Messor semirufus

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: India. Palaearctic Region: Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Turkey.

Nomenclature

 *  semirufus. Aphaenogaster barbara var. semirufa André, 1883b: 355 (w.q.) vicinity of CASPIAN SEA. Combination in Messor: Ruzsky, 1905b: 750. Junior synonym of caducus: Emery, 1891b: 11. Revived from synonymy as subspecies of barbarus: Emery, 1908e: 447; Forel, 1910a: 9; Santschi, 1921a: 110. Raised to species: Santschi, 1927c: 227; Menozzi, 1933b: 52; Collingwood, 1985: 252. Senior synonym of kutteri, nigricans and material of the unavailable name obscurior referred here: Baroni Urbani, 1974: 227. Current subspecies: nominal plus emeryi, grandinidus.
 * nigriceps. Messor semirufus var. nigriceps Santschi, 1929e: 144 (w.) ISRAEL. [Junior primary homonym of nigriceps Santschi, above.] Replacement name: nigricans Santschi, 1932f: 517.
 * nigricans. Messor semirufus var. nigricans Santschi, 1932f: 517. Replacement name for nigriceps Santschi, 1929e: 144. [Junior primary homonym of nigriceps Santschi, 1925g: 341.] [Unresolved junior primary homonym of nigricans Santschi, above.] Junior synonym of semirufus: Baroni Urbani, 1974: 227.
 * kutteri. Messor semirufus var. kutteri Santschi, 1934d: 275 (w.) ITALY. Junior synonym of semirufus: Baroni Urbani, 1974: 227.

Type Material
Salata & Borowiec (2019): Messor semirufus: syntype (w.): barbarus | v. | semirufus | Andre || Cotypus || ANTWEB | CASENT0907730 || Syria | 1899 | Morice || Coll. | A. Forel (MHNG).

Taxonomic Notes
Borowiec & Salata (2020): Jordanian specimens have frontal face of the head with more or less developed dark patch of diffused borders and belong to the form described as Messor maculifrons. Messor semirufus was recorded from several localities in Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East, Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Afghanistan and Kashmir but most records based probably on misidentification. The Messor semirufus group needs comprehensive revision. It is highly possible that the type series of this taxon consists a group of specimens belonging to more than one species. Thus, until a designation of lectotype of M. semirufus we use this name for all populations from the Middle East.