Myrmica hirsuta

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Myrmica hirsuta
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Myrmicini
Genus: Myrmica
Species group: sabuleti
Species: M. hirsuta
Binomial name
Myrmica hirsuta
Elmes, 1978

Myrmica hirsuta casent0172757 profile 1.jpg

Myrmica hirsuta casent0172757 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

In Central Europe M. hirsuta is clearly an obligatory social parasite of Myrmica sabuleti. It produces workers only very rarely: three entire host colonies of M. sabuleti from Denmark were collected and examined yielding only 3 M. hirsuta workers. It is probable that if host colonies for other related social parasites, such as Myrmica laurae, were exhaustively searched in the same way, a few workers of these species might be located. Its nearest relative, Myrmica bibikoffi, has been recorded as free living. So, these species might illustrate trend from temporary social parasitism and facultative social parasitism (with some workers) in certain ecological conditions, to obligatory social parasitism with just a few workers being produced in some conditions. In northern Europe, M. hirsuta has been found living in Myrmica lonae colonies. This could indicate a degree of host transference but equally might indicate that M. lonae is only an "ecological race" of M. sabuleti. In our experience M. hirsuta occurs wherever a strong population of M. sabuleti exists, but on average only about 1 in 50-100 host colonies are infested (Elmes 1983). Thus one has to examine a large number of host colonies before finding M. hirsuta; generally this is easier when the host lives under stones. (Radchenko and Elmes 2003)

At a Glance • Inquiline  

Identification

A member of the sabuleti complex of the scabrinodis species group (Radchenko and Elmes 2004). Similar to a microgyne Myrmica sabuleti but distinguished by the laterally enlarged post petiole, wider frons and excessive development of body hairs. Head width: 1.05 mm. Body length: 5.2 mm. Mean postpetiole width: 0.675 mm. (Collingwood 1979). M. hirsuta is generally most similar to Myrmica bibikoffi while the queens are superficially similar to Myrmica laurae. (Radchenko and Elmes 2003) Garcia et al. (2024), Table 1. Biometric measurements and indexes following Radchenko and Elmes (2010) of M. babiensis, M. aloba (own data, in microns, mean ± standard deviation (minimum; maximum)) and other big sized parasitic Myrmica gynes (minimum–maximum, data taken from Radchenko and Elmes, 2003).

Species Myrmica babiensis
n=19 		Myrmica aloba
n=14 		Myrmica laurae
n=14 		Myrmica bibikoffi
n=2 		Myrmica hirsuta
n=36 		Myrmica myrmicoxena
n=6
HL 1155.5 ± 34.9
(1078; 1212) 		1321.8 ± 28
(1278; 1361) 		950–1090 1240–1400 1000–1180 1020–1050
HW 1070.6 ± 37.3
(979; 1137) 		1185.1 ± 32.9
(1145; 1228) 		870–1050 1220–1340 880–1100 940–970
SL 753.1 ± 25
(712; 792) 		942.8 ± 26.1
(888; 988) 		680–790 960–1000 720–880 670–700
AL 1802.6 ± 70.1
(1650; 1925) 		2015.4 ± 67.8
(1925; 2131) 		1500–1850 2140 1620–2000 1520–1580
HL/HW 1.077 ± 0.034
(1.033; 1.186) 		0.993 ± 0.021
(0.962; 1.025) 		- - - -
FW/HW 0.457 ± 0.022
(0.429; 0.516) 		0.349 ± 0.015
(0.326; 0.376) 		0.41–0.49 0.35–0.39 0.39–0.46 0.45–0.46
FLW/FW 1.059 ± 0.015
(1.033; 1.091) 		1.216 ± 0.042
(1.144; 1.274) 		1.05–1.17 1.26–1.37 1.10–1.30 1.16–1.21
SL/HL 0.652 ± 0.025
(0.605; 0.690) 		0.713 ± 0.021
(0.677; 0.754) 		0.70–0.75 0.71–0.77 0.68–0.81 0.65–0.66
SL/HW 0.703 ± 0.024
(0.660; 0.746) 		0.708 ± 0.022
(0.669; 0.747) 		0.74–0.80 0.79–0.80 0.73–0.84 0.71–0.72
PL/PH 1.006 ± 0.066
(0.870; 1.110) 		1.294 ± 0.069
(1.208; 1.421) 		- - - -
PPW/HW 0.759 ± 0.043
(0.700; 0.888) 		0.462 ± 0.019
(0.434; 0.497) 		0.62–0.69 0.60–0.61 0.57–0.72 0.56–0.57
ESL/HW 0.321 ± 0.0367
(0.258; 0.382) 		0.286 ± 0.012
(0.259; 0.301) 		0.35–0.41 0.30–0.35 0.24–0.36 0.18–0.23
ESD/ESL 1.977 ± 0.203
(1.594; 2.314) 		1.471 ± 0.073
(1.341; 1.559) 		- - - -

