Messor orientalis

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Messor orientalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Stenammini
Genus: Messor
Species: M. orientalis
Binomial name
Messor orientalis
(Emery, 1898)

Messor orientalis casent0281206 p 1 high.jpg

Messor orientalis casent0281206 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

In Cyprus, Salata et al. (2023) report that this is a thermophilous species, noted from low and mid altitudes, from seacoast to 1325 m. Prefers sunny, open areas like seashores, gravel riverbanks, pastures, grasslands and agricultural fields. But often also observed in less sunny habitats with phrygana, inside pine forests with bushes or in gorges. The species was also observed in cities and tourist resorts, in gardens, ruderal places, dirty parking lots, rural roads, and banana cultivations. Nests directly in the ground, workers penetrate moderate areas but they do not create well-trodden paths leading to the nest entrance.

Identification

Salata et al. (2023) - A member of the Messor structor species-group characterised by distinctly sculptured head and mesosoma (head completely or mostly with longitudinal striation, often arching posterolaterally in occipital area and forming semicircular sculpture above and behind eyes) (Steiner et al. 2018). The group comprises numerous taxa of various and often confusing taxonomic status. Recently, Steiner et al. (2018) published results of integrative studies performed on some members of the Messor structor species-group but the scope of this study did not cover taxa occurring in the Middle East and some areas of the eastern Mediterranean. Thus, M. orientalis was omitted in this revision.

Messor orientalis is similar to the largest species of the structor species-group: Messor mcarthuri, Messor ponticus and Messor varrialei. Messor ponticus distinctly differs from M. orientalis in reduced or absent sculpture on postocular area on the head of major workers while M. orientalis has postocular area in major worker striate. Messor ponticus is also separated geographically, its distribution is mostly limited to territories of Romania, Bulgaria, SW Ukraine, continental Greece and Aegean Türkiye. Messor mcarthuri differs from M. orientalis in less angulate propodeum in profile and lack of propodeal denticle, less sculptured postocular area with partly shiny interspaces between striation, shorter hairs on the ventral side of the head usually only slightly longer than the eye length, and shorter first segment of funicle only 1.2 × as long as segment 2. While M. orientalis has the propodeum distinctly angulate in profile, often with thick lateral carinae and small propodeal denticle, hairs on the ventral side of the head are longer, mostly distinctly longer than the eye length, and the first segment of the funicle is longer, 1.5–1.6 × as long as segment 2. Poorly studied M. variallei is the most similar due to similarly elongate first segment of funicle and the length of setae on the ventral surface of the head, but it differs from M. orientalis in less angulate propodeum and in the sculpture of the first gastral tergite forming an elongated pits at the base of each erect seta. Both M. mcarthuri and M. varrialei are distributed mostly westwards from known localities of M. orientalis, covering the area of the Aegean Region and Crete.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 41.716667° to 31.989442°.

   
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate
  • Salata et al. (2023), Fig. 23. Distribution of Messor species in Cyprus.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Afghanistan, China, Cyprus, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Israel, North Macedonia, Türkiye (type locality).

It occurs in the Middle East and South East Europe (Abdul-Rassoul et al. 2013).

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.
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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

Association with Other Organisms

Explore-icon.png Explore: Show all Associate data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.

This species is a mutualist for the aphid Chaitophorus israeliticus (a trophobiont) (Mortazavi et al., 2015; Saddiqui et al., 2019).

