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

Borowiec et al. (2018) - Plagiolepis perperamus belongs to the Plagiolepis schmitzii group. It differs from all representatives of the Plagiolepis pallescens group in Eastern Mediterranean in dense setosity on the first gaster tergite (see diagnosis in Plagiolepis pallescens). The new species is the vicariant species of Plagiolepis schmitzii, and their separation using morphological characters such as size, body colouration and gaster setosity is very challenging. In most cases both species differ in length of gaster setosity. In P. perperamus setae are long enough to cover at least 1/2 of the length of following setae and in P. schmitzii they cover approximately ¼ of the length of following setae. However, the species are allopatric: P. schmitzii occurs in Maghreb, Iberian Peninsula and Macaronesia (Wetterer et al. 2007), and P. perperamus is Aegean species (sensu Fattorini 2000) reaching east to Iran.

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

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).

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

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

Worker

Whole body from brown to dark brown. Legs, scapes and up to 4 first segments of funiculus brighter, from brown to ochre. Head longer than wide, trapezoidal, its sides always convex, occipital margin nearly straight or concave. Clypeus shiny, its posterior edge convex, setosity sparse and long, setae subdecumbent. Surface of head smooth and shiny, bearing short, sparse and adjacent setae. Scape reaches beyond the occipital margin, widening upward from 3/4 of its length, its surface shiny, with feeble, moderate microreticulation, dense, adjacent microsetae covers its whole surface. The second funicular segment square or slightly rectangular, the third segment elongate, equal or only slightly shorter than the fourth one, the rest of funicular segments clearly longer than broad. Eyes big, oval, 1.3 times as long as wide. Mandibles triangular, short with a row of well-developed teeth.

Mesosoma elongate, 1.7 times as long as wide. In lateral view dorsal surface of promesonotum slightly convex, metanotal groove shallow, propodeum with convex dorsal and straight or slightly concave posterior sides. The whole mesosoma smooth and shiny, bearing sparse, short and adjacent micropilosity. Petiolar scale thin and short, its anterior and posterior sides slightly convex, apex concave, its surface smooth and shiny.

Gaster longer than mesosoma, shiny with sparse microreticulation, bearing dense, adpressed setae, the distance between setae shorter than 1/3 of their length, additionally thick, long hairs occur on posterior margins of all tergites.

Type Material

Holotype (w.) (CASENT0845955): Collection L. Borowiec | Formicidae | LBC-GR00042 || GREECE NW Crete | 3 km S Askifou 800 m a.s.l.| 35°16’N/24°10’E | 1 V 2007. L.& M.L. Borowiec (MNHW); paratypes (3w, 4g.) (CASENT0845956-CASENT0845962): data same as in holotype (DBET); 8w, pin (CASENT0845963- CASENT0845970): Crete, Chania, 3 km S Askifou, 35.26666/24.16666, 750 m, 2007-05-01, coll. & det. L. Borowiec (DBET); 1w, pin (CASENT0845971): Crete, Chania, Fres n. Vrises, 35.38333/24.15, 173 m, 2011-05-05, coll. & det. L. Borowiec (DBET); 1w, pin (CASENT0845972): Crete, Chania, Kato Daratso n. Chania, 35.5/23.96666, 23 m, 2011-04-30, coll.& det. L. Borowiec (DBET); 2w, pin (CASENT0845973-CASENT0845974): Crete, Chania,Kato Daratso n. Chania, 35.5/23.98333, 13 m, 2011-05-06, coll. & det. L. Borowiec (DBET); 1w, pin (CASENT0845975): Crete, Chania, Khora Sfakion, 35.2/24.13333, 6 m, 2007-05-01, coll. & det. L. Borowiec (DBET).

Etymology

The name comes from the Latin word perperam (wrongly, incorrectly) and refers to a long period of confusing this species with Plagiolepis pallescens.

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).
• Demetriou, J., Georgiadis, C., Ralli, V., Salata, S., Borowiec, L. 2024. Setting the record straight: a re-examination of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Cyprus deposited at the Museum of Zoology of Athens. Zootaxa 55231, 49–69 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5523.1.3).
• 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.