Aphaenogaster sangiorgii

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Aphaenogaster sangiorgii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Aphaenogaster
Species group: uncertain
Species: A. sangiorgii
Binomial name
Aphaenogaster sangiorgii
(Emery, 1901)

Aphaenogaster sangiorgii casent0904171 p 1 high.jpg

Aphaenogaster sangiorgii casent0904171 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Synonyms

Borowiec (2014) notes that this taxon was described based only on a single queen collected in Cephalonia Island and later reported from Macedonia (Karaman 2002). Its status needs revision, with great probability the holotype specimen is an aberrant individual of a species within the Aphaenogaster finzii-subterraneoides complex. Schifani et al. (2022) found the identity of this taxon to be uncertain.

Borowiec et al. (2019) (as Aphaenogaster radchenkoi) report this species was found in various biotopes such as the zones of chestnut trees and oaks – where Aphaenogaster aktaci was also collected – stream plants, grasses and bushes by using pitfall traps in Izmir-Bozdag. This species has been observed in Turkey and Bulgaria, mostly in open habitats such as grasslands, Quercus coccifera woodlands, chestnut forests and oak forests.

Schifani & Alicata (2019) found workers (as A. finzii) at two localities in Italy, both northeast-facing slopes of hills characterized by a moist habitats of evergreen oaks, one an open patches in a Quercus ilex forest, among mossy stones, and the other in a Quercus suber forest. Borowiec et al. (2019) found this species to be nocturnal. In Greece, nests were observed under large stones in shaded coniferous and oak forests, between 600 and 840 m a.s.l.

Identification

As Aphaenogaster pallida finzii

A member of the Aphaenogaster pallida-group (Borowiec et al., 2019).

Schifani & Alicata (2019) - The original worker description of A. finzii (Müller 1921) and especially the following descriptions of its male and queen (Müller 1923) may be insufficient for the species identification. However, A. finzii is a remarkable species in its appearance, which should not be confused with most of the Italian congeneric species even at first glance when workers are observed. The combination of their very shiny aspect, long mesosoma hairs, mesosoma shape and body proportions (e.g. legs length, short scapes, relatively small eyes) immediately distinguish them as members of the A. pallida group (sensu Boer 2013). Müller (1921) emphasizes also a similarity to Aphaenogaster subterranea (Latreille, 1798), especially regarding the size and shape of the propodeal spines, but members of the A. subterranea group have a much deeper metanotal groove (Alicata & Schifani 2019) in addition to a usually more developed sculpture and shorter hairs on the mesosoma. Among the Italian representatives of the A. pallida group, A. finzii workers can be easily separated from Aphaenogaster pallida (Nylander, 1849), present in Sicily and Southern Italy, due to its lack of propodeal spines, and from Aphaenogaster dulcineae, only present in Liguria, due to their different mesosoma (including shorter spines) and head shape. The shape of mesosoma is an unreliable and misleading character for workers identification in some ant species (e.g. Camponotus lateralis (Olivier, 1792), see Seifert 2018) but proved to be one of the most reliable and easy characters in some recently revised species of Aphaenogaster Mayr, 1853 (Alicata & Schifani 2019). Aphaenogaster finzii workers are also distinguished by a larger size and significantly developed, usually horizontal, propodeal spines when compared to most of the similar species of the Balkans (Agosti and Collingwood 1978).

As Aphaenogaster radchenkoi

Borowiec et al. (2019) - Aphaenogaster finzii is very similar to Aphaenogaster radchenkoi and was recorded from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece (Peloponnese), NE Italy, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia (Borowiec 2014). Both species are characterised by the presence of distinct propodeal spines. In A. finzii the spines are thorn-shaped, moderately large, with fairly wide bases and thin apices, while in A. radchenkoi they are claw-shaped, large with a very broad base. In order to clarify if these ants are vicariant species or merely represent geographical variation of a single widely distributed taxon, further research examining more samples from the southern Dinaric area and Western Balkan Peninsula are required.