Castes

Images from AntWeb

Messor orientalis casent0281207 p 1 high.jpgMessor orientalis casent0281207 d 1 high.jpgMessor orientalis casent0281207 h 1 high.jpgMessor orientalis casent0281207 l 1 high.jpgMessor orientalis casent0281207 p 2 high.jpg
Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0281207. Photographer Estella Ortega, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Messor orientalis casent0281208 d 1 high.jpgMessor orientalis casent0281208 p 1 high.jpgMessor orientalis casent0281208 h 1 high.jpgMessor orientalis casent0281208 l 1 high.jpg
Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0281208. Photographer Estella Ortega, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Messor orientalis casent0281591 h 1 high.jpgMessor orientalis casent0281591 d 1 high.jpgMessor orientalis casent0281591 p 1 high.jpgMessor orientalis casent0281591 l 1 high.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0281591. Photographer Shannon Hartman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.
Messor orientalis casent0904132 h 1 high.jpgMessor orientalis casent0904132 p 1 high.jpgMessor orientalis casent0904132 d 1 high.jpgMessor orientalis casent0904132 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Stenamma structor orientalis. Worker. Specimen code casent0904132. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.
  • Salata et al. (2023), Figs. 9–10. Major worker of Messor orientalis. (9) dorsal, (10) lateral (scale bar = 2 mm).
  • Salata et al. (2023), Figs. 11–12. Minor worker of Messor orientalis. (11) dorsal, (12) lateral (scale bar = 1 mm).
  • Salata et al. (2023), Figs. 13–14. Head of Messor orientalis. (13) major worker (scale bar = 2 mm), (14) minor worker (scale bar = 1 mm).

Nomenclature

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

  • orientalis. Stenamma (Messor) structor var. orientalis Emery, 1898c: 143 (w.q.m.) LEBANON, TURKEY, GEORGIA, UZBEKISTAN/TURKMENISTAN.
    • Type-material: syntype workers, syntype queens, syntype males (numbers not stated).
    • Type-localities: Lebanon: Sarepta (Christoph), Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan: Syr Darya (Stenroos), Turkey: Mersina (M. Holtz), Georgia: Tiflis (Christoph).
    • Type-depository: MSNG.
    • Combination in Messor: Ruzsky, 1903b: 315; Emery, 1908e: 456.
    • As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Emery, 1908e: 456; Forel, 1910a: 9; Karavaiev, 1910b: 67; Forel, 1911d: 347; Emery, 1912f: 96; Wheeler, W.M. & Mann, 1916: 170; Donisthorpe, 1918b: 166; Emery, 1921b: 212; Emery, 1921f: 73; Santschi, 1926f: 292; Menozzi, 1933b: 54; Santschi, 1934d: 275; Santschi, 1939c: 6.
    • Junior synonym of structor: Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929d: 12.
    • Junior synonym of darianus: Pisarski, 1967: 383; Pisarski, 1969b: 306.
    • Subspecies of structor: Ruzsky, 1903b: 315; Menozzi, 1933b: 56 (in key); Zimmermann, 1935: 15; Aktaç, 1977: 120; Tohmé, G. & Tohmé, 2014: 134 (error).
    • Status as species: Collingwood, 1961a: 61; Tohmé, G. & Tohmé, H. 1981: 150; Collingwood, 1985: 251; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 54; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 271 (in key); Kugler, J. 1988: 257; Collingwood, 1993b: 194; Bolton, 1995b: 256; Collingwood & Heatwole, 2000: 7; Petrov, 2006: 92 (in key); Vonshak, et al. 2009: 42; Legakis, 2011: 11; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 515; Guénard & Dunn, 2012: 45; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 20; Nezhad, et al. 2012: 70; Borowiec, L. 2014: 110; Lebas, et al. 2016: 298; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2020: 11.
    • Distribution: Afghanistan, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.

Taxonomic Notes

Salata et al. (2023) - Messor orientalis was described based on workers collected from Sarepta (now Sarafand, Lebanon), Mersina (now Ýçel, capital city of Ýçel Province of southern Türkiye), Tiflis (now Tbilisi, Georgia), and Sir Daria (now Syr Darya valley, a river in Central Asia). Historically, the species was recorded also from Greece, Iran, Israel, Syria and Yemen but according to the recent revision of the Messor structor species-group (Steiner et al. 2018) and our studies on recently collected material, Greek records of M. orientalis refer to M. mcarthuri Steiner et al., 2018 (see Salata and Borowiec 2019). Based on the results provided in the above-mentioned revision, material from Iran, Central Asia and Yemen labelled as M. orientalis should be revised based on molecular and morphometric studies as it may consist of several taxa belonging to the M. structor species-group. However, Cypriot populations morphologically resemble recently studied specimens of M. orientalis collected in mainland. For our studies we investigated workers sampled in Adana (Türkiye, 14 V 1993, leg. V. Vohralik), a city located only 60 km east of Ýçel (the type locality of M. orientalis), and Birecik (Türkiye, Þanlýurfa Province, 31 VIII 1988, leg. Růžička and Hlasová) placed close to the Syrian border. We also studied the syntype of M. orientalis collected in Mersina (= Ýçel) (AntWeb.org, CASENT0904132). Gathered evidence confirmed that the populations inhabiting Cyprus represent M. orientalis. Additionally, we suggest assigning all literature records of M. alexandri, M. oertzeni and M. structor from Cyprus to M. orientalis.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Major

