Myrmica commarginata

Myrmica commarginata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Myrmicini
Genus:	Myrmica
Species:	M. commarginata
Binomial name
	Myrmica commarginata; Ruzsky, 1905 Specimen Label

Inhabits steppes and dry meadows, often with sandy soil.

Identification

A member of the kasczenkoi complex of the lobicornis species group. Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - The mesonotum and propodeum of M. commarginata specimens are strongly constricted laterally, so that their dorsal surface is narrow and delineated laterally by sharp ridges, which merge with the outer bases of propodeal spines. This feature is not seen in any other known Myrmica species. We cannot exclude the possibility that such deformed individuals or perhaps naturally aberrant workers (even from several different species) have been included in the name M. commarginata. This will only be resolved when good consistent, colony samples containing queens and males are found. Except for the most unusual morphological feature after which it was named (see below) it is similar to sympatric lobicornis-group species, such as Myrmica kasczenkoi, Myrmica displicentia, or even Myrmica divergens. Furthermore, it appears to be unusually rare for a Siberian Myrmica species, having been found in only seven localities since its first description: Krasnoyarski Krai, Chitinskaya and Amurskaya Provo of Russia, and in Mongolia (Ruzsky 1925, 1936; Radchenko 1994f; Pfeiffer et al. 2007).

Keys including this Species

Key to Myrmica of species of East Siberia, Russian Far East, Mongolia, Korean Peninsula, northern China, and Japan

Distribution

South Siberia, Mongolia.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Mongolia, Russian Federation (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

Known only from the worker caste.

Nomenclature

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

commarginata. Myrmica commarginata Ruzsky, 1905b: 708 (w.) RUSSIA. See also: Radchenko, 1994c: 138; Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 112.

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

Description

Type Material

Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - Locality: Transbaikal Prov., sandy steppe by the road from Kyakhta to Troitskosavsk (23 km from the town), ww 27.vii.1901, leg. Molleson.

Etymology

Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - from the Latin word (F.) marginata = enclosed with edges or borders, with the prefix com = together with, to give "with margins" describing the unusual shape of the alitrunk.

References

Dubovikoff, D.A., Yusupov, Z.M. 2017. Family Formicidae - Ants. In Belokobylskij S. A. and A. S. Lelej: Annotated catalogue of the Hymenoptera of Russia. Proceedingss of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences 6: 197-210.
Radchenko, A. G. 1994d. Identification table for ants of the genus Myrmica (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from central and eastern Palearctic. Zool. Zh. 73(7-8 8: 130-145 (page 138, see also)

Radchenko, A.G. & Elmes, G.W. 2010. Myrmica ants of the Old World. Fauna Mundi 3: 1-789.

Ruzsky, M. 1905b. The ants of Russia. (Formicariae Imperii Rossici). Systematics, geography and data on the biology of Russian ants. Part I. Tr. Obshch. Estestvoispyt. Imp. Kazan. Univ. 38(4-6 6: 1-800 (page 708, worker described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Pfeiffer M., R. Schultz, A. Radchenko, S. Yamane, M. Woyciechowski, U. Aibek, and B. Seifert. 2007. A critical checklist of the ants of Mongolia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bonner Zoologische Beiträge 55: 1-8.