Kiran et al. (2008) - Aphaenogaster radchenkoi belongs to the pallida group with its small size, mostly smooth and shiny body parts, long and thin hairs. A. radchenkoi differs from the other species of this group by its widely based tooth-like propodeal spines in worker cast and by the long projection on ventral side of the postpetiole in the queen cast. A. radchenkoi shows great similarity with the material described by Agosti and Collingwood (1987a, b) in a species list of Balkan ants as Aphaenogaster as sp1 from Yugoslavia.

Borowiec et al. (2019) - In its original description, this species was only compared with Aphaenogaster subterraneoides (terra typica: Greece), the most common pallida group member from the Balkans. These authors overlooked another species of the pallida group known from this region: Aphaenogaster pallida finzii (terra typica: Dalmatia). Aphaenogaster finzii is very similar to A. radchenkoi and was recorded from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece (Peloponnese), NE Italy, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia (Borowiec 2014). Both species are characterised by the presence of distinct propodeal spines. In A. finzii the spines are thorn-shaped, moderately large, with fairly wide bases and thin apices, while in A. radchenkoi they are claw-shaped, large with a very broad base. In order to clarify if these ants are vicariant species or merely represent geographical variation of a single widely distributed taxon, further research examining more samples from the southern Dinaric area and Western Balkan Peninsula are required.

This species is a member of the A. pallida species group (sensu Schulz, 1994; Borowiec et al., 2019).

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 45.016667° to 37°.

 
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Greece (type locality), Montenegro, North Macedonia.

Distribution based on AntMaps

AntMapLegend.png

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.
pChart

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.
pChart

Biology

Castes

Images from AntWeb

Aphaenogaster sangiorgii casent0904171 p 2 high.jpgAphaenogaster sangiorgii casent0904171 p 3 high.jpg
Syntype of Aphaenogaster sangiorgii. Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0904171. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.
Aphaenogaster finzii casent0914232 h 1 high.jpgAphaenogaster finzii casent0914232 p 1 high.jpgAphaenogaster finzii casent0914232 d 1 high.jpgAphaenogaster finzii casent0914232 l 1 high.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0914232. Photographer Michele Esposito, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
  • Kiran et al. (2008), Fig. 3. Structural details of Aphaenogaster radchenkoi. Holotype worker: A – head and antennae (frontal view).
  • Kiran et al. (2008), Fig. 3. Structural details of Aphaenogaster radchenkoi. Holotype worker: B – mesosoma and waist (in profile).

Nomenclature

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

  • sangiorgii. Stenamma (Aphaenogaster) sangiorgii Emery, 1901e: 57, fig. (q.) GREECE.
    • Combination in Aphaenogaster: Emery, 1908c: 337;
    • combination in Aphaenogaster (Attomyrma): Emery, 1921f: 59.
    • Status as species: Emery, 1908c: 337; Emery, 1921f: 59; Finzi, 1930d: 312; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 54; Bolton, 1995b: 72; Karaman, M.G. 2011b: 19; Legakis, 2011: 7; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 466; Borowiec, L. 2014: 17; Lebas, et al. 2016: 261; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 42.
  • finzii. Aphaenogaster pallida subsp. finzii Müller, 1921: 47 (w.) CROATIA.
    • Müller, 1923b: 53 (q.m.).
    • Subspecies of pallida: Müller, 1923a: 67 (in key); Müller, 1923b: 53; Finzi, 1930a: 153; Cori & Finzi, 1931: 237; Zimmermann, 1935: 12; Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 53.
    • Status as species: Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 53; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 270 (in key); Bolton, 1995b: 69; Bračko, 2006: 135; Petrov, 2006: 90 (in key); Karaman, M.G. 2011b: 17; Legakis, 2011: 6; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 464; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2013: 337; Borowiec, L. 2014: 11; Bračko, et al. 2014: 13; Lebas, et al. 2016: 260; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 42.
    • Junior synonym of sangiorgii: Schifani & Alicata, 2023: 64.
  • radchenkoi. Aphaenogaster (Attomyrma) radchenkoi Kiran, et al. 2008: 693, fig. 3 (w.q.) TURKEY.
    • Status as species: Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 17; Borowiec, L. 2014: 16; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 42.
    • Junior synonym of sangiorgii: Schifani & Alicata, 2023: 64.

