Temnothorax gracilicornis

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Canary Islands.

Biology
Espadaler (2007) - Three colonies from this Canarian endemic were collected: two were nesting under mosses on a stone; the third was nesting under a small stone. The morphology and coloration of workers and queens fits the description of T. gracilicornis, not of the darker and shinier var. nivarianus, that Wellenius (1955) collected at Frontera. As I have not seen type material of both taxa and samples from Tenerife show varying coloration—from yellow to brownish, thus including both names—and body surface shininess, I refer the samples of El Hierro to the nominal species. This is not a formal proposal of synonymy.

Nomenclature

 *  gracilicornis. Leptothorax gracilicornis Emery, 1882: 450, fig. (w.q.) SPAIN (Canary Is). Combination in Temnothorax: Bolton, 2003: 271. Current subspecies: nominal plus nivarianus.