Messor melancholicus

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Messor melancholicus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Stenammini
Genus: Messor
Species: M. melancholicus
Binomial name
Messor melancholicus
Arnol'di, 1977

Messor melancholicus casent0913198 p 1 high.jpg

Messor melancholicus casent0913198 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Synonyms

Pashaei Rad et al. (2018) found this species in Iran on the ground in all rainfall areas.

Identification

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Türkiye.

Distribution based on AntMaps

AntMapLegend.png

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.
pChart

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.
pChart

Biology

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • melancholicus. Messor melancholicus Arnol'di, 1977b: 1639, 1644 (in key).
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
    • Type-localities: Azerbaijan: Gouv. Elisabethpol (= Gäncä), Karajaginschen Bezirkes, 23.iv.1911 (Woronow & Popow), Azerbaijan: Salzmorast Adschi (Gouv. Baku), 29.iii.1907 (Schmidt & Schelkownikow), Armenia: Ordubad (Gouv. Erevan), 25.vi.1911 (Satunin).
    • Type-depositories: IZGT, SIZK.
    • [First available use of Messor structor subsp. striaticeps var. melancholica Karavaiev, 1926b: 104 (s.w.) AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name.]
    • As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Santschi, 1926f: 292.
    • Status as species: Arakelian, 1994: 36; Bolton, 1995b: 255; Gratiashvili & Barjadze, 2008: 139; Borowiec, L. 2014: 109; Bračko, 2019: 172.
    • Senior synonym of schelkovnikovi: Arakelian, 1994: 36; Bolton, 1995b: 255.
    • Distribution: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia.
  • schelkovnikovi. Messor melancholicus subsp. schelkovnikovi Arnol'di, 1977b: 1639 (w.q.) ARMENIA.
    • Type-material: 1 syntype worker, 1 syntype queen.
    • Type-locality: Armenia: Yerevan (Shelkovnikov).
    • Type-depository: ZMUM.
    • Junior synonym of melancholicus: Arakelian, 1994: 36; Bolton, 1995b: 257.

Description

References

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.
  • Gratiashvili N., Barjadze S. 2008. Checklist of the ants (Formicidae Latreille, 1809) of Georgia. Proceedings of the Institute of Zoology (Tbilisi) 23: 130-146.
  • Pashaei Rad S., B. Taylor, R. Torabi, E. Aram, G. Abolfathi, R. Afshari, F. Borjali, M. Ghatei, F. Hediary, F. Jazini, V. Heidary Kiah, Z. Mahmoudi, F. Safariyan, and M. Seiri. 2018. Further records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Iran. Zoology in the Middle East 64(2): 145-159.
  • Santschi F. 1926. Travaux scientifiques de l'Armée d'Orient (1916-1918). Fourmis. Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle 32: 286-293.