Salata et al. (2023) - Major (n=7): HL: 2.606 (2.40–2.77); HW: 2.736 (2.50–2.99); SL: 1.884 (1.78–1.97); EL: 0.401 (0.35–0.44); PW: 1.533 (1.44–1.60); PRL: 1.306 (1.21–1.40); PRW: 1.013 (0.92–1.09); PTL: 0.831 (0.73–0.92); PTH: 0.603 (0.57–0.63); WL: 2.976 (2.70–3.28); HFL: 2.387 (2.23–2.50); CI: 0.954 (0.930–0.978); SI: 0.690 (0.656–0.712); PI: 1.379 (1.281–1.552); FI: 0.803 (0.762–0.826); L/WI: 1.940 (1.875–2.050); PRI: 1.290 (1.229–1.340).

Color. Head in the palest specimens yellow, in most specimens yellowish-brown or reddish-brown, in the darkest specimens dark brown. Mesosoma the same color as the head or slightly darker, often bicolored with mixed brownish and brownish-black spots, petiole, postpetiole and gaster usually darker than mesosoma, in the darkest specimens black. Legs in the palest specimen yellow, usually reddish-brown with tibiae slightly darker than femora and tarsi distinctly paler colored than tibiae and femora, yellowish to reddish. Antennal scapi in the palest specimen yellow, usually reddish-brown to brown, funicle usually paler than scapus, yellowish-red to reddish-brown. Head. Subrectangular, approximately 0.95 × as long as wide, sides below eyes slightly converging anterad, above eyes gently convex, posterior margin shallowly concave. Anterior clypeal with deep median emargination, with a row of 10–12 marginal yellow setae, the longest as long as the clypeal length. Clypeus without appressed pubescence, with 10–12 suberect to erect setae and 2–4 short erect hairs. Whole surface with thick longitudinal striae. Eyes very small and suboval, approximately 1.2 × as long as wide and 0.5 × as long as the gena. Frontal triangle shallowly impressed, indistinctly bordered from clypeus, with thick longitudinal and oblique thin striae. Frontal carinae short, slightly extending beyond frontal lobes. Frons narrow, in the narrowest part approximately 0.25 × as wide as the head width. Antennal fossa deep, with sculpture forming complete semicircular striae, interspaces with microreticulated sculpture. Head entirely sculptured, with dense and longitudinal striae, above eyes striae arching posterolaterally, lateral sides with sculpture fading posteriorly. Sometimes central frons with small smooth area. Interspaces between striation microsculptured, the surface slightly opalescent. Head covered with very short, sparse, yellowish and appressed pubescence and numerous moderately long to very long, decumbent to erect setae, also on the sides of the head and gena. Ventral part of the head with numerous, long erect setae, J-shaped psammophores absent. Antennal scape moderately long, in frontal view almost straight, approximately 0.7 × as long as the width of the head; base strongly extended, both outer and inner angle angulate. Scape before its apex, only slightly constricted; funiculus distinctly longer than the scape, pedicel moderately elongated, 0.7–0.8 × as long as segments 2 and 3 combined and 1.5–1.6 × as long as segment 2. Surface of the scape microreticulated, covered with long and sparse white decumbent to subdecumbent hairs. Mandibles rounded, with deep grooves, surface shiny with a few long and short yellow setae, cutting edge in large majors usually with sharp teeth, occasionally only serrulate. Mesosoma. Moderately long, approximately 1.9–2.1 × as long as wide. In lateral view promesonotum forms regular convexity, propodeum positioned lower than promesonotum, flat or slightly convex anteriorly then angulate posteriorly, angulation sometimes forms an obtuse denticle. Pronotal dorsum anteriorly with thick transverse striation, top with longitudinal striation, sides with distinct longitudinal to semicircular striae, interspaces with distinct microreticulation. Elevated dorsum of mesonotum with thin longitudinal and oblique striae, posterior part with transverse striae, sides above mesopleuron with transverse and oblique rugae. Mesopleura with moderately dense, thick transverse striae, interspaces strongly microreticulated, surface dull. Propodeum dorsally with thick transverse striae, sides with oblique and around spiracle circular striae. Metapleura with dense, longitudinal and semicircular striae, interspaces on the whole propodeal surface with distinct microreticulation, dull. Setation of mesosoma variable composed with sparse short and numerous long erect setae, pronotum with extremely sparse, short suberect hairs and dorsolaterally with 20–30 short to very long, yellowish erect setae, sides of the pronotum with numerous short to moderately long suberect to erect setae, mesonotum with several short to moderately long hairs and 30–40 long, yellowish erect setae, only slightly shorter than the longest setae on pronotum, propodeal dorsum a with 24–36 long setae, distinctly shorter than setae on mesonotum and with a few short erect setae, only posterior slope without erect setae, mesopleuron close to posterior margin with several short suberect setae and metapleuron in posterolateral corners with a group of moderately long suberect setae. Petiole. Elongate, with long pedicel and moderately high triangular node, thin, PI 1.28–1.48, pedicel, anterior face and base of node with strong reticulate sculpture, posterior face with thick oblique to transverse striae, top of petiole obtusely angulate, upper margin and sides with 14–20 erect setae. Postpetiole. Rounded in profile, globular in dorsal view, approximately 1.3 × as wide as the petiole, whole surface strongly microreticulated and with additional striae, with numerous short and long erect setae, partly longer than setae on petiolar node. Gaster. Whole surface with distinct microreticulate sculpture but without impressed setal pores, covered with sparse short decumbent and long erect, yellowish setae. Legs. Moderately elongate, femora distinctly swollen in the middle, tibiae moderately widened apically, tarsi longer than tibiae. Whole surface of the legs diffusely microreticulate, covered dorsally with moderately dense and long, decumbent and on sides subdecumbent to suberect setae.

