Messor hispanicus

Messor hispanicus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Stenammini
Genus:	Messor
Species:	M. hispanicus
Binomial name
	Messor hispanicus; Santschi, 1919 Specimen Labels

Identification

Keys including this Species

Key to Iberian Peninsula Messor species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 41.083333° to 32.249974°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Balearic Islands, Gibraltar, Iberian Peninsula, Morocco, Portugal, 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.

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.

Biology

Castes

Nomenclature

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

hispanicus. Messor barbarus st. hispanicus Santschi, 1919e: 244 (w.) SPAIN.
- Type-material: holotype worker.
- Type-locality: Spain: Ciudad Real, Pozuelo de Calatrava (J.M. de la Fuente).
- Type-depository: NHMB.
- Menozzi, 1922b: 326 (q.); Rodríguez González, et al. 1983: 38 (m.).
- As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Emery, 1922c: 95.
- Subspecies of barbarus: Menozzi, 1922b: 326; Ceballos, 1956: 301.
- Subspecies of structor: Santschi, 1929e: 144.
- Status as species: Santschi, 1927c: 225; Collingwood & Yarrow, 1969: 63; Collingwood, 1978: 81 (in key); Bolton, 1995b: 254; Espadaler, 1997b: 30; Cagniant & Espadaler, 1998: 431; Collingwood & Prince, 1998: 14 (in key); Cagniant, 2006a: 197; Borowiec, L. 2014: 106; Lebas, et al. 2016: 292; Barech, et al. 2020: 16.
- Distribution: Gibraltar, Morocco, Portugal, Spain (+ Balearics).

