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Temnothorax mytilenes
| Temnothorax mytilenes | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Crematogastrini |
| Genus: | Temnothorax |
| Species group: | graecus |
| Species: | T. mytilenes |
| Binomial name | |
| Temnothorax mytilenes Salata, Srodon & Boroweic, 2023
| |
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This is a lowland and highland species known from sites at an altitude 9–670 m in Greece and Türkiye. Workers were shaken off from shrubs and small trees in pine forest, around pastures, insides stream valleys with plane trees and in ruderal area. Nests were observed under moss on stones in pine and deciduous forests.
Identification
Salata, Środoń, and Borowiec (2023) - Temnothorax mytilenes differs from all remaining members of the graecus species-group by a combination of the following characters:
- low and subangulate petiolar node with dorsum straight and sloping posteriorly
- low and elongated mesosoma
- yellow antennal club and bright brown femora
- medial frons and vertex with dense and thin costulae and only sometimes the central part of frons with slightly sparser sculpture
- propodeal spines moderately long, in form of thin spines
- mesosoma with thin and dense rugocostulae and rugulose to smooth interspaces, dorsal mesosoma often with weaker sculpture
Temnothorax phaetoni and T. mytilenes differ from the remaining members of the graecus species-group in presence of entirely yellow antennal clubs and subangulate petiolar node with straight and sloping posteriorly dorsum. While T. mytilenes differs from T. phaetoni in low and elongated mesosoma, always bright brown femora, entirely costulate medial frons and vertex, and moderately long and thin propodeal spines.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Temnothorax mytilenes has rather narrow distribution range limited to the Aegean Region. So far, its presence was confirmed from Greece (Lesbos, Samos, Kos and Rhodes) and Türkiye (Ayvalýk Peninsula).
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 39.3° to 36.2°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: Salata et al., 2023
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Greece (type locality), Türkiye.
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. |
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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. |
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Biology
Castes
Worker
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- mytilenes. Temnothorax mytilenes Salata et al., 2023: 59, figs. 8-10 (w.) GREECE.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
Worker
(n=10): CL: 0.65 ± 0.04 (0.58–0.72); CWb: 0.54 ± 0.05 (0.44–0.61); SL: 0.46 ± 0.03 (0.41–0.5); EL: 0.15 ± 0.02 (0.11–0.17); ML: 0.78 ± 0.06 (0.66–0.88); SPST: 0.15 ± 0.02 (0.12–0.19); PEH: 0.21 ± 0.02 (0.19–0.26); PEL: 0.31 ± 0.04 (0.27–0.39); PPH: 0.2 ± 0.02 (0.17–0.24); PPL: 0.16 ± 0.01 (0.13–0.18); MW: 0.37 ± 0.03 (0.32–0.42); PEW: 0.16 ± 0.02 (0.14–0.2); PPW: 0.23 ± 0.03 (0.2–0.28); CS: 0.59 ± 0.04 (0.51–0.67); CS/SL: 1.3 ± 0.02 (1.24–1.33); CS/ML: 0.76 ± 0.02 (0.73–0.79); CS/SPST: 4.11 ± 0.39 (3.21–4.54).
Colour. Body dark yellow to orange; sides posterolateral from eyes with brownish shade; middle and hind femora bright brown; first gastral tergite with wide brown band posteriorly. Head. Subrectangular, sides below and above eyes straight, occipital corners regularly rounded, occipital margin of head straight or slightly concave. Anterior margin of clypeus distinctly convex, 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 costulae that arch posterolaterally. Frontal lobes narrow, smooth. Medial frons and vertex with dense and thin costulae, sometimes the central part of frons with slightly sparser costulae. Frons laterally, genae and sides posterolateral from eyes with dense and thin rugae or rugocostulae with smooth interspaces. 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. Elongate, distinctly arched in profile. Metanotal groove absent. Pronotum convex on sides. Propodeal spines moderately long, in form of thin spines (single specimens have sometimes propodeal spines shorter and with wider base). The whole surface with thin and dense rugocostulae with rugulose to smooth interspaces; dorsal mesosoma often with weaker sculpture. Entire mesosoma with erect, pale, moderately long and thick setae. Petiole. In lateral view low, with moderately elongate peduncle, node low and subangulate with dorsum straight and sloping posteriorly, whole surface 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
- Holotype. 1w. (pin): GREECE, Dode canese, Rodos | n. Arhipoli loc. 2, 194 m | 36.26546 N/ 28.06688 E | 4 V 2015, L. Borowiec || Collection L. Borowiec | Formicidae | LBC-GR01697 || (MNHW).
- Paratypes. 1w.: the same data as holotype; 23w. (pin): GREECE, Dodecanese, Rodos | Petaloudes, 240 m | 36.33567 N/ 28.06264 E | 8 v 2015, L. Borowiec || Collection L. Borowiec | Formicidae | LBC-GR01759 || (MNHW, MHNG).
Etymology
Named after Mytilene (Ancient Greek: Mυτιλήνη) a mythological princess of Lesbos. Mytilene is also an eponym of the city at Lesbos that is mentioned in the very first historical record of the species under unavailable name Lepthothorax bulgaricus smyrnensis ionia Forel, 1911.