Bothriomyrmex communista

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Bothriomyrmex communista
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Dolichoderinae
Genus: Bothriomyrmex
Species: B. communista
Binomial name
Bothriomyrmex communista
Santschi, 1919

Bothriomyrmex communista casent0281572 p 1 high.jpg

Bothriomyrmex communista casent0281572 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Subspecies
Synonyms

This is a common species in Greece, so far noted from most provinces except Crete and Cyclades. It is a very thermophilous species, and its nests were noted under stones on road side inside luminous mixed forest and in a mountain pasture (Borowiec & Salata, 2021).

Identification

Borowiec and Salata (2022), for Greece - Bothriomyrmex communista differs from the only Greek congener Bothriomyrmex corsicus in very dense and long appressed pubescence of gastral tergites which makes the surface of tergites hardly visible from under the hair. It has also narrower clypeus with clypeal index ClyW/CS 0.773-0.820.

Distribution

This is a common species, recorded from all Greek provinces except Crete and Cyclades (Borowiec et al., 2022).

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 49.108° to 37°.

 
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Georgia, Greece (type locality), Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovenia, Türkiye, Ukraine (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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.
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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.
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Biology

Borowiec and Salata (2022) - Bothriomyrmex communista is a thermophilous species, prefers open areas such as roadsides, lowland, mountain pastures and ruderal sites in tourists resorts. The species was collected also in various types of forests but always in sunny and open places. It is a pioneering species in burnt areas. Nesting under stones. It prefers lowland and upland areas located between 10-900 m, the highest locality was plced at the altitude 1540 m in mountains of Evritania (Sterea Ellas).

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Bothriomyrmex communista casent0906241 h 1 high.jpgBothriomyrmex communista casent0906241 p 1 high.jpgBothriomyrmex communista casent0906241 d 1 high.jpgBothriomyrmex communista casent0906241 l 1 high.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0906241. Photographer Estella Ortega, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.
Bothriomyrmex communista casent0905120 h 1 high.jpgBothriomyrmex communista casent0905120 p 1 high.jpgBothriomyrmex communista casent0905120 d 1 high.jpgBothriomyrmex communista casent0905120 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Bothriomyrmex adriacus ionius. Worker. Specimen code casent0905120. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.
Bothriomyrmex communista casent0911463 h 1 high.jpgBothriomyrmex communista casent0911463 p 1 high.jpgBothriomyrmex communista casent0911463 d 1 high.jpgBothriomyrmex communista casent0911463 l 1 high.jpg
Lectotype of Bothriomyrmex meridionalis adriaca. Worker. Specimen code casent0911463. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMB, Basel, Switzerland.
Bothriomyrmex communista casent0911470 h 1 high.jpgBothriomyrmex communista casent0911470 p 1 high.jpgBothriomyrmex communista casent0911470 d 1 high.jpgBothriomyrmex communista casent0911470 l 1 high.jpg
Lectotype of Bothriomyrmex meridionalis communista. Worker. Specimen code casent0911470. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMB, Basel, Switzerland.
Bothriomyrmex communista antweb1008367 h 1 high.jpgBothriomyrmex communista antweb1008367 h 2 high.jpgBothriomyrmex communista antweb1008367 p 1 high.jpgBothriomyrmex communista antweb1008367 p 2 high.jpgBothriomyrmex communista antweb1008367 d 2 high.jpg
Lectotype of Bothriomyrmex meridionalis communista. Worker. Specimen code antweb1008367. Photographer Roland Schultz, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMB, Basel, Switzerland.
Bothriomyrmex communista antweb1008363 h 1 high.jpgBothriomyrmex communista antweb1008363 h 2 high.jpgBothriomyrmex communista antweb1008363 d 2 high.jpgBothriomyrmex communista antweb1008363 p 2 high.jpg
Lectotype of Bothriomyrmex meridionalis adriaca. Worker. Specimen code antweb1008363. Photographer Roland Schultz, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMB, Basel, Switzerland.

Queen

Borowiec and Salata 2022. Figure F15.4. Bothriomyrmex communista queen. Photographed by Lech Borowiec.
Borowiec and Salata 2022. Figures F15.5-6. Bothriomyrmex communista queen. Photographed by Lech Borowiec.
Bothriomyrmex communistus Q F11.jpg
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Male

Borowiec and Salata 2022. Figure F15.7. Bothriomyrmex communista male. Photographed by Lech Borowiec.
Bothriomyrmex communistus M F12-14.jpg
.

