Cardiocondyla nigra

One worker was collected from a thorn bush and nest populations collected in Cyprus and observed in the laboratory may contain several ergatoid males which did not fight (Schrempf, 2014). Little else is known concerning this species. (Seifert. 2023)

Identification
Seifert (2003) - A member of the Cardiocondyla batesii group. Differs from Cardiocondyla batesii by the steeper, more acute, and in lateral view more narrow based spines and the lower SPBA/CS with 0.257 ± 0.009 [0.242, 0.271] in C. batesii and 0.231 ± 0.013 [0.199, 0.257] in nigra. The pigmentation contrast between head and mesosoma is significantly larger in C. batesii, but is no reliable discriminator because of the occasional occurrence of homogeneously dark specimens.

Seifert (2023) - Polymorphic. Rather small, CS 538 µm. Head moderately long, CL/CW 1.174. Postocular index small, PoOc/CL 0.366. Median third of hind margin of head slightly excavated. Scape moderately long, SL/CS 0.813. Eye large, EYE/CS 0.263. Frons rather narrow (FRS/CS 0.243), frontal carinae moderately converging immediately caudal of FRS level (FL/FR 1.067). Dorsal profile of promesonotum moderately convex, metanotal depression moderately deep (Mgr/CS 3.65 %), dorsal profile of propodeum moderately convex. Propodeal spines short (SP/CS 0.098); in lateral view varying from short triangular to longer and acute with their axis differing by 47° from longitudinal axis of mesosoma; spine bases approached (SPBA/CS 0.229). Petiole distinctly higher than wide (PeW/CS 0.266, PeH/CS 0.300), in profile with a rather short peduncle, a straight to weakly convex anterior face and the anterior slope of the node slightly less inclined than the posterior one. Petiole node in dorsal view varying between longer than wide in the bicoronata morph to as long as wide in the nigra morph. Postpetiole moderately wide and rather low (PpW/CS 0.503, PpW /PeW 1.89, PpH/CS 0.259), in dorsal view with a straight to weakly concave anterior margin; postpetiolar sternite completely flat. Clypeus overall rather smooth and shiny, lateral clypeus longitudinally carinulate. Frontal lobes and area posterior of the frontal lobes longitudinally rugulose-carinulate. Longitudinal sculpture on dorsal head in the nigra morph weaker and restricted to the area posterior of the frontal laminae, in the bicoronata morph stronger developed; a rather narrow median stripe on vertex is in both morphs smooth and shiny. Foveolae on vertex shallow, of 14–19 µm diameter, with an inner corona that is weakly visible in the nigra morph, foveolar margins not ideally circular, sometimes kinked or breached by short microrugulae running partially or entirely through the foveolae; foveolar interspaces as wide or wider than foveolar diameter, shiny and with fine cross-branched to semireticulate microstructures (Figs. 81 and 85). Dorsal promesonotum in the bicoronata morph with shallow foveolae and finely microreticulate-carinulate, these structures are in the nigra morph absent or much weaker. Lateral meso- and metapleuron in the bicoronata morph with relatively strong and in the nigra morph with weak longitudinal rugosity. Petiole and postpetiole smooth and shiny but delicately microreticulate. Pubescence on gaster tergites short and dilute, PLg/CS 5.46 %, sqPDg 5.08. Strong color polymorphism. Head and gaster usually dark to blackish brown but pigmentation of mesosoma and waist varying from dark to blackish brown to light reddish brown. Concolorous dirty yellowish brown workers were observed in the sample from Turkestan.

There is much polymorphism in morphometric and pigmentation data, petiole shape and sculpture within the 45 nest samples investigated here and classified as Cardiocondyla nigra. Yet, none of the five forms of exploratory data analyses run was able to reasonably dissolve separate clusters. As result, the taxa C. bicoronata and C. torretassoi were synonymized with C. nigra. Seifert (2003) proposed a character combination of more clearly bicoronate foveolae, stronger microsculpture on head and mesosoma as well as a longer petiole node as diagnostic to separate C. bicoronata from C. nigra. As these three characters were not numerically recorded, no objective testing of their real value is possible. The clear separation of Cardiocondyla batesii from the taxa synonymized here under C. nigra has been shown in the section treating Cardiocondyla batesii and in Fig. 112.

Distribution
Probably continuously distributed from Portugal and Morocco (9.2°W) over Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt east to Iran (56.2°E). The southernmost and northermost sites are in Yemen at 15.4°N and in Portugal at 38.8°N. The altitudinal distribution ranges from 213 m below to 2254 m above sea level. One isolated site is from the island Sao Vicente of the Cape Verde Archipelago. (Seifert, 2023)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Algeria, Bulgaria, China, Egypt, Greece, Iberian Peninsula, Israel, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, North Macedonia, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey.

