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Key to Lepisiota of Greece
This key to workers is from Borowiec and Salata 2022. Some terminal couplets are followed by comparative remarks and other notes.
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1
- Body predominantly black, at most mesonotal constriction reddish, sometimes also posterior half of mesonotal dorsum and base of petiolar scale yellowish brown. Gynes body completely brown to black . . . . . #2
- Mesosoma partly to completely red, often head partly to completely reddish, if only mesonotum partly reddish brown then pronotum with more than two erected setae. Gynes body partly yellowish to red . . . . . #4
2
return to couplet #1
- Body completely black or mesonotal constriction partly reddish brown . . . . . Lepisiota nigra
Differs from all Greek members of this genus in completely black and shiny body. Similarly shiny body as L. melas but it differs in red mesonotal constriction.
- Body black, mesonotal constriction distinctly reddish . . . . . #3
3
return to couplet #2
- Head, mesosoma and gaster with diffused microreticulation, surface shiny. Pronotum in fresh specimens usually with a pair of erected setae (in mature specimens sometimes without setae). Widespread in Greece . . . . . Lepisiota melas
Differs from all Greek members of this genus in dark brown to black, indistinctly shiny body and reddish mesonotal constriction. Similarly shiny body as L. nigra but it differs from L. melas in completely black body.
- Head and gaster with diffused microreticulation, surface shiny, mesosoma strongly microsculptured, surface indistinctly dull. Pronotum in fresh specimens without or at most with a single erected seta. Karpathos Island . . . . . Lepisiota cf. melas
Lepisiota cf. melas(Karpathos) belongs to the group of species with predominantly dark body: brown to black with at least mesonotal constriction and base of petiolar scale paler colored. L. nigra differs in body uniformly black and shiny mesosoma. L. melas is very similar due to pale colored mesonotal constriction but differs in more shiny body and longer antennal scapi, 1.69-1.77 (mean 726) times longer than width of head while in L. cf. melasantennal scapi are 1.63-1.72 (mean 1.669) times longer than width of head.
Notes. Very likely this is an undescribed species, perhaps endemic to Karpathos Island but without comprehensive revision of all Mediterranean taxa of the genus Lepisiota its status remains unclear. A thermophilous species collected from ruderal areas inside tourist resorts and open xerothermic habitats. All collection records are from low and mid altitude, between 26 to 720 m.
4
return to couplet #1
- Head and mesosoma uniformly yellowish red . . . . . #5
- Head usually completely dark, distinctly darker than mesosoma, sometimes only occipital part of head slightly obscure, if head completely red then pronotum with numerous erected setae . . . . . #6
5
return to couplet #4
- Head, mesosoma and petiolar scale red, gaster black, sometimes occipital part of head slightly obscure. Petiolar scale high, strongly narrowed apically with deep apical emargination . . . . . Lepisiota cf. caucasica (Macedonia)
Completely or almost completely yellowish red head, mesosoma and petiolar scale place this species close only to L. cf. caucasica from Karofyllas but the latter has a completely yellowish red gaster while in this Macedonia form the gaster is black.
Notes. In Greece collected on a stone wall in mountain village at the altitude 305 m. In Aegean Turkey it was collected in luminous pine forest at an altitude 1020 m, and in open areas within ancient ruins at altitudes 6 m and 692 m.
- Head, mesosoma and gaster yellowish red. Petiolar scale low, moderately narrowed apically with shallow apical emargination . . . . . Lepisiota cf. caucasica (Karofyllas)
The only Greek member of the genus with completely yellowish red body. Appears similar to the Macedonia form due to the completely pale head, mesosoma and petiolar scale but differs in its black gaster. Also, L. cf. caucasica (Karofyllas) is the only Greek species with reddish brown body of gynes. In other species, gynes are bicoloured (composition of red mixed with brown and black) or uniformly black.
Notes. The only nest was observed under stone near the seashore at an altitude 1 m. Karofyllas is a very small island of Dodecanese placed close to Kasos and Karpathos Islands, characterized by very dry and rocky habitats without trees.
6
return to couplet #4
- Pronotum usually with more than 4 erected setae, meso- and metanotum and first gastral tergite often with a pair or more of erected setae . . . . . #7
- Pronotum with 0- 3, occasionally 4 erected setae, meso- and metanotum and first gastral tergite lacking erected setae . . . . . Lepisiota frauenfeldi
In Greece, Lepisiota frauenfeldi forms two morphotypes which are partly sympatric. Workers of these morphotypes are very similar but these two forms can be easily separated based on morphology of gynes. Taxonomic status of these morphotypes is unclear and needs molecular study. Perhaps they represent two distinct species but due to the general infraspecific variability of various populations we provisionally treat these morphotypes as belonging to one variable taxon, despite it likely that the many of the infraspecific taxa described within the L. frauenfeldi complex represent distinct species.
7
return to couplet #6
- Mesosoma mostly reddish; meso- and metanotum, first gastral tergite and petiolar scale often with a pair or more of erected setae. Microsculpture of head and mesosoma less visible, surface appears distinctly shiny . . . . . Lepisiota syriaca
Lepisiota frauenfeldi (also see previous couplet) and L. syriaca are the only Greek species with at least partly brown head and mostly to completely red mesosoma. Lepisiota syriaca differs in pronotum with several erected setae, and meso- and metanotum with at least a pair of erected setae, while in L. frauenfeldi pronotum is with 0-3 erected setae and meso- and metanotum are lacking erected setae.
- Mesosoma mostly brown, only metanotal constriction reddish and posterior part of pronotum and mesonotum reddish brown, occasionally sides of pronotum and propodeum reddish laterally and brown dorsally; meso- and metanotum, first gastral tergite and petiolar scale lacking erected setae, occasionally in the largest workers propodeum with a pair of short erected setae. Microsculpture of head and mesosoma more visible, surface appears less shiny . . . . . Lepisiota cf. frauenfeldi (Agean)
Lepisiota cf. frauenfeldi (Agean) appears intermediate between L. syriaca and L. melas. Its bicolored mesosoma and mostly dark with reddish spots mesonotal constriction resemble L. melas. However, L. melas differs in less setose pronotum with at most 2 erected setae (usually 3 or more in L. cf. frauenfeldi) and more shiny body. Lepisiota syriaca appears very similar to L. cf.frauenfeldi due to numerous setae on pronotum but differs in mesosoma predominantly reddish (mostly brown in L. cf.frauenfeldi) and propodeum and petiolar scale often with erected setae (lacking erected setae in L. cf.frauenfeldi).
Notes. Thermophilous species, noted from luminous deciduous and pine forests, olive plantations, shrubs growing along roadsides, dry pastures with shrubs and rocks, fryganas, gorges with oak forests, ruderal area in tourist resorts, occasionally in stream valley with deciduous forest. Polygynous, nests under stones. Most records are from low and mid altitude, from sea level to 500 m, the highest locality was from Samos, Pandroso at an altitude 770 m
Status of this taxon is unclear due to the large number of described valid infraspecific taxa within the L. frauenfeldi complex. Probably most of these taxa represent good species but without a comprehensive revision of the whole complex it is impossible to determine whether this Aegean morphospecies is new to science or is conspecific with one of the already described infrasubspecific taxa. Mophologically, it looks very similar to Lepisiota frauenfeldi ssp. variabilis Santschi, 1917 described from Tunisia.