Strongylognathus alpinus

Strongylognathus alpinus
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Strongylognathus
Species:	S. alpinus
Binomial name
Strongylognathus alpinus Wheeler, W.M., 1909

Strongylognathus alpinus is found in upper montane and subalpine zones between 1450 and 2100m in stony pastures, grassy rubble fans and clearings of sun-exposed woodlands with stones; nests are usually under stones and are frequently very large, sometimes extending over several square meters and probably containing some 15,000 or more workers (along with up to 45,000 host workers) (Seifert, 2018). It is a slave-making ant which uses Tetramorium alpestre and Tetramorium impurum as hosts (de la Mora et al., 2021; Seifert, 2018).

At a Glance

• Dulotic

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 46.021073° to 45.3°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Switzerland (type locality), Türkiye.

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

Flight Period

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

Source: Seifert, 2018.

• Check details at Worldwide Ant Nuptial Flights Data, AntNupTracker and AntKeeping.

 Explore: Show all Flight Month data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.

Nomenclature

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

• alpinus. Strongylognathus huberi subsp. alpinus Wheeler, W.M. 1909g: 178, fig. 1 (w.q.m.) SWITZERLAND.
  • Type-material: syntype workers, syntype queens (numbers not stated, “numerous), 2 syntype males.
  • Type-localities: 2 colonies Switzerland: <1 km. below Zermatt, W slope Matter Valley, ca 1620 m., 13-14.viii.1909 (W.M. Wheeler), 4 colonies Switzerland: right bank of Triftbach, ca 15 mins walk from Zermatt, 18.viii.1909 (W.M. Wheeler).
  • Type-depository: MCZC.
  • Hauschteck, 1962: 219 (k.).
  • Subspecies of huberi: Forel, 1915d: 15 (in key); Emery, 1916b: 199; Kutter, 1920a: 528; Soudek, 1922: 29; Kutter, 1923: 387; Emery, 1924d: 286; Grandi, 1935: 101; Donisthorpe, 1936c: 114 (in list); Novák & Sadil, 1941: 88 (in key); Bernard, 1967: 238 (in key).
  • Status as species: Bondroit, 1918: 111; Kutter, 1968a: 60; Kutter, 1968b: 205; Baroni Urbani, 1969c: 140 (redescription); Bolton, 1976: 306; Kutter, 1977c: 165; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 278 (in key); Poldi, 1994: 189 (in key); Bolton, 1995b: 395; Sanetra, Güsten & Schulz, 1999: 337; Petrov, 2006: 101 (in key); Casevitz-Weulersse & Galkowski, 2009: 493; Borowiec, L. 2014: 162; Lebas, et al. 2016: 338; Seifert, 2018: 237.
  • Distribution: France, Italy (+ Sicily), Switzerland.

References

• Baroni Urbani, C. 1969b. Gli Strongylognathus del gruppo huberi nell'Europa occidentale: saggio di una revisione basata sulla casta operaia (Hymenoptera Formicidae). Boll. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 99- 101: 132-168 (page 140, Raised to species)
• Bondroit, J. 1918. Les fourmis de France et de Belgique. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Fr. 87: 1-174 (page 111, Raised to species)
• Borowiec, L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
• de la Mora, A., Sankovitz, M., Purcell, J. 2020. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as host and intruder: recent advances and future directions in the study of exploitative strategies. Myrmecological News 30: 53-71 (doi:10.25849/MYRMECOL.NEWS_030:053).
• Hauschteck, E. 1962. Die Chromosomen einiger in der Schweiz vorkommender Ameisenarten. Vierteljahrsschr. Naturforsch. Ges. Zür. 107: 213-220 (page 219, karyotype described)
• Kiran, K., Karaman, C. 2020. Additions to the ant fauna of Turkey (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Zoosystema 42(18), 285-329 (doi:10.5252/zoosystema2020v42a18).
• Kutter, H. 1920. Strongylognathus Huberi For. r. alpinus Wh. eine Sklaven raubende Ameise. Biol. Zentralbl. 40: 528-538 (page 528, Race of huberi)
• Kutter, H. 1923. Der Sklavenräuber Strongylognathus huberi For. ssp. alpinus Wheeler. Rev. Suisse Zool. 30: 387-424 (page 387, Race of huberi)
• Kutter, H. 1977c. Hymenoptera, Formicidae. Insecta Helv. Fauna 6: 1-298 (page 165, see also)
• Purkart, A., Wagner, H.C., Goffová, K., Selnekovič, D., Holecová, M. 2021. Laboratory observations on Anergates atratulus (Schenck, 1852): mating behaviour, incorporation into host colonies, and competition with Strongylognathus testaceus (Schenck, 1852). Biologia (doi:10.1007/s11756-021-00901-y).
• Sanetra, M., Buschinger, A. 2000. Phylogenetic relationships among social parasites and their hosts in the ant tribe Tetramoriini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). European Journal of Entomology 97: 95-117.
• Sanetra, M., Güsten, R., Schulz, A. 1999. On the taxonomy and distribution of Italian Tetramorium species and their social parasites (Hymenoptera Formicidae). Memorie della Societa Entomologica Italiana 77: 317-357.
• Sanetra, M.; Güsten,, R. 2001. The socially parasitic ant genus Strongylognathus Mayr in North Africa (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 20: 1-20.
• Schifani, E., Csősz, S., Viviano, R., Alicata, A. 2021. Ant diversity on the largest Mediterranean islands: on the presence or absence of 28 species in Sicily (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Natural History Sciences 8, 55–70 (doi:10.4081/nhs.2021.532).
• Seifert, B. 2018. The ants of Central and Northern Europe. lutra Verlags- und Vertiebsgesellschaft, Tauer, 408 pp.
• Wagner, H.C., Arthofer, W., Seifert, B., Muster, C., Steiner, F.M. & Schlick-Steiner, B.C. 2017. Light at the end of the tunnel: Integrative taxonomy delimits cryptic species in the Tetramorium caespitum complex. Myrmecological News 25: 95-129.
• Wheeler, W. M. 1909g. Observations on some European ants. J. N. Y. Entomol. Soc. 17: 172-187 (page 178, fig. 1 worker, queen, male described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Antarea (at www.antarea.fr on June 11th 2017)
• Bolton B. 1976. The ant tribe Tetramoriini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Constituent genera, review of smaller genera and revision of Triglyphothrix Forel. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 34:281-379.
• Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
• Buschinger, A., W. Ehrhardt, and K. Fischer. "Doronomyrmex pacis, Epimyrma stumperi und E. goesswaldi (Hym., Formicidae) neu für Frankreich." Insectes Sociaux 28 (1981): 67-70.
• Casevitz-Weulersse J., and C. Galkowski. 2009. Liste actualisee des Fourmis de France (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Bull. Soc. Entomol. Fr. 114: 475-510.
• Emery C. 1916. Fauna entomologica italiana. I. Hymenoptera.-Formicidae. Bullettino della Società Entomologica Italiana 47: 79-275.
• Grandi G. 1935. Contributi alla conoscenza degli Imenotteri Aculeati. XV. Boll. R. Ist. Entomol. Univ. Studi Bologna 8: 27-121.
• Neumeyer R., and B. Seifert. 2005. Commented check list of free living ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) species of Switzerland. Bulletin de la Societe Entomologique Suisse 78: 1-17.
• Sanetra M., R. Güsten, and A. Schulz. 1999. On the taxonomy and distribution of Italian Tetramorium species and their social parasites (Hymenoptera Formicidae). Memorie della Societa Entomologica Italiana 77: 317-357.