Type Material

Aphaenogaster radchenkoi

  • Holotype – worker: Turkey, Izmir-Bozdag-Golcuk Village 2 km E, (38°18' N, 28°02' E), 1030 m a.s.l., 31.X.2001: 01/1502a (leg. S. Tezcan).
  • Paratypes: 290 workers, 2 dealate queens from same locality as the holotype, 14.IV.2001: 01/1212, 1213a; 28.IV.2001: 01/1215a, 1217a, 1218b; 12.V.2001: 01/1235b, 1236a, 1237b, 1238a, 1239a; 26.V.2001: 01/1260b, 1261a, 1262d, 1263a, 1264a; 09.VI.2001: 01/1284c, 1285b, 1286b, 1287d, 1288c; 01.VII. 2001: 01/1306c; 10.VII.2001: 01/1323e, 1326b; 22.VII.2001: 01/1343d, 1346d, 1347b; 03.VIII.2001: 01/1361f, 1362g, 1363c; 17.VIII.2001: 01/1387c, 1388b, 1389; 30.VIII.2001: 01/1408, 1410d, 1411; 16.IX.2001: 01/1431b, 1432b, 1433b, 1434a, 1435; 29.IX.2001: 01/1454b, 1455a, 1456c, 1457a; 13.X.2001: 01/1476b, 1477c, 1478b, 1479a, 1480a; 31.X.2001: 01/1498b, 1499b, 1500b, 1501, 1502a (leg. S. Tezcan) (TU, LEMT); 41 workers, 1 dealate queen, Turkey, Izmir-Bozdag-Golcuk Village 2 km E, (38°19' N, 28°06' E), 1160 m a.s.l., 14.IV.2001: 01/1210b, 1211; 28.IV.2001: 01/1223b, 1224a; 12.V.2001: 01/1248a; 26.V.2001: 01/1270c, 1272a, 1273a, 1274e; 09.VI.2001: 01/1291d, 1294d, 1295b; 01.VII.2001: 01/1312c, 1318b; 22.VII.2001: 01/1353b; 03.VIII.2001: 01/1372d, 1373d; 17.VIII.2001: 01/1397c; 30.VIII.2001: 01/1418b; 16.IX.2001: 01/1443a, 31.X.2001: 01/1510b (leg. S. Tezcan) (TU); 185 workers, 1 dealate queen, Turkey, Izmir-Bozdag-Golcuk Village 6 km E, (38°18' N, 28°02' E), 1310 m a.s.l., 14.IV.2001: 01/1204, 1206a, 1209a; 28.IV.2001: 01/1226a, 1230b; 12.V.2001: 01/1250c, 1252a, 1253a; 26.V. 2001: 01/1275b, 1276b, 1277a, 1279; 09.VI.2001: 01/1296a, 1297h, 1298d, 1300a; 01.VII.2001: 01/1315d, 1316f, 1317f; 10.VII.2001: 01/1336m; 03.VIII.2001: 01/1375i, 1377i, 1379f; 17.VIII.2001: 01/1400b, 1401b; 30.VIII.2001: 01/1422a; 16.IX.2001: 01/1445b, 1448b; 29.IX.2001: 01/1467b, 1470b; 13.X.2001: 01/1491c, 1492b, 1494; 31.X.2001: 01/1512a, 1513a, 1514, 1516a (leg. S. Tezcan) (TU); 1 worker, Turkey, Izmir-Bozdag 11 km NE, (38°20' N, 28°06' E), 1470 m a.s.l., 30.VIII.2001: 01/1423d (leg. S. Tezcan) (TU); 1 dealate queen, Turkey, Izmir-Bozdag 7 km N, (38◦24' N, 28◦04' E), 1050 m a.s.l., 16.V.2001: 01/1259b (leg. S. Tezcan) (TU).

