.jpg){kind=logo}
Aphaenogaster kurdica
| Aphaenogaster kurdica | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Attini |
| Genus: | Aphaenogaster |
| Species: | A. kurdica |
| Binomial name | |
| Aphaenogaster kurdica Ruzsky, 1905
| |
The enigmatic taxon Aphaenogaster kurdica was described by Ruzsky (1905) from Armenia as a subspecies of Aphaenogaster subterranea. Its description and author’s remarks suggested that A. kurdica morphologically was the most similar to Aphaenogaster holtzi. However, a few years after the description, Emery (1908) considered A. kurdica as a subspecies of Aphaenogaster smythiesii. Based on the redescription provided in Emery’s work, A. kurdica has a mesonotum distinctly surmounting pronotum, and thus its morphology does not match the criteria defining taxa currently considered as the subterranea species group. Thus, based on the gathered evidence, we decided to exclude this species from the Aphaenogaster subterranea group sensu Schifani et al. (2022). Also, in our opinion, the photographs available on AntWeb.org (CFH000010, photo by Donat Agosti) represent a specimen of A. subterranea, which has a confirmed presence in this region. The taxonomic status and species group affiliation of A. kurdica remain unclear and will be resolved once the type specimens are available for investigation. (Zięcina et al., 2024).
Identification
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 36.2976° to 36.2976°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Russian Federation (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. |
|
Biology
Association with Other Organisms
Explore: Show all Associate data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.
This species is a mutualist for the aphid Brachycaudus helichrysi (a trophobiont) (Mortazavi et al., 2015; Saddiqui et al., 2019).
Castes
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- kurdica. Aphaenogaster subterranea var. kurdica Ruzsky, 1905b: 717 (w.) ARMENIA.
- Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
- Type-locality: Armenia (“Kavkaz, Elizabetpolsk gub.”), Zangezur, Shikhauz, 23.vi.1894 (K.A. Satunin).
- Type-depository: ZMUM.
- Combination in Aphaenogaster (Attomyrma): Emery, 1921f: 59.
- Subspecies of smythiesii: Emery, 1908c: 332; Emery, 1921f: 59.
- Status as species: Arnol'di, 1948: 211 (in list); Arakelian, 1994: 31; Bolton, 1995b: 70; Gratiashvili & Barjadze, 2008: 137; Paknia, et al. 2008: 152; Kiran, et al. 2013: 49 (in key); Borowiec, L. 2014: 14.
- Distribution: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Russia.
Description
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, raised to species)
- Borowiec, L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
- Dubovikoff, D.A., Yusupov, Z.M. 2017. Family Formicidae - Ants. In Belokobylskij S. A. and A. S. Lelej: Annotated catalogue of the Hymenoptera of Russia. Proceedingss of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences 6: 197-210.
- 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 332, subspecies of smythiesii)
- Emery, C. 1921c. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Myrmicinae. [part]. Genera Insectorum 174A:1-94 94: 1-94 + 7 (page 59, combination in Aphaenogaster (Attomyrma))
- Ruzsky, M. 1905b. The ants of Russia. (Formicariae Imperii Rossici). Systematics, geography and data on the biology of Russian ants. Part I. Tr. Obshch. Estestvoispyt. Imp. Kazan. Univ. 38(4-6 6: 1-800 (page 717, worker described)
- 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).
- Siddiqui, J. A., Li, J., Zou, X., Bodlah, I., Huang, X. 2019. Meta-analysis of the global diversity and spatial patterns of aphid-ant mutualistic relationships. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research 17: 5471-5524 (doi:10.15666/aeer/1703_54715524).
- 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).
- 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
- Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
- Dubovikoff D. A., and Z. M. Yusupov. 2018. Family Formicidae - Ants. In Belokobylskij S. A. and A. S. Lelej: Annotated catalogue of the Hymenoptera of Russia. Proceedingss of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences 6: 197-210.
- Gratiashvili N., Barjadze S. 2008. Checklist of the ants (Formicidae Latreille, 1809) of Georgia. Proceedings of the Institute of Zoology (Tbilisi) 23: 130-146.
- Legakis Collection Database
- Mortazavi Z. S., H. Sadeghi, N. Aktac, L. Depa, L. Fekrat. 2015. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and their aphid partners (Homoptera: Aphididae) in Mashhad region, Razavi Khorasan Province, with new records of aphids and ant species for fauna of Iran. Halteres 6:4-12.
- Paknia O., A. Radchenko, H. Alipanah, and M. Pfeiffer. 2008. A preliminary checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Iran. Myrmecological News 11: 151-159.