Aphaenogaster holtzi

Aphaenogaster holtzi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Aphaenogaster
Species group:	subterranea
Species:	A. holtzi
Binomial name
Aphaenogaster holtzi (Emery, 1898) Specimen Labels

Almost unknown is known concerning the biology of Aphaenogaster holtzi. In Türkiye it was collected in mountains at altitudes 1250 and 1600 m (Zięcina et al., 2024).

Identification

Zięcina et al. (2024) - Due to the head being at least partly smooth and shiny Aphaenogaster holtzi is similar to Aphaenogaster asterioni, Aphaenogaster ichnusa and Aphaenogaster subterranea but it differs from congeners in predominantly smooth and shiny head and mesosoma, presence of numerous erect setae on the occipital margin of the head, and uniformly pale yellow body.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Aphaenogaster workers of Europe
• Key to Aphaenogaster subterranea species-group

Distribution

Türkiye (Kiran & Karaman 2020) and Iran (Moradloo et al. 2015) (Zięcina et al., 2024).

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 37.884167° to 36.61°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Iran, Türkiye (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.

Castes

• 

  Zięcina et al. (2024), Figures 14, 15. Aphaenogaster holtzi (Emery), worker: (14) dorsal, (15) lateral (scale bar = 1 mm, photographed by L. Borowiec).
• 

  Zięcina et al. (2024), Figure 16. Aphaenogaster holtzi (Emery), worker: (16) head and antennae (scale bar = 1 mm, photographed by L. Borowiec).
• 

  Zięcina et al. (2024), Figure 17. Aphaenogaster holtzi (Emery), worker: (17) head sculpture (scale bar = 1 mm, photographed by L. Borowiec).

Phylogeny

Aphaenogaster subterranea species group	Aphaenogaster holtzi Aphaenogaster epirotes Aphaenogaster subcostata Aphaenogaster ichnusa Aphaenogaster maculifrons Aphaenogaster subterranea Aphaenogaster asterioni Aphaenogaster tristis

Based on Zięcina et al. (2024).

Nomenclature

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

• holtzi. Stenamma (Aphaenogaster) subterraneum subsp. holtzi Emery, 1898c: 139 (w.) TURKEY.
  • Type-material: 2 syntype workers.
  • Type-locality: Turkey: Mersin (M. Holtz).
  • Type-depository: MSNG.
  • Combination in Aphaenogaster: Emery, 1908c: 328;
  • combination in Aphaenogaster (Attomyrma): Emery, 1921f: 58.
  • Status as species: Emery, 1908c: 328; Emery, 1921f: 58; Finzi, 1930a: 154; Aktaç, 1977: 120; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 53; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 270 (in key); Bolton, 1995b: 70; Petrov, 2006: 90 (in key); Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 16; Borowiec, L. 2014: 13.
  • Distribution: Turkey.

References

• Borowiec, L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
• Emery, C. 1898c. Beiträge zur Kenntniss der palaearktischen Ameisen. Öfvers. Fin. Vetensk.-Soc. Förh. 20: 124-151 (page 139, worker described)
• Emery, C. 1908d. Beiträge zur Monographie der Formiciden des paläarktischen Faunengebietes. (Hym.) (Fortsetzung.) III. Die mit Aphaenogaster verwandte Gattungengruppe. Dtsch. Entomol. Z. 1908: 305-338 (page 328, combination in Aphaenogaster, and raised to species)
• Karaman, C., Kiran, K. 2022. Additional records of parasitic Camponotus Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) species from Turkey with queen description of Camponotus ruseni Karaman, 2012. Zoology in the Middle East 68(2), 156–164 (doi:10.1080/09397140.2022.2051918).
• Kiran, K., Karaman, C. 2020. Additions to the ant fauna of Turkey (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Zoosystema 42(18), 285-329 (doi:10.5252/zoosystema2020v42a18).
• Schifani, E., Alicata, A., Borowiec, L., García, F., Gentile, V., Gómez, K., Nalini, E., Rigato, F., Schär, S., Scupola, A., Vila, R., Menchetti, M. 2023. Unrecognized for centuries: distribution and sexual caste descriptions of the West European Aphaenogaster species of the subterranea group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 1153, 141–156 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.1153.98297).
• Schifani, E., Alicata, A., Menchetti, M., Borowiec, L., Fisher, B.L., Karaman, C., Kiran, K., Oueslati, W., Salata, S., Blatrix, R. 2022. Revisiting the morphological species groups of West-Palearctic Aphaenogaster ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) under a phylogenetic perspective: toward an evolutionary classification. Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny 80, 627–648 (doi:10.3897/asp.80.e84428).
• Zięcina, D., Menchetti, M., Borowiec, L., Bračko, G., Lapeva-Gjonova, A., Vila, R., Salata, S. 2024. Taxonomic revision of the Aphaenogaster subterranea species group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annales Zoologici 74(2): 237-282 (doi:10.3161/00034541anz2024.74.2.002).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Aktaç, N. "Studies on the myrmecofauna of Turkey I. Ants of Siirt, Bodrum and Trabzon." Istanbul Universitesi Fen Fakultesi Mecmuasi. Seri B 41 (1977): 115-135.
• Emery, C. "Beiträge zur Kenntniss der palaearktischen Ameisen." Öfversigt af Finska Vetenskaps-Societetens Förhandlingar (Helsinki) 20 (1898): 124-151.
• Finzi B. 1930. Contributo allo studio degli Aphaenogaster paleartici (Formicidae-Myrmicinae). Bollettino della Società Entomologica Italiana 62: 151-156.
• Kiran K., and C. Karaman. 2012. First annotated checklist of the ant fauna of Turkey (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 3548: 1-38.