Aenictus rhodiensis

Aenictus rhodiensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Dorylinae
Genus:	Aenictus
Species:	A. rhodiensis
Binomial name
	Aenictus rhodiensis; Menozzi, 1936

On Samos a colony was found under a large stone located in the old pine forest. It created a globular aggregation of individuals. Disturbed workers formed a column that relocated the colony to the bottom of a litter constructed of pine needles. (Borowiec and Salata 2022)

Identification

A member of the wroughtonii group.

Keys including this Species

Key to Aenictus wroughtonii group species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 37.71731° to 37.71731°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Greece (type locality), Iran, Israel, 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.

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.

Biology

Castes

Known only from the worker caste.

Nomenclature

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

rhodiensis. Aenictus rhodiensis Menozzi, 1936d: 266, fig. I (w.) GREECE (Rhodes).
- Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated, “numerous examples”).
- Type-locality: Greece (“Italian Aegean Is”): Rhodes I., hills behind Cattavia village, 1.iv.1924 (C. Menozzi).
- Type-depository: IEUB.
- Status as species: Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 52; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 264; Kugler, J. 1988: 256; Bolton, 1995b: 60; Aktaç, Radchenko & Kiran, 2004: 362; Petrov, 2006: 82 (in key); Legakis, 2011: 3; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 462; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 3; Sharaf, Aldawood & El Hawagry, 2012b: 47 (in key); Borowiec, L. 2014: 7; Lebas, et al. 2016: 124; Jaitrong & Ruangsittichai, 2018: 113 (in key); Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2018: 3; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 42; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2022: 15.
- Distribution: Greece, Israel, Turkey.

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

Description

Worker

Borowiec and Salata (2022) - HL:0.460-0.643 (mean (0.554), HW:0.332-0.541 (mean:0.437), SL: 0.238-0.381 (mean 0.306), ML:0.552-0.881 (mean 0.709), MW:0.224-0.333 (mean 0.279). Color. Whole body yellow to orange-yellow, gaster slightly lighter than head and mesosoma. Setation. Head, antennae, promesonotum, petiole, postpetiole, gaster and legs covered with sparse, long and erected setae of various length, propodeum with only short erect setae. Head. 1.19-1.43 as long as wide, in small specimens proportionally longer than in the large specimens, parallel sided to softly rounded on sides with shallowly to deeply concave posterior margin, anterior margin of clypeus emarginated. Eyes reduced. Head finely punctate, interspaces smooth and shiny. Antennae 10-segmented. Scape short, distinctly widened from base to apex, SL/HW 0.65-0.76. First funicular segment 1.5 times as long as wide. Funicular segments 2-10 about as broad as or slightly wider than long. Last funicular segment elongated, slightly shorter than the segments 8-10 combined. Mesosoma. Elongated, approximately 2.5 times as long as wide. Anterior face of the pronotum regularly convex then dorsum in profile almost straight to shallowly concave, the posterior face of the propodeum forms a straight angle with its dorsal face. Mesosomal surface mostly smooth and shiny. Waist and gaster. Petiole globular in profile, in dorsal view with rounded sides, postpetiole globular. Ventral margin of petiole anteriorly with blunt denticle, ventral margin of postpetiole anteriorly with sharp denticle, petiolar segments and gaster mostly smooth and shiny. Legs. Elongated, tibiae strongly widened from base to 2/3 length, apical spurs simple. Fore and hind basitarsus as long as the three subsequent segments combined. Claws simple.

References

Aktaç, Nihat; Radchenko, Alexander G; Kiran, Kadri 2004. On the taxonomy of the West Palaearctic Aenictinae ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 54(2): 361-364 (page 362, diagnostic characters, see also)
Borowiec, L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
Borowiec, L., Salata, S. 2022. A monographic review of ants of Greece (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Vol. 1. Introduction and review of all subfamilies except the subfamily Myrmicinae. Part 1: text. Natural History Monographs of the Upper Silesian Museum 1: 1-297.
Borowiec, L., Wieczorek, K., Salata, S. 2021. Review of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Dodecanese Archipelago, Greece. Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom Entomology 30: 1-33 (doi:10.5281/ZENODO.5571270).
Gomez, K. 2022. A revision of the Afrotropical species of the Dorylinae ant genus Aenictus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) based on the worker caste. Belgian Journal of Entomology 124: 1–86 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.5898821).
Kiran, K., Karaman, C. 2020. Additions to the ant fauna of Turkey (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Zoosystema 42(18), 285-329 (doi:10.5252/zoosystema2020v42a18).
Menozzi, C. 1936b. Nuovi contributi alla conoscenza della fauna delle Isole italiane dell'Egeo. VI. Hymenoptera - Formicidae. Boll. Lab. Zool. Gen. Agrar. R. Sc. Super. Agric. 29: 262-311 (page 266, fig. I, 1-4 worker described)

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.
Borowiec L., and S. Salata. 2012. Ants of Greece - Checklist, comments and new faunistic data (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus 23(4): 461-563.
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.
Borowiec M. L. 2016. Generic revision of the ant subfamily Dorylinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 608: 1–280.
Ghahari H., C. A. Collingwood, M. Havaskary, H. Ostovan, and N. Samin. 2011. A contribution to the knowledge of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Arasbaran biosphere reserve and vicinity, Northwestern Iran. Jordan Journal of Agricultural Sciences 7(3): 558-563.
Radchenko A.G.; H. Alipanah. 2004. The first record of the subfamily Aenictinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Iran. Vestnik Zoologii 38(4):75-78.
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.