Description

References

Barech, G., Khaldi, M., Espadaler, X., Cagniant, H. 2020. Révision taxonomique du genre Messor (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) au Maghreb et description de Messor hodnii sp. n., une nouvelle espèce de fourmi trouvée en Algérie. Revue suisse de Zoologie 127(1) : 9-19 (doi:10.35929/RSZ.0002).
Borowiec, L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
Cantone S. 2017. Winged Ants, The Male, Dichotomous key to genera of winged male ants in the World, Behavioral ecology of mating flight (self-published).
Collingwood, C. A.; Yarrow, I. H. H. 1969. A survey of Iberian Formicidae (Hymenoptera). EOS. Rev. Esp. Entomol. 44: 53-101 (page 63, Raised to species)
Collingwood, C.A., Prince, A. 1998. A guide to ants of Continental Portugal (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Boletim da Sociedade Portuguesa de Entomologia. Supl nº5, pp 49.
Menozzi, C. 1922c. Contribution à la faune myrmécologique de l'Espagne. Bol. R. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. 22: 324-332 (page 326, queen described)
Orou, N., Csősz, S., Arnan, X., Pol, R. G., Arthofer, W., Schlick-Steiner, B. C., Steiner, F. M. 2023. Messor erwini sp. n., a hitherto cryptic harvester ant in the Iberian Peninsula. Zoologischer Anzeiger 307, 36–53 (doi:10.1016/j.jcz.2023.09.001).
Plowes, N.J.R., Johnson, R.A., Holldobler, B. 2013. Foraging behavior in the ant genus Messor (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Myrmecological News 18, 33-49.
Rodríguez, A.; Reyes, J. L.; Espadaler, X. 1983. Descripción del macho de Messor hispanicus Santschi, 1919 (Hym., Formicidae). Bol. Asoc. Esp. Entomol. 7: 37-42 (page 38, male described)
Santschi, F. 1919e. Fourmis d'Espagne et des Canaries. Bol. R. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. 19: 241-248 (page 244, worker described)
Santschi, F. 1927d. Revision des Messor du groupe instabilis Sm. (Hymenopt.). Bol. R. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. 27: 225-250 (page 225, Raised to species)
Santschi, F. 1929e. Fourmis du Maroc, d'Algérie et de Tunisie. Bull. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 69: 138-165 (page 144, Stirps of structor)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Acosta, F. J., M. D. Martínez Ibáñez, and M. A. Morales. "Contribución al conocimiento de la mirmecofauna del encinar peninsular. I." Boletín de la Asociación Española de Entomología 6 (2) (1983): 379-391.
Acosta, F. J.. Las comunidades de hormigas en las etapas seriales del encinar. Madrid: Universidad Complutense, 1980.
Asociacion Iberica de Mirmecologia. 2011. List of species collected during the Taxomara Lisboa 2010. Iberomyrmex 3: 32-33.
Azcarate F. M., and B. Peco. 2012. Abandonment of grazing in a mediterranean grassland area: consequences for ant assemblages. Insect Conservation and Diversity 5: 279288.
Azcarate, F.M. and B. Peco. 2003. Effects of seed predation by ants on Mediterranean grassland related to seed size. Journal of Vegetation Science, 17(3):353-360.
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. 2017. New records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from southern Portugal. Acta Entomologica Silesiana 25(3): 1-10.
Cagniant, H. 2006. Liste actualisée des fourmis du Maroc. Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8: 193-200.
Cagniant, H., and X. Espadaler. "Le genre Messor au Maroc." Annales de la Société Entomologique de France (N.S.) 33 (4) (1998): 419-434.
Cagniant, H.. "Liste actualisee des fourmis du Maroc (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8 (2006): 193-200.
Cammell, M. E., M. J. Way, and M. R. Paiva. "Diversity and structure of ant communities associated with oak, pine, eucalyptus and arable habitats in Portugal." Insectes Sociaux 43 (1996): 37-46.
Carpintero S., and J. Reyes-Lopez. 2013. Effect of park age, size, shape and isolation on ant assemblages in two cities of Southern Spain. Entomological Science doi:10.1111/ens.12027
Carpintero, S., A. Tinaut, J. Reyes, and L. Arias. "Estudio faunístico de los formícidos (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) del Parque Nacional de Doñana." Boletín de la Asociación Española de Entomología 25 (1-2) (2001): 133-152.
Collingwood C., and A. Prince. 1998. A guide to ants of continental Portugal (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Boletim da Sociedade Portuguesa de Entomologia. Suplemento 5: 1-49.
Collingwood, C. A., and I. H. H. Yarrow. "A survey of Iberian Formicidae." EOS (Revista española de entomología) 44 (1969): 53-101.
Emery, C.. "Messor barbarus (L.). Appunti de sinonimia e di sistematica." Bollettino della Società Entomologica Italiana 54 (1922): 92-99.
González Martín J. D., and X. Espadaler. 2011. Formicidos del País Vasco (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Nuevas aportaciones. Heteropterus Revista de Entomologia 11(1): 109-122.
Luque G. M., J. Reyes-Lopez, and Fernandez-Haeger. 2007. Recovery of Ground Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Communities Six Years After a Major Environmental Disaster. Environ. Entomol. 36(2): 337-347.
Reyes, J. L.. "Descripción de Messor celiae nov. sp." Boletín de la Asociación Española de Entomología 9 (1985): 255-261.
Rodríguez A., J. L. Reyes, and X. Espadaler. 1983. Descripción del macho de Messor hispanicus Santschi, 1919 (Hym., Formicidae). Bol. Asoc. Esp. Entomol. 7: 37-42.
Sanchez-Gil Jimeno R., and J. L. Reyes-Lopez. 2016. Study of ants species of the Sierra de San Carlos del Valle (Ciudad Real) and updating the provincial check list (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Boln. Asoc. esp. Ent. 40 (1-2): 93-109.
Santschi, F.. "Fourmis d'Espagne et des Canaries." Boletín de la Real Sociedad española de Historia natural (Madrid) 19 (1919): 241-248.
Tinaut A. 2016. Ants of the Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Mountains Natural Park (Andalusia, Spain) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Boln. Asoc. esp. Ent., 40 (1-2): 125-159.