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Very widely distributed throughout Western Europe and also found in southern England.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 57.2849° to 37.75777778°.

 
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (type locality).

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

When Elmes (1978) described M. hirsuta from southern England, he considered it to be a workerless social parasite of Myrmica sabuleti. Later, in infested nests from Denmark he found two workers (Elmes 1994), both are pseudogyne, having minute ocelli and at least a trace of scutum.

Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - In Central Europe M. hirsuta is clearly an obligatory social parasite of M. sabuleti. In North Europe, M. hirsuta usually lives in Myrmica lonae colonies. This could indicate a degree of host transference but equally might indicate that M. lonae is only an “ecological race” of M. sabuleti (see Notes to M. lonae).

The worker caste is produced only very rarely: three entire infested host colonies of M. sabuleti from Denmark were collected and each worker examined, this yielding only 3 M. hirsuta workers (2 from one colony and 1 from another). Although 8 entire infested colonies were collected at the type locality (Elmes 1978) only queens and males were examined individually, so it was possible these colonies also contained a few very worker-like pseudogynes. We suggest that if host colonies infested by other related social parasites, such as M. laurae, were exhaustively searched in the same way, a few workers of these species might be found. Elmes (1983) showed that in the laboratory M. hirsuta queens produced two types of offspring: larger larvae develop slowly, overwinter and eclose to become new fully reproductive M. hirsuta gynes the following spring, whereas smaller larvae either develop quickly and eclose the same summer, becoming infertile (no spermatheca) intercastes (winged workers), or they overwinter and eclose to become infertile (or sub-fertile) small M. hirsuta queens. M. hirsuta queens can suppress the sexual development of their host's larvae, but their own larvae appear to be “immune” to queen effect (Elmes 1983).

Pitfall trapping showed M. hirsuta queens were present in traps from August to October, numbers peaking in early September, at four sites in Southern England where the host is common (Elmes 1982). Other similar studies (unpublished) confirm this trend so that one might state with reasonable confidence that on sites where M. sabuleti is the dominant species of Myrmica, one might expect to find some colonies infested with M. hirsuta. Even so, the levels of infestation is not high on average only about 1 in 50-100 host colonies are infested (Elmes 1983), thus one has to examine a large number of host colonies before finding M. hirsuta; generally this is easier when the host lives under stones. However, infested colonies tend to be clumped as was the case at the type locality and in Denmark, while Seifert (1988) found that up to 50% of colonies were infested on one small site. The low density of overall infestation combined with the apparent availability of young queens searching for host colonies in autumn, suggests that penetration of new host colonies might be quite difficult. Elmes (1983) had results that suggested that once insinuated into a host nest, a M. hirsuta queen might delay or suppress the onset of oviposition of the host queen by several weeks. If this is correct then it might be a way in which the relatively low number of eggs laid by the parasite might avoid direct competition with the much larger number of eggs laid by the host.