Description

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Agosti, D. and C.A. Collingwood. 1987. A provisional list of the Balkan ants (Hym. Formicidae) and a key to the worker caste. I. Synonymic list. Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft, 60: 51-62
  • 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. 2017. Ants of the Peloponnese, Greece (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Polish Journal of Entomology 86: 193-236.
  • Bracko G., H. C. Wagner, A. Schulz, E. Gioahim, J. Maticic, and A. Tratnik. 2014. New investigation and a revised checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Republic of Macedonia. North-Western Journal of Zoology 10(1): 10-24.
  • Bracko, G. 2006. Review of the ant fauna (Hymenoptera:Formicidae) of Croatia. Acta Entomologica Slovenica 14(2): 131-156.
  • Bracko, G. "Review of the ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Croatia." Acta Entomologica Slovenica Vol 14 st (2006): 131-156.
  • Czechowski W., A. Radchenko, W. Czechowska and K. Vepsäläinen. 2012. The ants of Poland with reference to the myrmecofauna of Europe. Fauna Poloniae 4. Warsaw: Natura Optima Dux Foundation, 1-496 pp
  • Emery, C. "Spicilegio mirmecologico." Bollettino della Societa Entomologica Italiana 33 (1901): 57-63.
  • Finzi B. 1930. Contributo allo studio degli Aphaenogaster paleartici (Formicidae-Myrmicinae). Bollettino della Società Entomologica Italiana 62: 151-156.
  • Karaman M. G. 2009. An introduction to the ant fauna of Macedonia (Balkan Peninsula), a check list (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Natura Montenegrina 8(3): 151-162.
  • Karaman G. S., and M. G. Karaman 2005. Contribution to the knowledge of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Crna Gora (Montenegrao). Natura Montenegrina 5: 91-108.
  • Kiran K., N. Aktaç, and S. Tezcan. 2008. Three new species of ants, genus Aphaenogaster (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Turkey. Biologia 63 (5): 689-695.
  • Kiran K., and C. Karaman. 2012. First annotated checklist of the ant fauna of Turkey (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 3548: 1-38.
  • Müller G. 1921. Due nuove formiche della regione Adriatica. Boll. Soc. Adriat. Sci. Nat. Trieste 27(2): 46-49.
  • Müller, G. "Le formiche della Venezia Guilia e della Dalmazia." Bollettino della Società Adriatica di Scienze Naturali in Trieste 28 (1923): 11-180.
  • Petrov I. Z. 2004. A list of currently known ant species (Formicidae, Hymenoptera) of Serbia. Arch. Biol. Sci., Belgrade 56(3-4): 121-125.
  • Petrov I. Z. 2008. Notes on the currently known ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Montenegro. Bulletin of the Natural History Museum 1: 243-254.
  • Petrov I. Z., and C. A. Collingwood. 1992. Survey of the myrmecofauna (Formicidae, Hymenoptera) of Yugoslavia. Archives of Biological Sciences (Belgrade) 44: 79-91.
  • 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.
  • Vesnic A., and R. Skrijelj. 2013. Biodiversity, distribution and variability in species of the genus Aphaenogaster Mayr, 1853 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Natura Montenegrina 12(1): 97-107.
  • Zimmermann, S. "Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Ameisenfauna Süddalmatiens." Verhandlungen der Zoologisch-Botanisch Gesellschaft in Wien 84 (1935): 1-65.
Retrieved from "https://antwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Aphaenogaster_sangiorgii&oldid=705775"