Plagiolepis perperamus
Plagiolepis perperamus | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Formicidae |
Subfamily: | Formicinae |
Tribe: | Plagiolepidini |
Genus: | Plagiolepis |
Species: | P. perperamus |
Binomial name | |
Plagiolepis perperamus Salata, Borowiec & Radchenko, 2018 |
This species is associated with humid areas overgrown by macchia or forests. Nests in soil, most often below rocks. Workers have been observed in the material collected by beating sheet from blackberry bushes. Colonies polygynous. It is uncommon but widespread in Greece, where it prefers warm habitats and is often collected in anthropogenic habitats in tourist resorts and cities. In Achaia and Aetolia-Acarnania, its nests were observed in urban park, pine forest, pasture with mediterranean oaks and stream valley with plane trees (Borowiec & Salata, 2021).
Identification
Distribution
This is an uncommon species but known from all Greek provinces (Borowiec et al., 2022).
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Greece (type locality), Iran, Türkiye.
Distribution based on AntMaps
Distribution based on AntWeb specimens
Check data from AntWeb
Biology
Castes
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- perperamus. Plagiolepis perperamus Salata, Borowiec & Radchenko, 2018: 816, figs. 12-15 (w.) GREECE (Crete I., Lesbos I., Naxos I., Karpathos I., Kos I., Korfu I., Greek mainland), TURKEY, IRAN.
- Junior synonym of atlantis: Seifert, 2020: 189.
- Status as species: Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 48; Khalili-Moghadam et al., 2019: 171; Borowiec, Lebas et al., 2022: 8; Borowiec & Salata, 2022: 248 (redescription).
Taxonomic Notes
Borowiec & Salata (2022): Seifert (2020), in his revision of Plagiolepis schmitzi group, synonymized P. perperamus with Plagiolepis atlantis based on subtle morphometric analysis. However, the author ignored observed differences revealed based on ecological niche modelling and the large geographical disjunction separating North African populations hitherto named as P. atlantis and Balkan populations described as P. perperamus. In his analysis, populations from Greece form a distinct cluster separated from African populations but this separation was not considered as strong. We do not rule out the possibility that P. perperamus may be a junior synonym of P. atlantis. However, in our opinion such taxonomic decision has to be supported with more roboust and comprehensive data. As long as genetic studies do not confirm the conspecificity of the populations from the North-West Africa and the Balkans, we treat the Balkans population as P. perperamus.
Description
References
- Borowiec, L., Lebas, C., Salata, S. 2022. Notes on ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from three northern Aegean islands – Lemnos, Samothraki and Thasos. Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom, Entomology 31: 1-14 (doi:10.5281/ZENODO.7346453).
- Borowiec, L., Salata, S. 2022. A monographic review of ants of Greece (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Vol. 1. Introduction and review of all subfamilies except the subfamily Myrmicinae. Part 1: text. Natural History Monographs of the Upper Silesian Museum 1: 1-297.
- Borowiec, L., van Delft, J.P.L., van Delft, J.J.C.W., Salata, S. 2023. Five ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) new to the Greek fauna with notes on ants from Greek Thrace. Annales of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom, Entomology 32 (online 008), 1-13 (doi:10.5281/ZENODO.10101028).
- Karaman, C., Kiran, K. 2022. Additional records of parasitic Camponotus Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) species from Turkey with queen description of Camponotus ruseni Karaman, 2012. Zoology in the Middle East 68(2), 156–164 (doi:10.1080/09397140.2022.2051918).
- Khalini-Moghadam, A., Borowiec, L., Nemati, A. 2019. New records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari Province of Iran with taxonomic comments. Polish Journal of Entomology 88: 163–182 (DOI 10.2478/pjen-2019-0013).
- Kiran, K., Karaman, C. 2020. Additions to the ant fauna of Turkey (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Zoosystema 42(18), 285-329 (doi:10.5252/zoosystema2020v42a18).
- Salata, S., Borowiec, L., Radchenko, A.G. 2018. Description of Plagiolepis perperamus, a New Species from East-Mediterranean and Redescription of Plagiolepis pallescens Forel, 1889 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 68(4):809-824 (DOI 10.3161/00034541ANZ2018.68.4.005).
- Salata, S., Borowiec, L., Trichas, A. 2020. Review of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Crete, with keys to species determination and zoogeographical remarks. Monographs of the Upper Silesian Museum No 12: 5–296 (doi:10.5281/ZENODO.3738001).
- Seifert, B. 2020. Revision of the Plagiolepis schmitzii group with description of Pl. invadens sp. nov. – a new invasive supercolonial species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Deutsche entomologische Zeitschrift 67(2): 183–196 (doi:10.3897/dez.67.53199).
- Snegovaya, N., Shigayev, C. 2021. A checklist of the ants (Insecta, Formicidae) of Azerbaijan Republic. Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics 17(2): 179-207 (doi:10.22067/ijab.2022.67343.1000).
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- 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.
- Salata S., L. Borowiec, and A. G. Radchenko. 2018. Description of Plagiolepis perperamus, a New Species from East Mediterranean and Redescription of Plagiolepis pallescens Forel, 1889 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 68(4): 809-824.
- Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2018. Taxonomic and faunistic notes on Greek ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom Entomology 27: 1-51.
- Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2019. Preliminary division of not socially parasitic Greek Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) with a description of three new species. ZooKeys 877: 81-131.