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Messor erwini
| Messor erwini | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Stenammini |
| Genus: | Messor |
| Species: | M. erwini |
| Binomial name | |
| Messor erwini Orou, Csősz, Arnan, Pol, Arthofer, Schlick-Steiner & Steiner, 2023 | |
This rare species is known from a single locality in Spain. This site was an open and heterogeneous shrubland at 260 m above sea level, where the climate is typically Mediterranean.
Identification
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 41.65° to 41.65°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: Orou et al., 2023
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Spain (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. |
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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
Castes
Worker
 Orou et al. (2023) Figure 11. Messor erwini major (A, C, E, G, H; holotype; collection code #19603e) and minor (B, D, F, I, J; paratype; collection code #19603d) workers. Lateral view of body (A, B); dorsal view of body (C, D); head in full-face view (E, F); frontal triangle in larger magnification (G, I); lateral view of petiole in larger magnification (H, J). |
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- erwini. Messor erwini Orou et al., 2023: 51, figs. 11A-J (s.w.) SPAIN.
Type Material
Worker
Measurements in tables (Table S1, 7) in publication. The largest of the four species analyzed in this study (Messor barbarus, Messor bouvieri, Messor capitatus); Head size (CS) 2072 μm [1150, 3490]. Color: minor and smaller major workers concolorous; the largest major workers bicolored: color of head dorsum lighter than head sides, mesosoma and gaster.
Head: Ground surface smooth, or shagreened. In minor workers head often without rugae and rugulae, genae and frons with feeble rugulae, postocular area smooth or shagreened, shiny; in major workers sides, genae, and frontal carinae conspicuously rugulose, or rugose, postocular surface smooth or shagreened, shiny; in the largest major workers postocular part can be inconspicuously rugulose. Surface around the antennal sockets with concentric rugulae. Anterior clypeal border conspicuously dentate. Clypeus longitudinally costulate across the whole area of the clypeus, ground surface smooth or shagreened. Median clypeal costa well-developed and conspicuous. Frontal triangle conspicuously sculptured. Ground surface smooth, or shagreened. In both subcastes the median clypeal costa always runs across the frontal triangle uninterrupted from the base to the apex; in minor workers only the median costa is conspicuous; in major workers often a number of well-developed clypeal costae present on the frontal triangle. Psammophore absent, only straight or C-shaped hairs present posterior to buccal cavity. Basal scape lobe well-developed (ScBaC/CS 0.051 [0.033, 0.063]), having an acute projection externally.
Mesosoma: coarsely sculptured. In minor workers dorsum of pronotum smooth and shiny, sides smooth, or shagreened, ventral-most part inconspicuously rugulose; in major workers dorsum and propleuron inconspicuously sculptured, longitudinally rugose; in largest major workers rugae and rugulaeconspicuous, ground surface shagreened. Mesonotum dorsum and mesopleuron in both subcastes transversally rugose, ground surface punctate or shagreened, dull. Propodeum dorsum and sides transversally, sometimes asymmetrically rugose. Propodeum in minor workers rounded in profile; in major workers propodeum angulate with a pair of propodeal tubercles, which are dentiform or lamelliform in the largest workers, i.e. sharp longitudinal ridges on the dorsum of propodeal tubercles may present.
Petiole and Postpetiole: Petiolar node with numerous pairs of long (200–400 μm) hairs. Sides of peduncle with a pair of standing setae longer than 100 μm (100–150 μm).
Type Material
- Holotype: SPAIN: Castellbell i el Vilar, 41.652909, 1.849238, open and heterogeneous shrubland, June 2018, leg. X. Arnan & R.G. Pol, Collection code #19603. Major worker (Natural History Museum Vienna).
- Paratypes: SPAIN: Castellbell i el Vilar, 41.652909, 1.849238, open and heterogeneous shrubland, June 2018, leg. X. Arnan & R.G. Pol, Collection codes #19595, #19597, #19598, #19600, #19601, #19602, #19603, #19604, #19639, #19640, #19641, #19642, #19643, #19645; July 2018, leg. X. Arnan & R.G. Pol, Collection codes #19596, #19599, #19644, #19646. In total, 58 major and minor workers (Hungarian Natural History Museum Budapest, National Museum of Natural History Paris, National Museum of Natural Sciences Madrid, Natural History Museum Basel, Natural History Museum Vienna, private collection of Sandor Csosz).
Etymology
The species is dedicated to Erwin Meyer, wholehearted researcher and teacher of arthropods at the University of Innsbruck for many years, who is greatly missed for his humor, his enthusiasm, and his ability to motivate and to touch hearts.