Messor syriacus

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Messor syriacus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Stenammini
Genus: Messor
Species group: instabilis
Species complex: semirufus
Species: M. syriacus
Binomial name
Messor syriacus
Tohmé, G., 1969

Messor syriacus casent0913178 p 1 high.jpg

Messor syriacus casent0913178 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Pashaei Rad et al. (2018) found this species in Iran on the ground in moderate to low rainfall areas. Salata et al. (2023) report that this is a thermophilous species, noted from low to mid altitudes, with most records from the seacoast to 400 m. The highest sites were in agricultural habitat with terraced crops at an altitude of 1325 m. Prefers sunny areas like dirt roadsides, salt lakes coasts, dry riverbanks, maquis and luminous pine forests with Mediterranean bushes, gravel areas on riverbanks and sunny rock with xerothermic meadow. Unlike the other two species of Messor known from Cyprus, it has not been observed in cities or in touristy beaches. Nests directly in the ground, workers penetrate small areas around the nest’s entrance.

Identification

Collingwood and Agosti (1996) - HW 1.7-2.3; EL/HW 0.24-0.28. This species has large eyes and a well-developed psammophore. The propodeum is rounded in profile, not angulate.

Salata et al. (2023) - Messor syriacus belongs to the Messor instabilis species-group (sensu Santschi (1927)).

Messor syriacus belongs to the complex of species with a small body size (HL < 2.3 mm and HW < 2.5 mm), bicolored body with completely or partly reddish mesosoma and entirely or predominantly black head and gaster, postpetiole not or only slightly wider than the petiolar node, and lack or presence of very sparse and short setosity on the first gastral tergite. In the Mediterranean Basin such combinations of characters share Messor laboriosus, Messor mediosanguineus, Messor minor calabricus, Messor rufus and Messor syriacus. Messor laboriosus differs in a strongly angulate propodeum often forming an obtuse propodeal spine and presence of sparse erect setae on the whole surface of the first gastral tergite; M. rufus differs in its bicolored head (gena and clypeus broadly yellow to red, the occipital area with a pale spot) and presence of sparse erect setae on the whole surface of the first gastral tergite; M. mediosanguineus differs in presence of a lobiform, obtuse propodeal spines on propodeum; M. minor calabricus differs in rounded in profile propodeum in major workers and never completely red mesosoma, this species also is the most geographically separated from M. syriacus (occurs in southern Italy). Small major workers of Messor intermedius with completely black head are similar to M. syriacus but differ in an obtuse propodeal angle, lack of erect setae on the first gastral tergite and presence of at most four erect setae on the occipital margin of the head.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 37.049722° to 25.366667°.

   
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

Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia.
Palaearctic Region: Armenia, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria (type locality), Türkiye.

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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

  • Salata et al. (2023), Figs. 15–16. Major worker of Messor syriacus. (15) dorsal, (16) lateral (scale bar = 1 mm).
  • Salata et al. (2023), Figs. 17–18. Minor worker of Messor syriacus. (17) dorsal, (18) lateral (scale bar = 1).
  • Salata et al. (2023), Figs. 19–20. Head of Messor syriacus. (19) major worker, (20) minor worker (scale bar = 1 mm).
  • Salata et al. (2023), Figs. 21–22. Color variation of Messor syriacus. (21) the palest form, (22) the darkest form (scale bar = 1 mm).

Nomenclature

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

  • syriacus. Messor syriacus Tohmé, G. 1969: 9.
    • Type-material: holotype worker.
    • Type-locality: Syria: Damas (= Damascus) (G. de Kerville).
    • Type-depository: NHMB.
    • [First available use of Messor minor st. laboriosus var. syriacus Santschi, 1927c: 241 (w.m.) SYRIA; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name.]
    • Tohmé, G. 1969: 9 (m.); Tohmé, G. & Tohmé, H. 1981: 146 (q.m.).
    • As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Santschi, 1927d: 247.
    • Subspecies of minor: Arnol'di, 1977b: 1640 (in key); Arakelian, 1994: 37.
    • Status as species: Tohmé, G. & Tohmé, H. 1981: 145; Collingwood, 1985: 252; Kugler, J. 1988: 257; Bolton, 1995b: 257; Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 322; Vonshak, et al. 2009: 43; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 21; Borowiec, L. 2014: 113; Tohmé, G. & Tohmé, 2014: 135; Khalili-Moghadam, et al. 2019: 177.
    • Distribution: Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey.

Type Material

Salata & Borowiec (2019): syntype (w.): M. aralocaspius | laboriosus | v. syriacus Sanschi || TYPE || Syrie | Damas. | G. de Kerville || Sammlung | Dr. F. Santschi || Kairouan || ANTWEB | CASENT0913178 (NHMB).

Taxonomic Notes

Salata et al. (2023) - Messor syriacus was described from Syria, Damas (= Damascus) and later recorded also from Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and eastern Türkiye (Borowiec 2014). Populations from Iran and Saudi Arabia slightly differ from populations of more western and northern distribution and maybe represent another cryptic species. However, this statement needs verification based on molecular data. Cypriot records of M. intermedius, M. meridionalis and M. wasmanni most likely refer to M. syriacus.

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.
  • Collingwood C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia 7: 230-302.
  • Khalili-Moghadam A., L. Borowiec, and A. Nemati. 2019. New records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari Province of Iran with taxonomic comments. Polish Journal of Entomology 88 (2): 163–182.
  • 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.. "Revision des Messor du groupe instabilis Sm. (Hymenopt.)." Boletín de la Real Sociedad española de Historia natural (Madrid) 27 (1927): 225-250.
  • Tohme G. 1996. Formicidae. Etude de la diversité biologique n° 4 . Ministère de l’Agriculture à Beyrouth (Eds.). P85-87.
  • Tohme G., and H. Tohme. 2014. Nouvelles liste des especes de fourmis du Liban (Hymenoptera, Formicoidea). Lebanese Science Journal 15(1): 133-141.
  • Tohmé, G., and H. Tohmé. "Les fourmis du genre Messor en Syrie. Position systématique. Description de quelques ailés et de formes nouvelles. Répartition géographique." Ecologia Mediterranea 7 (1) (1981): 139-153, fig. 1-22.
  • Vonshak M., and A. Ionescu-Hirsch. 2009. A checklist of the ants of Israel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Israel Journal of Entomology 39: 33-55.