It was suggested (Elmes 1978b) that there might be a trend for extreme polygyny to “degenerate” into social parasitism via forms such as microgyne M. rubra. Certainly, the closest relative of M. hirsuta genetically is M. sabuleti (Savolainen and Vepsalainen 2003). On the other hand, its closest relative among the social parasites, M. bibikoffi (see above), has been recorded as free living and in mixed colonies with M. sabuleti and arguably this could illustrate a trend from temporary social parasitism to facultative social parasitism (with some workers) in certain ecological conditions, to obligate social parasitism with just a few workers being produced in some conditions.


The first collection of this species in Greece (Borowiec and Salata 2013) was from the Peloponnese region of southern Greece (37°37.508′N 22°16.655′E / 37.625133°N 22.277583°E / 37.625133; 22.277583): "A nest with 24 gynes and two males was found under a rock in the coniferous forest without any specimens of the host species."

Flight Period

X X
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Source: antkeeping.info.

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Castes

Images from AntWeb

Myrmica hirsuta casent0172757 dorsal 2.jpg
Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0172757. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Queens and males are commonly present. Workers are relatively rare in this social parasite.

Nomenclature

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

  • hirsuta. Myrmica hirsuta Elmes, 1978: 131, fig. 2 (q.m.) GREAT BRITAIN. Elmes, 1994: 439 (w.). See also: Collingwood, 1979: 51; Bolton, 1988a: 4; Radchenko & Elmes, 2003a: 228; Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 149.

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

Description

Worker

Radchenko and Elmes (2003) - (n=3): HL 1.02-1.06; HW 0.88-0.95; SL 0.78-0.80; AL 1.46-1.56 mm; FI 0.40-0.42; FLT 1.17-1.23; SI1 0.75-0.78; SI2 0.84-0.91; PPI 0.55-0.58; ESLI 0.34-0.37; queens (n=36, paratypes): HL 1.00-1.18; HW 0.88-1.10; SL 0.72-0.88; AL 1.62-2.00 mm; FI 0.39-0.46; FLI 1.10-1.30; SI1 0.68-0.81; SI2 0.73-0.84; PPI 0.57-0.72; ESLI 0.24-0.36; males (n=21, paratypes): HL 0.82-0.94; HW 0.80-0.88; SL 0.43-0.50; AL 1.66-1.92 mm; SI1 0.50-0.58; SI2 0.52-0.63; PPI 0.63-0.73; ESLI 0.06-0.12.

Type Material

Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - Holotype, q, “Durlstone Country Park, Purbeck, Dorset ., 1973, Leg. GW Elmes” (LONDON); paratypes: 34 q, 19 m, Durleston Country Park, Purbeck, Dorset, UK, under stone, limestone grassland, leg. G. W. Elmes, 1973 (in 9 different infested colonies of M. sabuleti) (LONDON, ELMES, KIEV)

