Temnothorax graecus

This species is associated mostly with moderately humid to arid deciduous forests or mediterranean bushes and has been collected on rocks and stones (Salata & Borowiec, 2019). It prefers warm habitats with limestone rocks, but was noted also from urban parks, pine forests, mixed forest, limestone quarries, and roadsides with mediterranean shrubs and limestone stones (Borowiec & Salata, 2021).

Salata et al. (2023) report this species from lowland and highland sites at an altitude 3–725 m in Greece. Workers were shaken off from Mediterranean shrubs in area with limestone rocks, in stream valleys with plane trees, from bushes at roadsides in cypress forest, and shrubs around olive plantations. Foraging workers were observed on limestone rocks in quarries and hills and marble walls in urban parks. Nest were observed in limestone rock crevice in hill inside urban park.

Identification
Temnothorax graecus differs from all remaining members of the graecus species-group by a combination of the following characters (Salata et al., 2023):
 * moderately high petiolar node with dorsum convex and acute
 * low and elongated mesosoma
 * brown antennal club and sometimes femora with brownish diffusion
 * medial frons and vertex predominantly smooth and shiny with sparse to dense and thin costulae
 * propodeal spines short to moderately long, in form of thin spines and rarely with wider base
 * pronotum laterally with dense and thick costulae and smooth to indistinctly rugulate interspaces, dorsally costulate to rugocostulate with smooth interspaces
 * mesonotum and propodeum rugocostulate with finer sculpture on their dorsal surfaces

Temnothorax graecus differs from Temnothorax aeolius and Temnothorax smyrnensis in presence of moderately high petiolar node with convex and acute dorsum, and short to moderately long propodeal spines in form of thin spines; from Temnothorax phaetoni and Temnothorax mytilenes in presence of moderately high petiolar node and always brown antennal club.

Distribution
Temnothorax graecus is known in Greece from the mainland regions (Achaia and Peloponnese), Euboea, Ionian Islands and Cyclades (Salata et al., 2023). Additionally, its presence was confirmed from Bulgaria (Lapeva-Gjonova & Borowiec 2022) and the Republic of North Macedonia (Bračko et al. 2014). The historical records from Serbia (Petrov & Collingwood 1992), Türkiye (Kiran & Karaman 2020), Croatia (Müller 1923) and Italy (Müller 1921) need verification.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia.

Nomenclature

 *  graecus. Leptothorax bulgaricus subsp. graecus Forel, 1911d: 336 (w.q.) GREECE. Combination in Temnothorax: Bolton, 2003: 271. Raised to species: Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 55.

Type Material
Salata et al. (2023): Temnothorax graecus (Forel, 1911), lectotype worker designated: L. bulgaricus | For. | r. graecus | type Forel | Patras … | … (Forel) || Lectotype | Leptothorax graecus | Forel, 1911 top specimen | det. A. Schulz & M. Verhaagh 1999 || Typus || r. d. graecus | Forel || Coll. | A. Forel || ANTWEB | CASENT0909017 (MHNG), examined; paralectotype (w.): the same pin as lectotype, bottom specimen (MHNG), examined; paralectotypes (2w.): Typus || L. bulgaricus | For. | r. graecus | Forel | type | Amaroussia | p. Athenes (Forel) || coll. | A. Forel (MHNG), examined.

The type locality is Greece: Patras (Peloponnese). The original description lists also syntypes (now paralectotypes) collected from Amaroussia nr Athens (Attica) and Corfu (Ionian Islands) but after the lectotype designation these localities should not be considered as locus typicus. The specimen designated as lectotype already has been chosen by Schulz & M. Verhaagh and bears label “Lectotype | Leptothorax graecus | Forel, 1911 Top specimen | det. A. Schulz & M. Verhaagh 1999” but the designation of this lectotype has never been published. Thus, Salata et al. (2023) confirm the proposed designation.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Agosti, D. and C.A. Collingwood. 1987. A provisional list of the Balkan ants (Hym. Formicidae) and a key to the worker caste. I. Synonymic list. Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft, 60: 51-62
 * Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
 * Borowiec L., and S. Salata. 2012. Ants of Greece - Checklist, comments and new faunistic data (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus 23(4): 461-563.
 * Borowiec L., and S. Salata. 2017. Ants of the Peloponnese, Greece (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Polish Journal of Entomology 86: 193-236.
 * Bracko G., H. C. Wagner, A. Schulz, E. Gioahim, J. Maticic, and A. Tratnik. 2014. New investigation and a revised checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Republic of Macedonia. North-Western Journal of Zoology 10(1): 10-24.
 * Bracko, G. 2006. Review of the ant fauna (Hymenoptera:Formicidae) of Croatia. Acta Entomologica Slovenica 14(2): 131-156.
 * Collingwood, C. A. 1993. A Comparitive Study of the Ant Fauna of Five Greek Islands. Biologia Gallo-hellenica. 20,1:191-197
 * Collingwood, C. A. "A comparative study of the ant fauna of five Greek islands." Biologia Gallo-Hellenica 20 (1993): 191-197.
 * Czechowski W., A. Radchenko, W. Czechowska and K. Vepsäläinen. 2012. The ants of Poland with reference to the myrmecofauna of Europe. Fauna Poloniae 4. Warsaw: Natura Optima Dux Foundation, 1-496 pp
 * Emery C. 1916. Fauna entomologica italiana. I. Hymenoptera.-Formicidae. Bullettino della Società Entomologica Italiana 47: 79-275.
 * Forel A. 1911. Fourmis nouvelles ou intéressantes. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 47: 331-400.
 * Kiran K., and C. Karaman. 2012. First annotated checklist of the ant fauna of Turkey (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 3548: 1-38.
 * Legakis Collection Database
 * Müller G. 1921. Due nuove formiche della regione Adriatica. Boll. Soc. Adriat. Sci. Nat. Trieste 27(2): 46-49.
 * Petrov I. Z., and C. A. Collingwood. 1992. Survey of the myrmecofauna (Formicidae, Hymenoptera) of Yugoslavia. Archives of Biological Sciences (Belgrade) 44: 79-91.
 * Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2018. Taxonomic and faunistic notes on Greek ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom Entomology 27: 1-51.
 * Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2019. Preliminary division of not socially parasitic Greek Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) with a description of three new species. ZooKeys 877: 81-131.
 * Santschi F. 1930. Trois notes myrmécologiques. Bulletin et Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique. 70: 263-270.