Myrmica tenuispina

M. tenuispina is associated with the mountains of Middle Asia and NE Afghanistan, where lives on subalpine meadows at altitudes between 2700 and 4100 m and nests in the soil and under stones.

Identification
Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - A member of the tibetana group. M. tenuispina most resembles Myrmica tibetana but differs from it by its much longer propodeal spines. Superficially, workers and queens of M. tenuispina are similar to the species of rubra or smythiesii species groups, but well differs from them by the shape of the frontal carinae that are strongly curved outwards in their anterior third, to form distinctive wide, subsquare frontal lobes; as a result the frons is relatively wide (FI is subequal to that of the species from rubra- or smythiesii- species groups) but FLI is distinctly larger ( > 1.25 vs. < 1.18). On the other hand, the males clearly differ from these groups by having a relatively short scape (SI1 < 0.40) (see also M. tibetana).

Distribution
Tien-Shan, Alai, Pamir, NE Afghansistan

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: India. Palaearctic Region: Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.

Biology
This ant has been associated with a butterfly species that has recently been recognized as two distinct species: Polyommatus icarus and Polyommatus celin. Presently it is unclear if this association is between M. tenuispina and one or the other of these species, or both (Obregon et al. 2015).

Nomenclature

 *  tenuispina. Myrmica laevinodis var. tenuispina Ruzsky, 1905b: 670 (w.) UZBEKISTAN, TAJIKISTAN. [First available use of Myrmica rubra r. laevinodis var. tenuispina Forel, 1904b: 374; unavailable name.] Arnol'di, 1976a: 552 (m.); Radchenko & Elmes, 2002: 35 (q.). Raised to species: Arnol'di, 1976a: 551; Tarbinsky, 1976: 25. See also: Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 303.

Etymology
Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - from a combination of the Latin words tenuis = thin or slender, and spina = thorn, to describe the shape of the propodeal spines.