Nomenclature

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

  • communista. Bothriomyrmex meridionalis var. communista Santschi, 1919i: 206, pl. 2, fig. 2 (w.) RUSSIA (Crimea).
    • Type-material: lectotype worker (by designation of Seifert, 2012b: 98), 1 paralectotype worker.
    • [Notes (i): Baroni Urbani, 1977e: 78, and Shattuck, 1994: 32, cite 2w syntypes NHMB; (ii) Martynov & Radchenko, 2016: 247, cite 5w paralectotypes NMAS (plus 46w, 5l in alcohol); (iii) Radchenko, Fisher, et al. 2024: 281, cite 6w paralectotypes SIZK.]
    • Type-locality: lectotype Russia: Crimea (W. Karawayew), paralectotype with same data.
    • Type-depositories: NHMB (lectotype); NHMB, NMAS, SIZK (paralectotypes).
    • Emery, 1925e: 11 (m.); Karavaiev, 1927d: 341 (q.).
    • Subspecies of meridionalis: Karavaiev, 1927a: 293.
    • Status as species: Emery, 1925e: 10; Karavaiev, 1927d: 340 (redescription); Dlussky, 1962: 180; Aktaç, 1977: 124; Arnol’di & Dlussky, 1978: 548 (in key); Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 195; Shattuck, 1994: 32; Arakelian, 1994: 75; Bolton, 1995b: 81; Gratiashvili & Barjadze, 2008: 130; Lapeva-Gjonova, et al. 2010: 33; Seifert, 2012b: 98 (redescription); Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 469; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 4; Borowiec, L. 2014: 22 (see note in bibliography); Bračko, et al. 2014: 17; Lebas, et al. 2016: 108; Radchenko, 2016: 99; Steiner, et al. 2017: 7; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2018: 4; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 43; Seifert, 2018: 247; Werner, et al. 2018: 6; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2022: 33.
    • Senior synonym of adriaca: Seifert, 2012b: 98; Radchenko, 2016: 99.
    • Senior synonym of ionius: Seifert, 2012b: 98 (by implication); Radchenko, 2016: 99.
    • Senior synonym of mohelensis: Seifert, 2012b: 98; Radchenko, 2016: 99; Werner, et al. 2018: 6.
    • Senior synonym of jannonei: Borowiec, L., Wieczorek & Salata: 2021: 13.
    • Distribution: Albania, Austria, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine.
    • Current subspecies: nominal plus anatolicus.
  • adriaca. Bothriomyrmex meridionalis var. adriaca Santschi, 1922a: 66 (w.q.) ITALY.
    • Type-material: lectotype worker (by designation of Seifert, 2012b: 98), 1 paralectotype worker.
    • [Notes (i): queen of original type-series was excluded as a misidentification by Emery, 1925e; 15; (ii) Baroni Urbani, 1977e: 78, and Shattuck, 1994: 31, cite 2w syntypes NHMB.]
    • Type-locality: lectotype Italy: Lissa, Adriatic (C. Emery), paralectotype with same data.
    • Type-depositories: NHMB (lectotype); MSNG, NHMB (paralectotypes).
    • [Misspelled as adriaticus by Gallé, et al. 1998: 216.]
    • Emery, 1925e: 16 (q.m.).
    • Status as species: Emery, 1925e: 15 (redescription); Zimmermann, 1935: 41; Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 162; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 57; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 279 (in key); Shattuck, 1994: 31; Bolton, 1995b: 80; Poldi, et al. 1995: 6; Gallé, et al. 1998: 216; Bračko, 2006: 143; Petrov, 2006: 103 (in key); Bračko, 2007: 19; Karaman, M.G. 2011b: 61; Legakis, 2011: 22.
    • Junior synonym of communista: Seifert, 2012b: 98; Radchenko, 2016: 99.
  • ionius. Bothriomyrmex adriacus subsp. ionius Emery, 1925e: 16 (w.) GREECE (Corfu).
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
    • Type-locality: Greece: Corfu I. (F. Silvestri).
    • Type-depository: MSNG.
    • [Misspelled as jonius by Finzi, 1928c: 790.]
    • Subspecies of adriaca: Donisthorpe, 1927a: 7; Finzi, 1928c: 790; Finzi, 1930d: 315; Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 163.
    • Junior synonym of adriaca: Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 57; Shattuck, 1994: 31; Bolton, 1995b: 81; Legakis, 2011: 23.
    • Junior synonym of communista: Seifert, 2012b: 98, 102 (by implication as adriaca synonymised under communista); Radchenko, 2016: 99.
  • jannonei. Bothriomyrmex jannonei Menozzi, 1936d: 295, fig. XV, 1-4 (w.m.) GREECE (Kalymnos).
    • Type-material: syntype workers, syntype males (numbers not stated, “numerous”).
    • Type-localities: Greece (“Italian Aegean Is”): Calino I. (= Kalymnos I.), Calamandra, and Noveprati (G. Jannone).
    • Type-depository: IEUB.
    • Status as species: Shattuck, 1994: 34; Bolton, 1995b: 81; Legakis, 2011: 23; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 470; Seifert, 2012b: 102; Borowiec, L. 2014: 23.
    • Junior synonym of communista: Borowiec, L., Wieczorek & Salata: 2021: 13.
  • mohelensis. Bothriomyrmex corsicus subsp. mohelensis Novák, in Novák & Sadil, 1941: 97 (w.q.) CZECH REPUBLIC.
    • Type-material: syntype workers, syntype queens (numbers not stated).
    • Type-locality: Czech Republic: Moravia, Mohelno (J. Kratochvíl, V. Šilhavý).
    • Type-depository: unknown.
    • [Note: this taxon is not recorded by Bezděčková, et al. 2017.]
    • [Also described as new by Kratochvíl, et al. 1944: 106.]
    • Status as species: Kutter, 1968b: 206.
    • Subspecies of corsicus: Shattuck, 1994: 33; Bolton, 1995b: 81; Werner & Wiezik, 2007: 142.
    • Junior synonym of communista: Seifert, 2012b: 98; Radchenko, 2016: 99; Werner, et al. 2018: 6.

