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Tetramorium epimyrmoide
| Tetramorium epimyrmoide | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Crematogastrini |
| Genus: | Tetramorium |
| Species: | T. epimyrmoide |
| Binomial name | |
| Tetramorium epimyrmoide Báthori, Seifert, Heinze, Kiran, Karaman & Csősz, 2024 | |
| Synonyms | |
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Identification
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 26.75° to 26.75°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Algeria (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. |
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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. |
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Biology
Castes
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- africanus. Tetramorium epimyrmoide Báthori et al., 2024: 8.
- Replacement name for Tetramorium africanum Bernard, 1948. [Junior secondary homonym of Tetramorium africanum Mayr, 1866a.]
Taxonomic Notes
Báthori et al. (2024) - Although the accuracy of the classification has been questioned, this taxon has been reported by several researchers (Bolton, 1995; Buschinger, 1989; Douwes et al., 1988; Schultz, 1994) as an Epimyrma species, E. africana (Fig 4), and was reclassified as Temnothorax by Ward et al. (2025). Despite the fact that although he was unable to examine the type specimen personally, Kutter (1973) questioned the species classification and suggested from the original description that the specimen might actually belong to Leptothorax (Goniothorax) angulatus. However, investigation of the holotype worker suggests that this taxon is not a Temnothorax species but belongs to Tetramorium and is most likely a member of the Tetramorium taueret or T. sahlbergi complex. The PCA analyses of this sample confirmed this view. The Temnothorax africanus holotype worker is nested in the Tetramorium cluster in a morphospace generated based on morphometric data of 198 Temnothorax (Myrmoxenus), 266 Nesomyrmex angulatus-group species and 431 Tetramorium nest samples (Fig 5). Therefore, we propose its placement in the genus Tetramorium. However, since Tetramorium africanum (Mayr, 1866) is already described, we propose a replacement name Tetramorium epimyrmoide, for this taxon.
Description
References
- Báthori, F., Seifert, B., Heinze, J., Kiran, K., Karaman, C., Csősz, S. 2024. Taxonomy of the Palearctic socially parasitic Temnothorax (Myrmoxenus) ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). PLOS ONE, 19(10), e0308712 (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0308712).
- Bernard, F. 1948. Les insectes sociaux du Fezzân. Comportement et biogéographie. Pp. 87-200 in: Bernard, F., Peyerimhoff, P. de. Mission scientifique du Fezzân (1944-1945). Tome V. Zoologie. Alger: Institut de Recherches Sahariennes de l'Université d'Alger, 248 pp. (page 148, fig. 7 worker described)
- Bolton B. 1995. A new general catalogue of the ants of the world. Cambridge: Mass.: Harvard University Press; 504 p.
- Buschinger, A. 1989a. Evolution, speciation, and inbreeding in the parasitic ant genus Epimyrma (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Journal of Evolutionary Biology 2: 265-283.
- Douwes, P., Jessen, K., Buschinger, A. 1988. Epimyrma adlerzi sp. n. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Greece: morphology and life history. Insect Syst Evol. 19: 239–49.
- Kutter, H. 1973. Beitrag zur Losung taxonomischer Probleme in der Gattung Epimyrma (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomol Gesellschaft 46: 281–9.
- Schulz, A. 1994. Epimyrma birgitae nova species, eine sozialparasitische Ameisenart (Hym.: Formicidae) auf Teneriffa (Kanarische Inseln, Spanien). Beitra¨ge zur Entomol. 44(2): 431–40.