Cataglyphis hellenica
Cataglyphis hellenica | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Formicidae |
Subfamily: | Formicinae |
Tribe: | Formicini |
Genus: | Cataglyphis |
Species group: | cursor |
Species complex: | cursor |
Species: | C. hellenica |
Binomial name | |
Cataglyphis hellenica (Forel, 1886) |
In Achaia, Greece, this species was collected in two mountain localities placed in alpine area on mountain pastures overgrown with poor vegetation. Nests were observed directly in the gravel ground (Borowiec & Salata, 2021).
Identification
Distribution
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Croatia, Greece (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. |
Biology
Castes
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- hellenica. Myrmecocystus cursor var. hellenicus Forel, 1886f: 204 (w.) GREECE.
- Combination in Cataglyphis: Müller, 1923b: 150;
- combination in C. (Monocombus): Santschi, 1929b: 35.
- Subspecies of cursor: Dalla Torre, 1893: 217; Emery, 1906d: 48; Emery, 1925b: 263; Santschi, 1929b: 35.
- Junior synonym of aenescens: Borowiec & Salata, 2013: 384.
- Status as species: Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 59; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 285 (in key); Agosti, 1990b: 1482; Bolton, 1995b: 135; Petrov, 2006: 110 (in key); Legakis, 2011: 34; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 486; Borowiec & Salata, 2021: 6.
Taxonomic Notes
Borowiec & Salata (2021) - Based on the morphological characters and available resources, Borowiec and SaLata (2013) suggested that Cataglyphis cursor and its infraspecific taxa described and recorded from Greece represented Cataglyphis aenescens, a member of the cursor species-group recorded from the eastern Mediterranean, characterized by lack of erected setae on scape and mostly reduced number of erect setae on mesosoma. Consequently, Myrmecocystus cursor var. hellenicus (described from Peloponnese), and Myrmecocystus cursor var. cretica (described from Crete) were synonimized under Cataglyphis aenescens. Later, Salata and Borowiec (2018), based on studies on previously unavailable type specimens, supported with a vast material collected on Crete, concluded that Cretan populations represented a distinct species and restored the name Cataglyphis cretica to the species rank. This hypothesis was also confirmed by Kuhn et al. (2019) based on molecular studies. The same authors noted also that populations known from Greek mainland are not conspecific with Cataglyphis aenescens, which was described from the southern part of European Russia. However, they did not propose any formal restoration of the species status for Cataglyphis hellenica. After investigation of syntypes of Myrmecocystus cursor var. hellenicus collected in Pyrgos and several samples recently collected from Cyclades: Naxos, Macedonia: Halkidiki, Peloponnese: Achaia and Korinthia, Sterea Ellas: Attica, Euboea and Phthiotis, and Thessaly: Magnesia we agree with Kuhn et al. (2019) that these populations are distinct from both C. aenescens and C. cretica. Consequently, we propose to consider the name C. hellenica as a bona species. Its exact redescription will be given in forthcoming first volume of the monograph of ants of Greece.
Description
References
- Borowiec, L., Salata, S. 2013. Ants of Greece – additions and corrections (Hymenoptera Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 24, 335-401.
- Borowiec, L., Salata, S. 2021. Notes on ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Western Greece. Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom Entomology 30: 1-23 (doi:10.5281/ZENODO.5571258).
- Borowiec, L., Salata, S. 2022. A monographic review of ants of Greece (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Vol. 1. Introduction and review of all subfamilies except the subfamily Myrmicinae. Part 1: text. Natural History Monographs of the Upper Silesian Museum 1: 1-297.
- Salata, S., Borowiec, L., Trichas, A. 2020. Review of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Crete, with keys to species determination and zoogeographical remarks. Monographs of the Upper Silesian Museum No 12: 5–296 (doi:10.5281/ZENODO.3738001).
- Salata, S., Demetriou, J., Georgiadis, C., Borowiec, L. 2023. The ant genus Cataglyphis Förster (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Cyprus. Zootaxa, 5264(3), 301–322 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5264.3.1).