Tetramorium aegeum

Tetramorium aegeum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Tetramorium
Species:	T. aegeum
Binomial name
Tetramorium aegeum Radchenko, 1992 Specimen Labels
Synonyms
Tetramorium inerme laevigatum Arnol'di, 1948

Nothing is known about the biology of Tetramorium aegeum. It is only know from the type material.

Identification

A member of the Tetramorium ferox species complex in the Tetramorium caespitum species group. Csösz and Schulz (2010) - Workers and gynes of T. aegeum can be confused with those of Tetramorium diomedeum. Both species are less sculptured than relatives in the complex. The head and mesosoma are frequently smooth and shiny, but the imbricate first gastral tergite of T. aegeum is unique within this group. We had only a few samples of T. aegeum, so intraspecific variation is poorly known. A discriminant function using various morphological measurements is also defined and detailed.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Tetramorium ferox species complex queens
• Key to Tetramorium ferox species complex workers

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Azerbaijan, Russian Federation.

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.

Castes

Csosz & Schulz 2010. Gyne and worker.

Nomenclature

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

• laevigatum. Tetramorium inerme subsp. laevigatum Arnol'di, 1948: 211 (w.q.m.) CAUCASUS. [First available use of Tetramorium caespitum subsp. ferox var. levigata Karavaiev, 1926c: 167; unavailable name.] [Junior primary homonym of laevigatum Mayr, above.] First available replacement name: aegeum Radchenko, 1992b: 55; designated by Bolton, 1995b: 403. [Note that a previously proposed replacement name for the unavailable levigata Karavaiev, aequa Baroni Urbani, 1971b: 361, is itself unavailable.] See also: Radchenko & Arakelian, 1990: 376.
• aegeum. Tetramorium aegea Radchenko, 1992b: 55 (w.q.m.) CAUCASUS. First available replacement name for laevigatum Arnol'di, 1948: 211 [Junior primary homonym of laevigatum Mayr, 1901b: 25.]; designated by Bolton, 1995b: 403. See also: Csösz & Schulz, 2010: 12.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Csösz and Schulz (2010) - Small size, CS 683 [648, 710]. Whole body and appendages yellow. Head slightly longer than broad, CL/CW 1.04 [1.03, 1.06], with feebly convex sides, straight posterior margin of the head with widely rounded corners. Eyes large, EYE 0.18 [-]. Frons wide, FR/CS 0.40 [0.40, 0.41], frontal lobes as wide as the frons, FL/FR 1.00 [-]. Scape short, SL/CS 0.75 [-], without dorso-basal carina, surface smooth and shiny. Promesonotal dorsum slightly convex, metanotal groove shallow. Propodeal denticles very short. Dorsal surface of petiole rounded, petiolar node higher than long, seen in profile NOH/NOL 1.09 [1.04, 1.12].

Head dorsum, posterior head surface, mesosoma dorsum, petiolar node and postpetiole smooth and shiny, ground surface smooth and shiny, or finely microreticulate. First gastral tergite imbricate. Ventral surface of head with a row of short setae and long C-shape hairs arising just posteriorly to buccal cavity forming a psammophore.

Queen

Csösz and Schulz (2010) - Small size, CS 864 [858, 870]. Head distinctly broader than long, CL/CW 0.90 [0.89, 0.91], with straight, sub-parallel sides, straight posterior margin with rounded corners. Frons wide, FR/CS 0.44 [-]. Scape short, SL/CS 0.70 [0.70, 0.71]. Head as wide as scutum, MW/CS 0.98 [0.97, 0.99]. Propodeal denticles short. Petiole and postpetiole wide, CS/PEW 1.62 [1.55, 1.68], CS/PPW 1.35 [-].

Whole body and appendages yellow. General appearance of head and mesosoma very feebly sculptured, surface smooth, appears shiny. Frons and genae with very fine longitudinal rugulae, or completely smooth, rest of head smooth. Scutum, scutellum, and anepisternum smooth and shiny, ventral part of katepisternum always smooth and shiny. Petiolar node and postpetiole feebly microreticulate, or smooth and shiny. First gastral tergite imbricate. Ventral surface of head with a row of short setae and long C-shape hairs arising just posteriorly to buccal cavity forming a psammophore.

Male

Csösz and Schulz (2010) - Head sides feebly convex, posterior margin widely rounded. Scutum broader than head. Propodeal denticles reduced, propodeum rounded in profile. Dorsum of petiolar node without a continuous transverse crest, dorsolaterally sharp and angulate. Whole body and appendages light brown. Head finely rugulo-reticulate, between main sulpturation microreticulate. Scutum, scutellum, anepi- and katepisternum finely rugulose, and smooth in part. Petiole and postpetiole finely rugulo-reticulate, between main sculpturation microreticulate.

Type Material

Csösz and Schulz (2010) - In the original description (Karawajew, 1926: 169) the following designation was given for the type material: “Tal des Pir-sagat (Gouv. Baku) 18.V.1907., Kaznakow und Schelkownikow (w, q, m)” without indication of the series number. The syntype material examined by us had no indication for the locality. This makes the status of our syntype material doubtful, but the lack of other available material and the fact that this series is deposited in the original Karawajew collection led us to treat the above series as syntype material.

References

• Arnol'di, K. V. 1948a. Ants of Talysh and the Diabar depression. Their importance for the characterization of communities of terrestrial invertebrates and for historical analysis of the fauna. Tr. Zool. Inst. Akad. Nauk SSSR 7(2 2: 206-262 (page 211, First available replacement name for laevigatum)
• Bolton, B. 1995b. A new general catalogue of the ants of the world. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 504 pp. (page 403, [Junior primary homonym of laevigatum Mayr, 1901b: 25.]; designated by Bolton)
• Borowiec, L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
• Csösz, S. & Schulz, A. 2010. A taxonomic review of the Palaearctic Tetramorium ferox species-complex. Zootaxa. 2401:1-29.
• Radchenko, A. G. 1992b. Ants of the genus Tetramorium (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of the USSR fauna. Report 2. Zool. Zh. 71(8 8: 50-58 (page 55, worker, queen, male described)
• Radchenko, A.G., Fisher, B.L., Esteves, F.A., Martynova, E.V., Bazhenova, T.N., Lasarenko, S.N. 2023. Ant type specimens (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the collection of Volodymyr Opanasovych Karawajew. Communication 1. Dorylinae, Poneromorpha and Pseudomyrmecinae. Zootaxa, 5244(1), 1–32 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5244.1.1).
• Snegovaya, N., Shigayev, C. 2021. A checklist of the ants (Insecta, Formicidae) of Azerbaijan Republic. Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics 17(2): 179-207 (doi:10.22067/ijab.2022.67343.1000).

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.
• Csősz S., and A. Schulz. 2010. A taxonomic review of the Palaearctic Tetramorium ferox species-complex (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Zootaxa 2401: 1-29.