1911d: 334 (w.) TURKEY.
  • Subspecies of bulgaricus: Forel, 1913d: 432; Emery, 1924d: 253; Menozzi, 1936d: 291; Bolton, 1995b: 235; Legakis, 2011: 17.
  • Status as species: Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 539; Borowiec, L. 2014: 170.

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

Description

Worker

Salata, Środoń, and Borowiec (2023) - (n=9): CL: 0.6 ± 0.06 (0.52–0.69); CWb: 0.5 ± 0.05 (0.45–0.57); SL: 0.44 ± 0.05 (0.37–0.52); EL: 0.14 ± 0.02 (0.11–0.17); ML: 0.71 ± 0.09 (0.57–0.84); SPST: 0.11 ± 0.01 (0.09–0.13); PEH: 0.19 ± 0.02 (0.15–0.22); PEL: 0.29 ± 0.04 (0.21–0.35); PPH: 0.19 ± 0.02 (0.16–0.2); PPL: 0.17 ± 0.01 (0.14–0.18); MW: 0.35 ± 0.03 (0.3–0.39); PEW: 0.15 ± 0.01 (0.13–0.17); PPW: 0.21 ± 0.02 (0.18–0.23); CS: 0.55 ± 0.05 (0.49–0.63); CS/SL: 1.26 ± 0.05 (1.18–1.31); CS/ML: 0.79 ± 0.03 (0.75–0.85); CS/SPST: 4.92 ± 0.47 (4.19–5.55).

Colour. Body yellow to orange; antennal club indistinctly darker, brownish; sometimes sides posterol-ateral from eyes also with slightly darker, brownish coloration; first gastral tergite with narrow bright brown band posteriorly. Head. Slightly elongate, sides below and above eyes gently convex, occipital corners regularly rounded, occipital margin of head convex. Anterior margin of clypeus distinctly con-vex, medial notch absent. Eyes moderate and oval. Antennal scape short, in lateral view slightly curved, gradually widening posteriorly, funiculus long, club 3-segmented. Scape with short and sparse costae, shiny, covered with thin, dense, decumbent to suberect setae. Mandibles rounded with thick and sparse striae, shiny. Clypeus shiny and predominantly smooth with sparse and short costulae. Frontal carinae short, slightly extending beyond frontal lobes. Antennal fossa deep and rugulose with additional costu-lae that arch posterolaterally. Frontal lobes narrow, smooth. Medial frons and vertex with rugulae and indistinct costulae. Frons laterally, genae and sides posterolateral from eyes with denser and thicker ru-gulae or rugocostulae; interspaces between rugae and costulae smooth and shiny. Sides of head with very short and sparse adpressed pubescence, sides of frons, vertex and occipital area with erect, pale, short and thick setae. Mesosoma. Short and stout, distinctly arched in profile. Metanotal groove absent. Pronotum convex on sides. Propodeal spines short, in form of triangular denticles. Lateral sides of mesosoma with dense rugulae and indistinct costulae and smooth interspaces; dorsum with sparser and thicker rugocostulae and smooth interspaces; dorsal pronotum often only with sparse and thick rugulae and shiny interspaces. Entire mesosoma with erect, pale, moderately long and thick setae. Petiole. In lateral view low, with moderately elongate peduncle, node very low and regularly rounded, whole sur-face rugoreticulate. Dorsal surface with sparse, short, erect setae. Postpetiole. In lateral view regularly convex, sides rounded on the whole surface reticulocostulate, surface appears slightly less rugose than surface of petiole. Dorsal surface with sparse, moderately long, erect setae. Gaster. Smooth and shiny, with erect, thin, pale setae. Legs. Moderately elongate, femora swollen in the middle, tibiae widened from base to 3/4 length, surface of legs covered with sparse, adpressed to decumbent hairs.

Type Material

• Lectotype worker (designated by Salata et al., 2023): L. bulgaricus | For. | v. aeolius | type Forel | Cordelio pr. Smyrne | (Forel) || Typus || v. L. aeolius | Forel || Coll. | A. Forel || ANTWEB | CASENT0909016 (MHNG), examined.

Type locality: Türkiye: Cordelio near Smyrna (= İzmir). The original description lists also syntypes collected from Coccarinali but after the lectotype designation this locality should not be considered as locus typicus.

References

• Bolton, B. 2003. Synopsis and Classification of Formicidae. Mem. Am. Entomol. Inst. 71: 370pp (page 271, Combination in Temnothorax)
• Borowiec, L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
• Forel, A. 1911f. Fourmis nouvelles ou intéressantes. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 47: 331-400 (page 334, worker described)
• Kiran, K., Karaman, C. 2020. Additions to the ant fauna of Turkey (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Zoosystema 42(18), 285-329 (doi:10.5252/zoosystema2020v42a18).
• Lapeva-Gjonova, A., Antonova, V. 2022. An updated checklist of ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Bulgaria, after 130 years of research. Biodiversity Data Journal 10, e95599 (doi:10.3897/bdj.10.e95599).
• Lapeva-Gjonova, A., Borowiec, L. 2022. New and little-known ant species (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Bulgaria. Biodiversity Data Journal, 10: e83658 (doi:10.3897/bdj.10.e83658).
• Salata, S., Borowiec, L. 2019. Preliminary division of not socially parasitic Greek Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) with a description of three new species. ZooKeys 877: 81-131 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.877.36320).
• Salata, S., Środoń, K., Borowiec, L. 2023. A taxonomic revision of the Temnothorax graecus species-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Greece. Annales Zoologici 73: 51–68 (doi:10.3161/00034541ANZ2023.73.1.005).

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.
• Borowiec L., and S. Salata. 2012. Ants of Greece - Checklist, comments and new faunistic data (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus 23(4): 461-563.
• Borowiec L., and S. Salata. 2018. Notes on ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Samos Island, Greece. Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom Entomology 27: 1-13.
• Bracko G., K. Kiran, C. Karaman, S. Salata, and L. Borowiec. 2016. Survey of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Greek Thrace. Biodiversity Data Journal 4: e7945. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e7945
• Collingwood, C. A. 1993. A Comparitive Study of the Ant Fauna of Five Greek Islands. Biologia Gallo-hellenica. 20,1:191-197
• Collingwood, C. A. "A comparative study of the ant fauna of five Greek islands." Biologia Gallo-Hellenica 20 (1993): 191-197.
• Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2018. Taxonomic and faunistic notes on Greek ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom Entomology 27: 1-51.