Aphaenogaster subcostata

Aphaenogaster subcostata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Stenammini
Genus:	Aphaenogaster
Species group:	subterranea
Species:	A. subcostata
Binomial name
Aphaenogaster subcostata Viehmeyer, 1922 Specimen Labels

Aphaenogaster subcostata is poorly known. It was collected in Greece in the open oak forest close to Xerorrema stream (Samos, 15 m), in shady pine forests (Samos, Kastania vic., 350 m) and mountain pastures with shrubs (Samos, Pandroso, 670 m). It is also known from a seaside location at Nera islet. In Türkiye the species is known from its alpine locations in Taurus Mountains (Zięcina et al., 2024).

Identification

Zięcina et al. (2024) - Aphaenogaster subcostata with Aphaenogaster epirotes form a complex of species characterized by the whole head with thick and sparse rugocostae forming longitudinal and partly reticulate sculpture. Aphaenogaster epirotes differs in the short and not flattened laterally first segment of funiculus that is approximately 2.2 × as long as wide, and in reddish brown to black body with mesosoma rarely slightly paler than the head. Also, both species are separated geographically, A. epirotes is common in the Balkans, the Ionian Islands, Cyclades, and northern Aegean Islands south to Lesbos, while A. subcostata is a rare species known only from Dodecanese, the southern Aegean Islands north to Samos, and from western Türkiye.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Aphaenogaster subterranea species-group

Distribution

Greece: Samos (Borowiec & Salata 2018), Dodecanese and Türkiye (Kiran & Karaman 2020) (Zięcina et al., 2024).

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 37.74216° to 37.73165°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Greece, 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 26–28. Aphaenogaster subcostata Viehmeyer, worker: (26) dorsal, (27) lateral, (28) basal segments of antennal funicle (scale bar = 1 mm, photographed by L. Borowiec).
• 

  Zięcina et al. (2024), Figures 29, 30. Aphaenogaster subcostata Viehmeyer, worker: (29) head and antennae, (30) 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.

• subcostata. Aphaenogaster (Attomyrma) subcostata Viehmeyer, 1922: 205 (w.) TURKEY.
  • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
  • Type-locality: Turkey: Taurus, Hadjkiri (H. Eger).
  • Type-depository: MNHU (perhaps also SMTD).
  • Status as species: Bolton, 1995b: 73; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 17; Borowiec, L. 2014: 19; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2018: 4; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 42.
  • Distribution: Greece, 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.
• Borowiec, L., Salata, S. 2020. Review of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Jordan. Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom, Entomology 29 (online 2): 1-26 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.3733156).
• 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).
• 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

• 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. 2018. Notes on ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Samos Island, Greece. Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom Entomology 27: 1-13.
• 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.
• Viehmeyer H. 1922. Neue Ameisen. Archiv für Naturgeschichte (A)88(7): 203-220.