Messor carpathous

This speices is poorly known. Workers were collected at twilight, in dry phrygana on Karpathos. Nest was in soil, area between nest entrances and its vicinity was covered with dense net of paths that were used by workers (Salata & Borowiec, 2019).

Identification
Salata & Borowiec (2019): Messor carpathous was described as a subspecies of Messor oertzeni but it differs from it, and from related Messor alexandri, in reduced or absent sculpture on vertex, temple, and genae and in propodeum with wide at base, lobe-shaped projections, with blunt, rounded, and directed outwards tips. Messor carpathous can be also confused with Messor hellenius and some taxa of the M. structor group. It differs from M. hellenius in lack of psammophores; from Messor muticus in lack of abundant standing setae on side of head and presence of lobe-shaped projections on propodeum; from Messor mcarthuri and Messor varrialei in presence of lobe at the base of scape and propodeum with lobe-shaped projections; from Messor clivorum in reduced or absent sculpture on vertex, temple, and genae.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Greece.

Nomenclature

 *  carpathous. Messor oertzeni var. carpathous Menozzi, 1936d: 277, fig. 6 (w.) GREECE.
 * Status as species: Salata & Borowiec, 2019: 54.

Type Material

 * Lectotype (designated by Salata & Borowiec, 2019: 54), top of the pin (w.): Piles | Scarpanto | 22.iv.1934 | C. Menozzi || M. oertzeni | v. carpathus | Typus! Menoz. | Menozzi deter. (DSAB).
 * Paralectotypes (2w.): two other workers on the same pin.