Temnothorax smyrnensis

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

Temnothorax smyrnensis F49.jpg

Temnothorax smyrnensis F48.jpg

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). In Greece, Salata et al. (2023) found it to be a lowland species known from sites at an altitude 20–265 m. Workers were shaken off from herbs and shrubs in suburban area with maquis, streambank in Mediterranean oak forest, stream valley with deciduous forest. Single worker was collected on a tree trunk in urban park.

Identification

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

  • low and rounded petiolar node
  • low and elongated mesosoma
  • bright brown antennal club; medial frons and vertex predominantly smooth and with sparse and thin costulae; propodeal spines short, in form of triangular denticles; pronotum with thick and sparse costulae with smooth interspaces, mesonotum and propodeum with denser and thinner rugocostulae and smooth to indistinctly rugulose interspaces.

Temnothorax aeolius and T. smyrnensis differ from remaining members of the graecus species group in presence of low to very low and regularly rounded petiolar node. While T. smyrnensis differs from T. aeolius in presence of low and elongated mesosoma, predominantly smooth medial frons and vertex with sparse and thin costulae, presence of thick and sparse costulae on pronotum, and rugocostulate mesonotum and propodeum.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

This is an eastern species, in Greece recorded only from the Aegean Island and the Dodecanese. From Thrace firstly noted under name Temnothorax cf. graecus (Bračko et al. 2016). (Borowiec et al., 2022)

Temnothorax smyrnensis appears to be endemic to the Aegean Region. So far, its known records come from Greece (islands Kos, Samos, Samothrace and urban park in coastal part of Greek Thrace) and Türkiye (İzmir Province). (Salata et al., 2023)

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 40.8° to 36.83822°.

 
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate
  • Source: AntMaps, Salata et al., 2023

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Greece, Türkiye (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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

  • Salata et al. (2023), Figures 14–15. Worker of Temnothorax smyrnensis, typical form. (14) – dorsal, (15) – lateral. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.
  • Salata et al. (2023), Figures 16–17. Worker of Temnothorax smyrnensis. (16) – lateral (specimen with long propodeal spines), (17) – head. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Queen

Salata and Borowiec 2018, Photo L. Borowiec. Figure 52.
Salata and Borowiec 2018, Photos L. Borowiec. Figures 50-51.

Nomenclature

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

  • smyrnensis. Leptothorax bulgaricus subsp. smyrnensis Forel, 1911d: 335 (w.q.) TURKEY.
    • Status as species: Borowiec & Salata, 2018: 9.

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=10): CL: 0.64 ± 0.05 (0.55–0.69); CWb: 0.54 ± 0.05 (0.46–0.59); SL: 0.48 ± 0.04 (0.43–0.54); EL: 0.16 ± 0.02 (0.13–0.18); ML: 0.75 ± 0.06 (0.65–0.82); SPST: 0.12 ± 0.01 (0.11–0.13); PEH: 0.19 ± 0.02 (0.17–0.21); PEL: 0.3 ± 0.03 (0.27–0.34); PPH: 0.19 ± 0.02 (0.16–0.21); PPL: 0.16 ± 0.02 (0.13–0.19); MW: 0.37 ± 0.04 (0.31–0.41); PEW: 0.16 ± 0.02 (0.13–0.18); PPW: 0.22 ± 0.02 (0.19–0.24); CS: 0.59 ± 0.035 (0.51–0.64); CS/SL: 1.22 ± 0.04 (1.17–1.29); CS/ML: 0.78 ± 0.03 (0.75–0.84); CS/SPST: 4.82 ± 0.38 (4.46–5.73).