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Allen G. W. 1989. A key to the worker castes of the ants of Kent (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Transactions of the Kent Field Club 11: 8-23.
  • Antarea (at www.antarea.fr on June 11th 2017)
  • ArtDatabanken Bugs (via GBIG)
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  • Boer P. 2019. Species list of the Netherlands. Accessed on January 22 2019 at http://www.nlmieren.nl/websitepages/specieslist.html
  • Boer P., and J. Noordijk. 2004. De ruige gaststeekmier Myrmica hirsuta nieuw voor Nederland (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Ned. Faun. Meded. 20: 25-32.
  • 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. Ants of the Peloponnese, Greece (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Polish Journal of Entomology 86: 193-236.
  • Bracko, G. 2006. Review of the ant fauna (Hymenoptera:Formicidae) of Croatia. Acta Entomologica Slovenica 14(2): 131-156.
  • Bracko, G. "Review of the ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Croatia." Acta Entomologica Slovenica Vol 14 st (2006): 131-156.
  • Collingwood, C. A. "The Formicidae (Hymenoptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark." Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica 8 (1979): 1-174.
  • Czechowska W., and A. Radchenko. 1997. Myrmica hirsuta Elmes, 1978 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) - a socially parasitic ant species new to Poland. Fragmenta Faunistica 40: 53-57.
  • Czechowski W., A. Radchenko, W. Czechowska and K. Vepsäläinen. 2012. The ants of Poland with reference to the myrmecofauna of Europe. Fauna Poloniae 4. Warsaw: Natura Optima Dux Foundation, 1-496 pp
  • Czekes Z., Radchenko, A. G., Csősz, S. Szász-Len, A., Tăuşan, I., Benedek, K., and Markó, B. 2013. The genus Myrmica Latreille, 1804 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Romania: distribution of species and key for their identification. Entomologica Romanica 17: 29-50.
  • Ebsen J. R., J. J. Boomsma, and D. R. Nash. 2019. Phylogeography and cryptic speciation in the Myrmica scabrinodis Nylander, 1846 species complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), and their conservation implications. Insect Conservation and Diversity doi: 10.1111/icad.12366
  • Elmes G. W. 1994. A population of the social parasite Myrmica hirsuta Elmes (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) recorded from Jutland, Denmark, with a first description of the worker caste. Insectes Soc. 41: 437-442.
  • Else G., B. Bolton, and G. Broad. 2016. Checklist of British and Irish Hymenoptera - aculeates (Apoidea, Chrysidoidea and Vespoidea). Biodiversity Data Journal 4: e8050. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e8050
  • Jansen G., R. Savolainen, K. Vespalainen. 2010. Phylogeny, divergence-time estimation, biogeography and social parasite–host relationships of the Holarctic ant genusMyrmica(Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 56: 294-304.
  • Lebas C., and C. Galkowski. 2016. Myrmica hirsuta Elmes, 1978, a new species from France (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Bull. Soc. Linn. Bordeaux 151, 44(2/3): 239-244.
  • Nielsen M. G. 2011. A check list of Danish ants and proposed common names. Ent. Meddr. 79: 13-18.
  • Pech P., and K. Pruskova. 2013. Myrmica scabrinodis as a possible host of Myrmica hirsuta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Entomologica Fennica 24: 140-141.
  • Petrov I. Z., and C. A. Collingwood. 1992. Survey of the myrmecofauna (Formicidae, Hymenoptera) of Yugoslavia. Archives of Biological Sciences (Belgrade) 44: 79-91.
  • Radchenko A. G., and G. W. Elmes. 2003. A taxonomic revision of the socially parasitic Myrmica ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Palaearctic region. Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 53: 217-243.
  • Radchenko A. G., and G. W. Elmes. 2010. Myrmica ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Old World. Fauna Mundi 3. Warsaw: Natura Optima Dux Foundation, 790 pp.
  • Saaristo M. I. 1995. Distribution maps of the outdoor myrmicid ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Finland, with notes on their taxonomy and ecology. Entomol. Fennica 6: 153-162.
  • Seifert B. 1988. A taxonomic revision of the Myrmica species of Europe, Asia Minor, and Caucasia (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Abhandlungen und Berichte des Naturkundemuseums Görlitz 62(3): 1-75. 
  • Seifert B. 1994. Die freilebenden Ameisenarten Deutschlands (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) und Angaben zu deren Taxonomie und Verbreitung. Abhandlungen und Berichte des Naturkundemuseums Görlitz 67(3): 1-44.
  • Seifert B. 1998. Rote Liste der Ameisen. - in: M. Binot, R. Bless, P. Boye, H. Gruttke und P. Pretscher: Rote Liste gefährdeter Tiere Deutschlands. Bonn-Bad Godesberg 1998: 130-133.
  • Steiner F. M., S. Schödl, and B. C. Schlick-Steiner. 2002. Liste der Ameisen Österreichs (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Stand Oktober 2002. Beiträge zur Entomofaunistik 3: 17-25.
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