Nomenclature

 * . Cardiocondyla batesii var. nigra Forel, 1905b: 174 (w.q.) TUNISIA.
 * Type-material: syntype worker, syntype queen (numbers not stated).
 * [Note: Seifert, 2003b: 240, records 5 syntype workers and 5 syntype queens.]
 * Type-locality: Tunisia: Kairouan (F. Santschi).
 * Type-depository: MHNG.
 * Santschi, 1907: 324 (m. ergatoid m. gynandromorph).
 * Subspecies of batesii: Emery, 1909a: 23; Forel, 1909e: 381; Karavaiev, 1912a: 4; Emery, 1922e: 125; Kugler, J. 1984: 12.
 * Junior synonym of batesii: Radchenko, 1995b: 451.
 * Status as species: Schembri & Collingwood, 1981: 428; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 56; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 276 (in key); Kugler, J. 1988: 258; Bolton, 1995b: 132; Schembri & Collingwood, 1995: 154; Seifert, 2003a: 240 (redescription); Petrov, 2006: 99 (in key); Vonshak, et al. 2009: 41; Lapeva-Gjonova, et al. 2010: 27; Legakis, 2011: 16; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 485; Guénard & Dunn, 2012: 40; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 17; Borowiec, L. 2014: 47; Lebas, et al. 2016: 266; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 44.
 * Senior synonym of torretassoi: Seifert, 2003a: 240.
 * Distribution: Algeria, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Tunisia, Turkey.
 * torretassoi. Cardiocondyla elegans var. torretassoi Finzi, 1936: 167 (w.) EGYPT.
 * Type-material: lectotype worker (by designation of Seifert, 2003a: 240), 3 paralectotype workers.
 * Type-locality: lectotype Egypt: Wadi Hoff, 8.iii.1933 (Koch); paralectotypes with same data.
 * [Note: other original syntype localities: Egypt: Tor (Sinai), 25.ii.1935, and Egypt: Wadi Garrawi, 24.iii.1935 (no collectors’ names given but expedition members were A. Schatzmayr, K. Koch, and W. Wittmer.]
 * Type-depository: MCZC.
 * Subspecies of elegans: Menozzi, 1940: 268; Bolton, 1995b: 133.
 * Status as species: Kugler, J. 1988: 258; Radchenko, 1995b: 451.
 * Junior synonym of nigra: Seifert, 2003a: 240.

Type Material

 * 5 syntype workers and 5 syntype gynes labelled “C. Batesii For. var. nigra, Kairouan (Santschi) 159”,.

Worker
Seifert (2003) - Head of medium length, CL/CW 1.172. Postocular distance very small, PoOc/CL 0.366. Occipital margin slightly excavated. Eyes large, EYE 0.266. Frontal carinae immediately posterior of FRS level converging. Lateral clypeus longitudinally carinulate. Dorsal area of head almost without longitudinal sculpture; weak longitudinal carinulae present on and posterior of frontal laminae. Vertex with very shallow and simple foveolae of 14 - 19 mm diameter, their internal surface micro-corrugated; foveolar interspaces wider than foveolar diameter, moderately shining, and with fine cross-branched or semi-reticulate microstructures. Dorsum of mesosoma and waist moderately shining and finely microreticulate. Propodeal spines rather short, steep, and acute. Petiole profile with relatively long peduncle and relatively small node, which is in dorsal view about as long as wide. Postpetiolar sternites without any flat bulge. Whole body usually concolorous dark to blackish brown, specimens with distinctly lighter mesosoma occasionally occur.

Queen
Seifert (2003) - Head of medium length, CL/CW 1.170. Postocular index very small, PoOc/CL 0.376. Occipital margin straight or weakly concave. Dorsal area of head almost without longitudinal sculpture; very weak longitudinal carinulae present on and posterior of frontal laminae. Vertex with very shallow and simple foveolae of 16 - 18 mm diameter; interspaces as wide as foveolar diameter, shining, with fine cross-branched microstructures. Dorsal area of mesosoma foveolate; interspaces between foveolae shining, wider than foveolar diameter and with fine cross-branched microstructures. Lateral area of mesosoma shining, finely reticulate-carinulate, lateral metapleuron longitudinally rugulose. Propodeal spines rather short. Petiole node in dorsal view as wide as long, usually circular; dorsal and lateral petiole shape frequently as depicted for the type of Cardiocondyla nigra, but conditions similar to that of the Cardiocondyla batesii type do occur. Whole body concolorous dark brown. Gynes from Tunisia: Lac Kelbia- 1935.03 brachypterous, with forewing length 1350 - 1400 mm.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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