Lepisiota nigra

Identification
Collingwood and Agosti (1996) - HW 0.63-0.64, SI 150-165. This is a black shining ant, similar to Lepisiota gracilicornis in body shine but morphologically closer to Lepisiota frauenfeldi.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: United Arab Emirates. Palaearctic Region: Balearic Islands, Bulgaria, Croatia, Egypt, Greece, Iberian Peninsula, Iran, Israel, Italy , Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, Republic of Macedonia, Spain.

Nomenclature

 *  nigra. Acantholepis frauenfeldi var. nigra Dalla Torre, 1893: 171 (w.q.m.) ITALY (attributed to Emery).
 * Emery, 1916b: 222 (w.q.m.).
 * Combination in Lepisiota: Bolton, 1995b: 228.
 * Subspecies of frauenfeldi: Dalla Torre, 1893: 171; Ruzsky, 1905b: 461; Emery, 1908d: 24; Karavaiev, 1910b: 45; Forel, 1911d: 351; Emery, 1914d: 158; Emery, 1916b: 221; Santschi, 1917d: 47 (in key); Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1923: 248; Müller, 1923b: 115; Emery, 1925b: 25; Soudek, 1925b: 16; Menozzi, 1926b: 182; Donisthorpe, 1927a: 8; Menozzi, 1929e: 128; Finzi, 1930d: 316; Cori & Finzi, 1931: 240; Menozzi, 1934: 164; Grandi, 1935: 102; Finzi, 1936: 186; Ceballos, 1956: 310; Tarbinsky, 1976: 130 (redescription).
 * Synonym of karawaiewi: Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929c: 483.
 * [Note: Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929c: 483 gives karawaiewi as senior synonym, but nigra has priority.]
 * Junior synonym of frauenfeldi: Collingwood, 1978: 71.
 * Status as species: Zimmermann, 1935: 45; Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 175; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 281 (in key); Bolton, 1995b: 228; Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 368; Bračko, 2006: 150; Legakis, 2011: 24; Collingwood, et al. 2011: 467; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 508; Borowiec, L. 2014: 95; Sharaf, Monks, et al. 2016: 9 (in key); Salata & Borowiec, L., 2018: 20.
 * splendens. Acantholepis frauenfeldi var. splendens Karavaiev, 1912b: 586 (w.q.) GREECE.
 * Combination in Lepisiota: Bolton, 1995b: 228.
 * Subspecies of frauenfeldi: Santschi, 1917d: 47 (in key); Emery, 1925b: 25; Finzi, 1928c: 791; Finzi, 1936: 186.
 * Status as species: Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 57; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 281 (in key); Bolton, 1995b: 228; Lapeva-Gjonova, et al. 2010: 35; Legakis, 2011: 25; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 509; Borowiec, L. 2014: 96.
 * Junior synonym of nigra: Salata & Borowiec, L., 2018: 20.

Type Material


Type locality(-ies): “Umgegend von Kanea, Kreta, am Meeresstrand “in Tuff” (13.III.1910. Th. Shebunin und N. Tshebotarev), ww und 1 flugelloses q (Königin).—Ebenda, auf einem Kartoffelfeld unter einem Steine (5.III.1910, Dieselben Sammler), ww”.

Original Karawajew label(-s): “Acantholepis / frauenfeldi / v. splendens Kar. / typus”, “Крит, Канея [= Crete, Kanea] / Шебунин и Чеботарев [= Shebunin and Chebotarev] / 1910 г.”.

Material: SYNTYPES, 7 w (newly mounted, IN 314/6/2), 403 w (in alcohol, IN 314/BAMS1/Karaw63).

Taxonomic Notes
Salata & Borowiec, L., 2018: Karavaiev (1912), in the description of L. splendens, mentioned the following features to distinguish it from L. nigra: more smooth and slender body surface, head shape and size of propodeal spines. Examination of type specimens and study on samples collected from different Cretan sites manifested wide variability within features mentioned by Karavaiev. Also, we didn’t find any strong features that support an existence of two different species. Therefore we consider L. splendens as a junior synonym of L. nigra.