Temnothorax muellerianus

Temnothorax muellerianus
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Temnothorax
Species group:	muellerianus
Species:	T. muellerianus
Binomial name
Temnothorax muellerianus (Finzi, 1922) Specimen Label
Synonyms
Chalepoxenus gribodoi Menozzi, 1923 Chalepoxenus insubricus Kutter, 1950 Chalepoxenus siciliensis Kutter, 1973

This species is a slave-maker of other Temnothorax species. When a nest on Crete was uncovered by Salata, Borowiec & Trichas (2018) both gyne and workers were hiding in soil while host species workers were trying to hide pupae and eggs. Infected nests were located in very dry and sunny localities. Also on Crete, one queenright colony of Temnothorax muellerianus with Temnothorax semiruber as slaves (Buschinger & Douwes, 1990). It is remarkable that Temnothorax semiruber workers are larger than the workers of the slavemaker Temnothorax muellerianus. This contrasts with all other records of this species with other, smaller Temnothorax species.

At a Glance

• Slave-maker

 

Identification

A member of the Temnothorax muellerianus group.

Keys including this Species

• Key to east Mediterranean Temnothorax muellerianus group

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Iberian Peninsula, Italy (type locality), Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey.

Distribution based on AntMaps

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Biology

This species is a slave-maker of the following species:

• Temnothorax affinis (rare host) (Buschinger et al., 1988)
• Temnothorax exilis (Salata, Borowiec & Trichas, 2018)
• Temnothorax flavicornis (rare host) (Buschinger et al., 1988)
• Temnothorax luteus (Buschinger et al., 1988)
• Temnothorax nigriceps (common host) (Buschinger et al., 1988)
• Temnothorax recedens (common host) (Buschinger et al., 1988)
• Temnothorax semiruber (Salata, Borowiec & Trichas, 2018)
• Temnothorax tuberum (rare host) (Buschinger et al., 1988)
• Temnothorax unifasciatus (most common host) (Buschinger et al., 1988)

Fungi

This species is a host for the fungus Myrmicinosporidium durum (a pathogen) (Espadaler & Santamaria, 2012).

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's New General Catalogue, a catalogue of the world's ants.

• muellerianus. Leptothorax (Temnothorax) muellerianus Finzi, 1922: 118, fig. 1 (w.) ITALY. Combination in Chalepoxenus: Finzi, 1924b: 123; in Temnothorax: Ward et al., 2014: 15. Senior synonym of gribodoi: Kutter, 1973d: 276; provisional senior synonym of insubricus, siciliensis: Buschinger, Erhardt, Fischer & Ofer, 1988: 398.
• gribodoi. Chalepoxenus gribodoi Menozzi, 1923a: 257, figs (w.q.) ITALY. [Spelled gridoboi p. 257, corrected to gribodoi p. 258.] Menozzi, 1925a: 21 (m.). Junior synonym of muellerianus: Kutter, 1973d: 276.
• insubricus. Chalepoxenus insubricus Kutter, 1950b: 337, figs. (m.) SWITZERLAND. Kutter, 1973d: 279 (w.q.). See also: Kutter, 1977c: 136. Provisional junior synonym of muellerianus: Buschinger, Erhardt, Fischer & Ofer, 1988: 398.
• siciliensis. Chalepoxenus siciliensis Kutter, 1973d: 278, figs. 1, 3, 4, 6 (w.q.) ITALY (Sicily). Provisional junior synonym of muellerianus: Buschinger, Erhardt, Fischer & Ofer, 1988: 398.

Description

Karyotype

• n = 12 (Croatia; France; Greece; Italy) (Fischer, 1987) (as Chalepoxenus siciliensis).

References

• Borowiec, L. & Salata, S. 2013. Ants of Greece – additions and corrections (Hymenoptera Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 24, 335-401.
• Buschinger, A. 2009. Social parasitism among ants: a review (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 12: 219-235.
• Buschinger, A., Douwes, P. 1993. Socially parasitic ants of Greece. - 5e Congrès International sur la Zoogéographie et l’Écologie de la Grèce et des régions avoisinantes - Iraklion, Avril 1990. Biologia Gallo-hellenica 20, 183-189.
• Buschinger, A., Ehrhardt, W., Fischer, K., Ofer, J. 1988. The slave-making ant genus Chalepoxenus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). I. Review of literature, range, slave species. Zoologische Jahrbücher. Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere 115: 383-401. (page 398, Provisional senior synonym of insubricus and sicilinesis)
• Espadaler, X., Santamaria, S. 2012. Ecto- and Endoparasitic Fungi on Ants from the Holarctic Region. Psyche Article ID 168478, 10 pages (doi:10.1155/2012/168478).
• Finzi, B. 1922a [1921]. Primo contributo alla conoscenza della fauna mirmecologica della Venezia Giulia. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 53: 118-120 (page 118, fig. 1 worker described)
• Finzi, B. 1924b. Secondo contributo alla conoscenza della fauna mirmecologica della Venezia Giulia. Boll. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 56: 120-123 (page 123, Combination in Chalepoxenus)
• Kutter, H. 1973e. Zur Taxonomie der Gattung Chalepoxenus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae). Mitt. Schweiz. Entomol. Ges. 46: 269-280 (page 276, Senior synonym of gribodoi)
• Salata, S., Borowiec, L., Trichas, A. 2018. Taxonomic revision of the Cretan fauna of the genus Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with notes on the endemism of ant fauna of Crete. Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 68(4): 769-808 (DOI 10.3161/00034541ANZ2018.68.4.004).
• Ward, P.S., Brady, S.G., Fisher, B.L. & Schultz, T.R. 2014. The evolution of myrmicine ants: phylogeny and biogeography of a hyperdiverse ant clade (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Systematic Entomology, DOI: 10.1111/syen.12090.