Trichomyrmex perplexus

Sharaf et al. (2016) - Granivorous species. It prefers open and dry habitats including pastures, shores of artificial lakes, seashore with phrygana, abandoned gardens, but also found in limestone gorges with Platanus trees, open pine forests and open oak woodlands. Nests are built directly in the ground and under stones. Lowland species, the highest locality in Greece was recorded at about 570 m a.s.l. (L. Borowiec pers. comm.). Pashaei Rad et al. (2018) found this species in Iran in a pitfall trap in a moderate rainfall montane area.

Identification
Sharaf et al. (2016) - Trichomyrmex abyssinicus and Trichomyrmex perplexus can be distinguished from other Arabian species by the vertical ellipse or slit propodeal spiracle. Trichomyrmex abyssinicus is similar to T. perplexus but can be separated from it by the convex promesonotum outline, the distinctly longer propodeal dorsum, and the irregularly rugulose propodeum, petiole and postpetiole.

Distribution
Sharaf et al. (2016) - Trichomyrmex perplexus was described from Armenia and recorded from United Arab Emirates (Collingwood et al. 2011), the Middle East including Jordan, and Syria (Borowiec 2014), Eastern Europe and from the Mediterranean Basin including Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus (Borowiec 2014). It is common in the Aegean Islands, Crete, Macedonia, Dodecanese Islands, Ionian Islands, and Thessaly (Borowiec & Salata 2012, 2013; L. Borowiec pers. comm.).

This is an uncommon species known from most Greek provinces except Epirus and here is recorded as new to Thrace (Borowiec et al., 2022).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: United Arab Emirates. Palaearctic Region: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Greece, Iran, Russian Federation, Turkey.

Nomenclature

 * . Monomorium perplexum Radchenko, 1997f: 213, figs. 1-11 (w.q.m.) ARMENIA, GEORGIA, GREECE (Crete I.).
 * Type-material: holotype worker, 58 paratype workers, 1 paratype queen, 2 paratype males.
 * Type-locality: holotype Armenia: env. Megry, vil. Legvaz, no. 324-86, 20.vi.1986 (A. Radchenko); paratypes: 20 workers with same data, 10 workers with same data but no. 328-86, 6 workers Armenia: Ekhegnadzor, Malyshka, 22.v.1988 (G. Arakelian), 2 workers Georgia: Lekistskhali, 28.ix1960, no. 439 (T. Zhyzhylashvili), 2 males with same data as last but no. 437, 1 worker, 1 queen with same data as last but no. 436, 7 workers Georgia: Eldarskaya plane, 8.iv.1962, no. 107 (T. Zhyzhylashvili), 1 worker Greece: Crete, Amari, 4.v.1906 (L. Biró), 9 workers Greece: Crete, Heracleon, 12.v.1906, (L. Biró), 2 workers Transcaucasus, Taribana (no collector’s name).
 * Type-depositories: SIZK (holotype); MIZW, SIZK, ZMUM (paratypes).
 * Combination in Trichomyrmex: Ward, et al. 2015: 76.
 * Status as species: Paknia, et al. 2010: 33; Legakis, 2011: 15; Collingwood, et al. 2011: 435; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 518; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 21; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2013: 358; Borowiec, L. 2014: 123; Lebas, et al. 2016: 398; Sharaf, Salman, et al. 2016a: 24 (redescription); Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2018: 8; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 50; Bračko, 2019: 173; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2020: 20.
 * Distribution: Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Armenia, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates.

Worker
Sharaf et al. (2016) - HL 0.69–1.37; HW 0.62–1.38; EL 0.15; SL 0.52–0.87; ML 0.83–1.37 (Radchenko 1997). Large worker: TL 3.50–4.89; HL 1.03–1.31; HW 1.01–1.43; SL 0.70–0.91; EL 0.15–0.16; ML 1.05–1.40; PW 0.55–0.66; PTL 0.22–0.33; PTW 0.15–0.21; PPL 0.18–0.23; PPW 0.20–0.23; CI 107–109; EI 11–14; SI 64 (CASENT0281551, CASENT0914153). Small worker: TL 2.15; HL 0.55; HW 0.54; SL 0.42; EL 0.11; ML 0.68; PW 0.31; PTL 0.13; PTW 0.10; PPL 0.13; PPW 0.13; CI 98; EI 20; SI 78 (CASENT0281552).

Head. Slightly longer than broad (CI 98–109) with concave posterior margin and convex sides; anterior clypeal margin shallowly concave; scapes short, when laid back from their insertions failing to reach posterior margin of head.

Mesosoma. Convex in profile; promesonotal outline flat; metanotal groove impressed; propodeum angular in profile or with short blunt rounded denticle; propodeal dorsum as long as declivity in profile; propodeal declivity with feeble longitudinal impression.

Petiole. Peduncle long; petiolar node low, triangular and rounded in profile.

Postpetiole. Node low and rounded in profile.

Pilosity. Underside of head with numerous straight short hairs not forming a psammophore; cephalic surface with abundant subdecumbent pubescence; posterior margin of head with numerous long curved hairs; mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole with many projecting hairs, varying in length; gastral pilosity numerous and sparse.

Sculpture. Head smooth and shining, with sparse fine punctures; mandibles longitudinally rugulose; promesonotum and mesonotum smooth and shining, rest of mesosoma densely punctulate-reticulate.

Colour. Head, mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole orange red to reddish brown, gaster dark brown, legs brownish or reddish yellow.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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 * Borowiec L., and S. Salata. 2013. Ants of Greece  additions and corrections (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 24(3-4): 335-401.
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 * Salata S., and L Borowiec. 2017. Species of Tetramorium semilaeve complex from Balkans and western Turkey, with description of two new species of (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 62:279–313.
 * 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.
 * Sharaf M. R., S. Salman, H. M. Al Dhafer, S. A. Akbar, M. S. Abdel-Dayem, A. S. Aldawood. 2016. Taxonomy and distribution of the genus Trichomyrmex Mayr, 1865 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula, with the description of two new species. European Journal of Taxonomy 246: 1–36