Colour. Body dark yellow to orange; sides posterolateral from eyes with brownish shade; antennal clubs bright brown; first gastral tergite with narrow brown band posteriorly. Head. Subrectangular, sides below and above eyes straight, occipital corners regularly rounded, occipital margin of head slightly convex. 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 predominantly smooth and with sparse and thin costulae. Frons laterally, genae and sides posterolateral from eyes with thicker rugocostulae and smooth to indistinctly rugulose 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 short, in form of triangular denticles; rarely propodeal spines narrow and moderately long. Pronotum with thick and sparse costulae with smooth interspaces; mesonotum and propodeum with denser and thinner rugocostulae with smooth to indistinctly rugulose interspaces. Entire mesosoma with erect, pale, moderately long and thick setae. Petiole. In lateral view low, with moderately elongate peduncle, node low and rounded, 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.

Queen

Salata and Borowiec (2018) - (n=1): HL: 0.72; HW: 0.72; SL: 0.47; EL: 0.21; EW: 0.16; ML: 1.27; PSL: 0.23; SDL: 0.14; PEL: 0.43; PPL: 0.23; PEH: 0.3; PPH: 0.33; PNW: 0.82; PEW: 0.26; PPW: 0.35; HI: 100. 0; SI1: 65.4; SI2: 65.4; MI: 64.1; EI1: 76.9; EI2: 22.7; PI: 130.0; PPI: 77.8.

Colour. Whole body dark brown. Antennae, mandibles and legs yellow; centre of femura Brown; base of first gastral tergite with dark yellow spot.. Head. Trapezoid, lateral surfaces below eyes straight, gently rounded on the posterior edges, occipital margin of head convex. Anterior margin of the clypeus gradually convex. Eyes big, oval, 0.3 times as long as length of the head. Antennal scape short, slightly curved, 0.65 times as long as length of the head, not reaching occipital margin of head, in apex gradually widened, its base without teeth. Pedicel more than 2 times longer than wide; average 1.2 times longer than second segment of funiculus. Other funicular segments more than 1 ½ times longer than wide. Surface of scape with very fine and sparse microreticulation; covered with thin, moderate dense, adpressed to decumbent setae, shorter than 1/3 of scape width. Mandibles oval, with sparse, longitudinal striae, shiny. Clypeus shiny with thick, longitudinal striae, area between striae smooth, shiny. Frontal carinae short, slightly extending across the fronts of the antennal fossae. Antennal fossa deep, with sparse roundly courved striae, area between striation with microreticulation and shiny. Frontal lobes narrow, smooth with thick longitudinal striae. Head on the whole surface with longitudinal reticulation, sometimes interrupted; on frons more regular and weaker; on vertex sculpture reduced; area between rugae with microreticulation. Entire head bearing sparse, thick, erect setae. Mesosoma. Short and low, square, 1.8 times as long as head; in lateral view its dorsum convex; propodeal spines reduced, triangular, short, with wide base and acute apex; dorsal surface of propodeum inclined towards its posterior surface. Pronotum with longitudinal, horizontal, weak but dense striation and reticulation, area between rugae with microreticulation, shiny. Scutum and axilla with longitudinal striation, absent on lateral sides; scutellum smooth and shiny; with sparse longitudinal striation on lateral sides; propodeum shiny, with sparse, thick reticulation on dorsum and weaker and denser sculpture on lateral sides. Anepisternum and katepisternum shiny with horizontal striation and reticulation, smooth on lateral edges. Mesosoma dorsum with sparse, thick, erect setae. Petiole. Peduncle short, node low and wide, with anterior and posterior faces straight, its dorsal surface wide and slightly convex. On the whole surface covered by dense reticulation and long, thick erect setae. Postpetiole. In lateral view, regularly rounded, 0.7 times as long as wide, apical half with gently rounded sides. On the whole surface covered by dense reticulation and long, thick erect setae. Gaster. Smooth and shiny, bearing sparse, long, suberect to erect, pale setae.

Type Material

Lectotype worker (designated by Salata et al., 2023): L. bulgaricus For. | v. smyrnensis | For. | Cocarinali | Smyrne (tipes) |(Forel) || r. L. smyrnensis | Forel || Coll. | A. Forel || Typus || ANTWEB | CASENT0909019 (MHNG), examined.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • 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.
  • Forel A. 1911. Fourmis nouvelles ou intéressantes. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 47: 331-400.
  • 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.
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