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) - Small: HL: 0.571-0.659 (mean 0.628); HW: 0.492-0.579 (mean 0.559); SL: 0.473-0.556 (mean 0.519); EL: 0.071-0.092 (mean 0.083); ML: 0.66-0.73; MW: 0.34- 0.41. Color. Whole body, including antennae and legs yellow, often body with a gray or light brown tinge. Head. Slightly elongate approximately 1.1 times as long as wide, on sides softly rounded, occipital corners rounded, occipital margin shallowly concave. Clypeus with diffused microreticulation but shiny, trapezoidal, its anterior margin convex, without median concavity, sides concave, convergent posterad, deeply excavate in front of antennal scrobes, posterior margin rounded. Clypeal surface with short and sparse appressed to subdecumbent hairs, appears distinctly haired, anterior margin with a row of long setae and few short setae, the longest setae in the middle and in lateral corners, the longest anterior setae with length up to 0.162. Head with micropunctation, shiny, covered with very short and very sparse but well visible appressed pubescence not covering head surface, erected setae absent except single long, erected seta at anterolateral corners of frons. Scape short, approximately 0.9 times as long as width of head, thin, softly and regularly widened from base to apex, its surface microreticulate but shiny, with short and sparse appressed to subdecumbent pubescence, erected setae absent. Funicular segments 1-3 slightly elongate, thin, first segment approximately twice as long as wide and 1.4 times as long as second segment, third segment distinctly shorter than second, the rest of funicular segments approximately as long as broad. Eyes small, almost circular, 0.13 length of head. Mandibles elongate, distinctly sculptured. Mesosoma. Moderately elongate, 1.7-1.9 times as long as wide, dorsally and laterally with diffused microreticulation but shiny, with short and sparse appressed pubescence. In lateral view pronotum softly convex, mesonotum straight, propodeum placed slightly higher than mesonotum, rounded or subangulate, with oblique posterior face, mesonotal groove shallow but distinct. Mesosomal dorsum lacking erected setae. Waist and gaster. Petiolar scale in form of small, thin scale, with rounded apical margin, anterior face with very short suberect hairs. Gaster longer than mesosoma, tergites distinctly micropunctate and shiny interspaces, covered with long and dense appressed pubescence partly covering the shiny background of tergites. First gastral tergite lacking erected setae, second tergite with a pair of long setae centrally and a single short seta laterally, third tergite with a row of four long erected setae in posterior half and a single long seta laterally, sternites without median keel. Legs. elongate, fore tibiae stout and broad, mid and hind tibiae slim, first segment of tarsi not longer than subsequent segments combined, surface of legs covered with long and dense appressed hairs, erected setae absent, inner margin of tibiae lacking row of thorns.

Type Material

Type locality(-ies): “Russie (Crimée) (Karawajew leg.) w”.

Original Karawajew label(-s) : “Bothriomyrmex / meridionalis Rog. / v. communista Sant. / Typus: Santschi / Магарачъ [= Magarach], 26.III.1903. / Рязанцевъ [= Ryazantsev]. № 1600.”.

Material: PARALECTOTYPES, 5 w (newly mounted, IN 314/6/1), 46 w, 5 larvae (in alcohol, IN 314/BAMS1/Karaw36).

Notes. Santschi (1919) described Bothriomyrmex meridionalis var. communista from workers collected in Crimea by Karawajew, but he did not provide precise locality information or Karawajew's sample number. Later Dubovikoff designated one specimen with the label “Crimée Karawajew” preserved in the collection of the Natural History Museum Basel (Switzerland) as the lectotype, and the second specimen with the same label as the paralectotype (these data were published first by Seifert in 2012).