Minor

Salata et al. (2023) - smallest minor worker: HL: 1.42; HW: 1.35; SL: 1.32; EL: 0.26; PW: 0.89; PRL: 0.77; PRW: 0.63; PTL: 0.54; PTH: 0.36; WL: 1.92; HFL: 1.69; CI: 1.052; SI: 0.978; PI: 1.500; FI: 0.880; L/WI: 2.157; PRI: 1.222.

Color. Similar to major workers but often paler brown than most majors, legs often yellowish-brown to brown. Antennae sometimes with yellowish-brown scapi and yellowish funicle. Head. Slightly more elongated than in major workers, approximately 1.1 × as long as wide, softly converging anterad and posterad, behind eyes regularly rounded, occipital margin of the head slightly convex. Clypeus not as strongly sculptured as in majors but longitudinal striae cover the whole surface and interspaces distinctly microreticulate. Eyes small and less oval than in major workers, 1.2 × as long as wide and 0.6 × as long as the gena. Frons with longitudinal striation, also gena and antennal fossa with distinct striation, in the posterior half of the head striation gradually disappears and transforms into microreticulate sculpture partly tending to form linear figures, postocular area and occipital corners with diffused microreticulation or partly smooth and shiny but the central part of the occipitum with distinct miroreticulation. Mesosoma. Slimmer than in majors. Dorsum of pronotal surface anteriorly with strong reticulate sculpture, on top with oblique and longitudinal striae and microreticulate interspaces, sides with fine semicircular striae or microsculpture tending to form semicircular and longitudinal figures, interspaces with diffused microreticulation. Sculpture of the mesonotum and the propodeum as in majors but striae less distinct and thus background microsculpture more visible. Setation and vestiture of the mesosoma as in majors but with less setae, especially mesonotum with only 8–10 erect setae, propodeum dorsum often with only a pair of setae or with only short setae. Petiole and postpetiole. As in major workers but posterior face of petiole and postpetiole without or with remnants of longitudinal striae, only with strong microreticulate sculpture. Gaster. With reticulate microsculpture, setation as in majors. Legs. As long as in majors with FI 0.88, sculpture of the surface diffused but setation as in major workers.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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