Tapinoma hispanicum

Tapinoma hispanicum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Dolichoderinae
Genus:	Tapinoma
Species:	T. hispanicum
Binomial name
	Tapinoma hispanicum; Seifert, Kaufmann & Fraysse, 2024

No supercolonies have been observed so far in this species. Colonies are apparently monodomous. With exception of a roadside in an olive plantation and an urban park, all nests were found in natural or semi-natural open habitats showing a high percentage of bare ground. These habitats were usually covered by lacunar dwarf shrubs or dilute xerothermous grassland. No European Tapinoma species showed such a clear preference of highaltitude habitats: only 36 % of the sites were situated within 391–1206 m but 64% within 2005–2600 m. The latter habitats were as a rule extremely rocky and wind exposed.

Photo Gallery

Seifert et al. (2024), Fig. 27. Tapinoma hispanicum, holotype, head in full face view, Prado del Rey / Spain, 2021.10.20.
Seifert et al. (2024), Fig. 28. Tapinoma hispanicum, holotype, lateral view, Prado del Rey / Spain, 2021.10.20.28.
Seifert et al. (2024), Fig. 29. Tapinoma hispanicum, holotype, anterior head in dorsofronal view, Prado del Rey / Spain, 2021.10.20.

Identification

Worker (Tab. 3, Figs. 27–29): All shape ratios given below are, in contrast to those in Tab. 3, primary ratios without RAv and all data are given as arithmetic mean ± standard deviation. Large, CS 920 ± 143 µm. Head broad CL/CW 1.033 ± 0.054. Postocular distance rather small and excavation of hind margin of vertex large, PoOc/CL 0.386 ± 0.011, ExOcc 2.28 ± 0.85%. Anteromedian clypeal excision very deep and wide, ExCly/CS 10.47 ± 0.94%, ExClyW 6.91 ± 0.67%. The posterior, semicircular end of clypeal excision forms a concave plane delimited by a sharp ventral and a less sharp dorsal edge. Sum of pubescence hairs and smaller setae protruding across the margin of clypeal excision including its dorsal edge very large, nExCly 18.0 ± 6.3. Scape shorter than in related species, SL/CS 0.925 ± 0.040. Minimum distance of the inner margins of antennal socket rings moderately large, dAN/CS 0.300 ± 0.007. Eye smaller than in the supercolonial related species, EL/CS 0.229 ± 0.013. Metanotal groove shallower than in Tapinoma nigerrimum, MGr/CS 2.81 ± 0.76 %. Mesosoma shorter and narrower than in the supercolonial related species, ML/CS 1.219 ± 0.032, MW/CS 0.613 ± 0.014. Second funiculus segment shorter than in the supercolonial related species, Fu2L/CS 13.67 ± 0.45 %, IFu2 1.828 ± 0.081. All body parts including appendages covered by a rather dense pubescence. Setae on dorsal and lateral surfaces of head and mesosoma absent. Long setae are found on hind margin of 3rd and 4th gaster segment, ventral parts of coxae and anterior clypeus. All body parts blackish brown. Mandibles, edge of clypeus and sometimes antennal funiculus and tarsi with an orange or reddish color component.

The clear NUMOBAT separation of workers from the morphologically and ecologically similar Tapinoma nigerrimum has been shown above. T. hispanicum differs from that species in particular by lower SL/CS900, larger ExCly/CS900, and lower MGr/CS900. The genetic data provided in Fig. 46 do also support a separate species status. Furthermore, Lenoir et al. (2023) investigated the cuticular hydrocarbon pattern of populations in the Sierra Nevada above 2000 m altitude and found it to differ strongly from the four other species of the T. nigerrimum group.

Seifert et al. (2024), Fig. 5. Separation of 546 sample means of three groups of cryptic species by a linear discriminant analysis considering 15 NUMOBAT characters. Red symbols: Tapinoma erraticum group; rhombs erraticum, crosses israelis, squares glabrella. Black symbols: T. nigerrimum group; discs nigerrimum, squares hispanicum, crosses magnum, triangles ibericum, rhombs darioi. White symbols: T. simrothi group; squares simrothi, discs insularis, triangles phoenicaeum, rhombs karavajevi.
Seifert et al. (2024), Fig. 42. Demonstration of three main clusters within worker nest samples of the Tapinoma nigerrimum group by NCWard and NC-part.kmeans clustering considering 15 RAv-corrected phenotypical characters. Red cluster—T. magnum; green cluster—T. darioi & T. ibericum; black cluster—T. hispanicum & T. nigerrimum. The classification error of NC-part. kmeans relative to the controlling linear discriminant function is 2.1% for K=3.
Seifert et al. (2024), Fig. 43. Separation of worker nest samples of Tapinoma hispanicum (grey bars) and T. nigerrimum (black bars) by three methods of NC clustering. The mean error of the three exploratory data analyses relative to the controlling linear discriminant function is 1.4%.
Seifert et al. (2024), Fig. 45. Comparison of the NUMOBAT-based classification of five species of the Tapinoma nigerrimum group with the genetic classification based on 15 microsatellite loci. Method: the first four principal components extracted from microsatellite data of 805 samples were used as characters in a linear discriminant function with the NUMOBAT-based classification imposed as species hypothesis. T. nigerrimum (white rhombs), T. magnum (black squares), T. darioi (crosses), T. hispanicum (white dots) and T. ibericum (black dots).
Seifert et al. (2024), Fig. 46. Comparison of the NUMOBAT-based classification of Tapinoma ibericum (white triangles), T. hispanicum (black squares), T. darioi (white dots) and of a problematic sample (cross, see main text) with the genetic classification based on 15 microsatellite loci. Method: the first three principal components extracted from microsatellite data of only the shown 69 samples were used as characters in a linear discriminant function with the NUMOBAT-based classification imposed as species hypothesis.

Keys including this Species

Key to Palaearctic Tapinoma

Distribution

So far known from twelve sites in southern Spain delimited by 36.90°N, 38.35°N, 4.04°W, 1.49°W and with altitudes ranging from 391 to 2600 m.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 38.4° to 36.9°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: Seifert et al., 2024

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Spain (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

Nomenclature

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

hispanicum. Tapinoma hispanicum Seifert et al., 2024: 44, figs. 27-29 (w.) SPAIN (Granada).

Type Material

Holotype plus three paratype worker on the same pin labelled “SPA:37.37503°N, 2.85169°W, Prado del Rey, 2010 m, Sierra de Baza, Ruano & Tinaut 2021.10.20 -1” and “Holotype (top) and paratypes of Tapinoma hispanicum Seifert” ; 12 paratype workers on three pins with same locality and date but with sample numbers 3, 4 and 7; depository SMN Görlitz.

Description

References

Seifert, B., Kaufmann, B., Fraysse, L. 2024. A taxonomic revision of the Palaearctic species of the ant genus Tapinoma Mayr 1861 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 5435(1), 1-74 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5435.1.1).