In the collection of NMNH NASU we found 51 workers with the original Karawajew label “Bothriomyrmex / meridionalis Rog. / v. communista Sant. / Typus: Santschi / Магарачъ, 26.III.1903. / Рязанцевъ. № 1600” [=Magarach, Ryazantsev]. There are also 3 workers in the Karawajew collection in SIZSK with Karawajew labels “Magaratsh, Tauria, Rjasanzev, 26.III.1903”, “Bothriomyrmex meridionalis Rog. v. communista Santschi, typus”; the latter workers where designated by Kostyuk (1976) as “Syntypus”. We propose to consider all the material from Magarach as paralectotypes of B. communista.

Etymology

The species name communista is a noun in apposition and invariant in form (the spelling "communistus" is incorrect). If the author intended the epithet to be an adjective, the form would have be something like "communisticus".

Determination Clarifications

Dubovikov (2002) - The record of Bothriomyrmex communista from Armenia (Arakelyan, 1994) should be referred to Bothriomyrmex urartus.

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
  • 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.
  • Antarea (Personal Communication - Rumsais Blatrix- 27 April 2018)
  • Antarea (at www.antarea.fr on June 11th 2017)
  • Baroni Urbani C. 1977. Katalog der Typen von Formicidae (Hymenoptera) der Sammlung des Naturhistorischen Museums Basel (2. Teil). Mitt. Entomol. Ges. Basel (n.s.) 27: 61-102.
  • Baroni Urbani, C. "Catalogo delle specie di Formicidae d'Italia (Studi sulla mirmecofauna d'Italia X)." Memorie della Società Entomologica Italiana Volume 50 (1971): 5-287.
  • Bezdecka P., and K. Bezdeckova. 2012. Updated list of the ants of the Czech Republic. Pp 7-12. Bezd??ka P. & Bezd??ková K. (eds) 2012: Blanok?ídlí v ?eských zemích a na Slovensku 8, Chaloupky, 1.-3. ?ervna 2012, sborník abstrakt? z konference. – MVJ Jihlava, 37 pp.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Bracko G. 2007. Checklist of the ants of Slovenia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Natura Sloveniae 9: 15-24
  • 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., K. Kiran, C. Karaman, S. Salata, and L. Borowiec. 2016. Survey of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Greek Thrace. Biodiversity Data Journal 4: e7945. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e7945
  • 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
  • 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.
  • Emery, C. "Les espèces européennes et orientales du genre Bothriomyrmex." Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles 56 (1925): 5-22.
  • Gratiashvili N., Barjadze S. 2008. Checklist of the ants (Formicidae Latreille, 1809) of Georgia. Proceedings of the Institute of Zoology (Tbilisi) 23: 130-146.
  • Karaman C., K. Kiran, V. Aksoy, and Y. Camlitepe. 2017. A new species of the genus Camponotus (Mayr) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Turkey. Turkish Journal of Zoology 41: 998-1004.
  • Karaman M. G. 2011. A catalogue of the ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Montenegro. Podgorica: Catalogues 3, Volume 2, Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts, 140 pp.
  • Kratochvíl J., V. Novák, and J. Snoflák. 1944. Mohelno. Soubor práci venoványch studiu vyznamne památky prírodní. 5. Hymenoptera - Aculeata. Formicidae - Apidae - Vespidae. Arch. Svazu Ochr. Prír. Domov. Moravé 6: 1-155.
  • Lapeva-Gjonova, L., V. Antonova, A. G. Radchenko, and M. Atanasova. "Catalogue of the ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Bulgaria." ZooKeys 62 (2010): 1-124.
  • 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. 2017. Species of Tetramorium semilaeve complex from Balkans and western Turkey, with description of two new species of (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 62:279–313.
  • 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.
  • Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2019. Preliminary division of not socially parasitic Greek Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) with a description of three new species. ZooKeys 877: 81-131.
  • Santschi, F. "Quelques nouvelles variétés de fourmis paléarctiques." Bulletin de la Société d' Histoire naturelle de l' Afrique du Nord 13 (1922): 66-68.
  • Schifani E., and A. Alicata. 2018. Exploring the myrmecofauna of Sicily: thirty-two new ant species recorded, including six new to Italy and many new aliens (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Polish Journal of Entomology 87 (4): 323–348.
  • Seifert B. 2012. A review of the West Palearctic species of the ant genus Bothriomyrmex Emery 1869 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 17: 91-104.
  • Shattuck S. O. 1994. Taxonomic catalog of the ant subfamilies Aneuretinae and Dolichoderinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). University of California Publications in Entomology 112: i-xix, 1-241.
  • Zimmermann, S. "Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Ameisenfauna Süddalmatiens." Verhandlungen der Zoologisch-Botanisch Gesellschaft in Wien 84 (1935): 1-65.
  • Zimmermann, S. "Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Ameisenfaunader Quarnerischen Inseln." Verhandlungen der Zoologisch-Botanisch Gesellschaft in Wien 80 (1930): 45-66.
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