Temnothorax akrotiriensis

Temnothorax akrotiriensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Temnothorax
Species group:	kemali
Species:	T. akrotiriensis
Binomial name
Temnothorax akrotiriensis Satala, Demetriou, Georgiadis & Borowiec, 2024

Thermophilous, lowland species. A few workers were shaken off into the entomological umbrella from bushes and herbs growing around the salt lake; one worker was collected on a gravel beach, probably blown away by the wind from the surrounding saline herbs; four specimens were shaken off into the entomological umbrella from herbs in a sowed field next road.

Photo Gallery

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  Salata et al. (2024), Figs. 52, 53. Holotype worker of Temnothorax akrotiriensis, morphotype 1. 52, dorsal. 53, lateral (scale bar = 1 mm).
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  Salata et al. (2024), Fig. 54. Holotype worker head of Temnothorax akrotiriensis, morphotype 1 (scale bar = 0.5 mm).
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  Salata et al. (2024), Figs. 55, 56. Worker of Temnothorax akrotiriensis (morphotype 2). 55, dorsal. 56, lateral (scale bar = 1 mm).
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  Salata et al. (2024), Fig. 57. Worker head of Temnothorax akrotiriensis, morphotype 2 (scale bar = 0.5 mm).
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  Salata et al. (2024), Figs. 58, 59. Worker mesosoma and petiole of Temnothorax akrotiriensis. 58, morphotype with short propodeal spine. 59, morphotype with long propodeal spine.

Identification

Temnothorax akrotiriensis is a member of the T. kemali group characterized by a predominantly yellow body, well-marked head sculpture with a frontal part almost completely covered with microreticulate sculpture and few longitudinal or semicircular rugae, and by sharp, moderately long to very long propodeal spines. Pale forms or pale species of the T. graecus group differ in a larger shiny area in the frontal part of the head or, if the head is almost completely covered with reticulate sculpture, diffused or absent background microreticulation. Temnothorax akrotiriensis has a very narrow band at the end of the first gastral tergite, which occupies at most ¼ of its posterior surface while in species of the T. graecus group, this band usually occupies more than ⅓ or often half of the tergite’s surface. Predominantly yellow Temnothorax cypridis and Temnothorax aeolius differ in partly brown to black antennal club. Pale yellow Temnothorax hippomenesi differs in predominantly smooth and shiny frontal part of the head, very short propodeal spines in the form of a triangular tooth with mean PSLI 0.207 (in T. akrotiriensis 0.282), and wide band at the end of the first gastral tergite which occupies more than ⅓ posterior surface of the tergite. Temnothorax akrotiriensis with T. aeolius are the most lowland species among yellow members of Cypriot Temnothorax with known localities placed in an altitude below 160 m.

We observed two morphological forms of this species. The first one is characterized by a strongly sculptured head with numerous longitudinal rugae, the second form has a predominantly microreticulate head with only a few longitudinal rugae. This character is usually correlated with the body size, larger specimens have more rugose heads than smaller specimens. Although we did not observe intermediate specimens we treated both morphotypes as variations of a single species. Both morphotypes were collected in the same localities and sites e.g. in samples from shaking the branches of bush and both forms have similar variability in the length of propodeal spines. Above, we described separate measurements for both forms and noted differences in small, finely sculptured morphotype in separate paragraph. Similar variability within population we observed also in Greek members of this group Temnothorax kemali, where smaller specimens have a relatively slender head and relatively longer propodeal spines.

Keys including this Species

• Key to the Cypriot Temnothorax species

Distribution

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  Salata et al. (2024), Fig. 65. Distribution in Cyprus Temnothorax akrotiriensis.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 34.8° to 34.6°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: Salata et al., 2024

Distribution based on type material

Cyprus (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.

Nomenclature

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

• akrotiriensis. Temnothorax akrotiriensis Satala et al., 2024: 56, figs. 52-59, 65 (w.) CYPRUS.

Type Material

• Holotype: worker of strongly sculptured morphotype (pin) “CYPRUS, Akrotiri UK SBA, 0 m | Limassol Salt Lake loc. 2 | 34.60987 / 32.94685 | 20 IV 2022, L. Borowiec” (MNHW).
• Paratypes (6 workers of strongly sculptured morphotype, pin): 4w, the same data as for holotype (MNHW); 1w “CYPRUS, Akrotiri UK SBA, -1 m | Akrotiri west beach | 34.62095 / 32.92262 | 20 IV 2022, L. Borowiec” (MNHW); 1w “CYPRUS, Larnaka, 156 m | Skarinou | 34.81835 / 33.35652 | 25 IV 2022, J.D & C.G. [J. Demetriou & C. Georgiadis]” (MNHW).

References

• Salata, S., Demetriou, J., Georgiadis, C., Borowiec, L. 2024. The genus Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Cyprus. Zootaxa 5434(1), 1-69 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5434.1.1).