Tetramorium kutteri

Tetramorium kutteri
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Tetramorium
Species:	T. kutteri
Binomial name
Tetramorium kutteri (Tinaut, 1990) Specimen Labels

This species is a workerless inquiline in the nests of an unknown Tetramorium sp.. Queens live in the nest of a different ant species, have no workers and are entirely dependent on their hosts for food. The queens produce eggs that are cared for and raised to maturity by the host workers.

At a Glance

• Workerless Inquiline

Identification

Salata et al. (2023) - A member of the Tetramorium inquilinum species group.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Tetramorium inquilinum species-group
• Key to parasitic Tetramorium species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 37.118611° to 37.11°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Iberian Peninsula, Spain (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.

Nomenclature

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

• kutteri. Teleutomyrmex kutteri Tinaut, 1990b: 202, figs. 1-3, photos. 1-2 (q.m.) SPAIN. Combination in Tetramorium: Ward et al., 2014: 16.

References

• Buschinger, A. (2009). Social parasitism among ants: a review. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 12: 219-235.
• García, F., Cuesta-Segura, A.D., Espadaler, X. 2024. Myrmica babiensis sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), a new social parasite from the NW Iberian Peninsula. Annales Zoologici 74(1), 113-127 (doi:10.3161/00034541anz2024.74.1.006).
• Kiran, K., Karaman, C., Lapeva-Gjonova, A. & Aksoy, V. 2017. Two new species of the “ultimate” parasitic ant genus Teleutomyrmex Kutter, 1950 from the Western Palaearctic. Myrmecological News 25: 145-155.
• Lopez, J.R. & Martinez, A.B. 2011. Nueva cita de Teleutomyrmex kutteri TINAUT, 1990 (Hym.: Formicidae) para la Península Ibérica. Boletín de la Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa (S.E.A.) 49: 206.
• Salata, S., van Delft, J.P.L., van Delft, J.J.C.W., Georgiadis, C., Borowiec, L. 2023. Tetramorium albenae Salata, van Delft & Borowiec n. sp. (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) – a new inquiline ant species from the Balkan Peninsula. The European Zoological Journal 90(1), 333–343 (doi:10.1080/24750263.2023.2198548).
• Tinaut, A. 1990b. Teleutomyrmex kutteri, spec. nov. A new species from Sierra Nevada (Granada, Spain). Spixiana 13: 201-208 (page 202, figs. 1-3, photos. 1-2 queen, male described)
• Tinaut, A., Ruano, F. 2021. Biogeography of Iberian ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Diversity 13, 88. (doi:10.3390/d13020088).
• Ward, P.S., Brady, S.G., Fisher, B.L., Schultz, T.R. 2015. The evolution of myrmicine ants: phylogeny and biogeography of a hyperdiverse ant clade (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Systematic Entomology 40: 61–81 (doi:10.1111/syen.12090).

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.
• Kiran K. C. Karaman, A. Lapeva-Gjonova, and V. Aksoy. 2017. Two new species of the "ultimate" parasitic ant genus Teleutomyrmex KUTTER, 1950 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Western Palaearctic. Myrmecological News 25: 145-155.
• Tinaut A. 2016. Ants of the Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Mountains Natural Park (Andalusia, Spain) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Boln. Asoc. esp. Ent., 40 (1-2): 125-159.