Tetramorium hungaricum

This species has been found in arid meadows, dry grasslands, stony shrublands, gravel pits and oak forest.

Identification
A member of the Tetramorium caespitum complex. The species can be determined with a discriminant analysis of a set of morphological measurements. See Wagner et al. (2017) and https://webapp.uibk.ac.at/ecology/tetramorium/

Distribution
Pannonian zone, Balkans, Eastern Europe.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovenia.

Biology
Wagner et al. (2017) - More thermophilic than all other species except Tetramorium breviscapus, Tetramorium fusciclava, and Tetramorium immigrans; TAS of 43 sites 20.6 ± 2.7 °C [16.2, 26.2]. Typical habitats are arid meadows, dry grasslands, stony shrubland, gravel pits; also oak forests.

Flight Period
Adult sexuals in nests on 20 June ± 6 [8 June, 24 June] (n = 7).

Nomenclature

 *  hungaricum. Tetramorium caespitum subsp. hungarica Röszler, 1935: 78, figs. (w.q.) HUNGARY. Subspecies of semilaeve: Novak & Sadil, 1941: 86. Raised to species: Röszler, 1951: 88. Material of the unavailable names biroi, haltrichi, rufitarsis, szaboi referred to hungaricum by Csösz & Markó, 2004: 52.

Worker
Wagner et al. (2017) - Smallest species of complex, CS = 657 ± 34 [584, 722] μm. Dark brown to blackish.

Head moderately elongate, CL / CW = 1.020 ± 0.014 [0.996, 1.051]. Eye large, EYE / CS = 0.184 ± 0.007 [0.170, 0.194]. Scape short, SLd / CS = 0.747 ± 0.015 [0.716, 0.773]. Mesosoma shortest within complex and narrow, ML CS = 1.103 ± 0.018 [1.064, 1.146], MW / CS = 0.628 ± 0.008 [0.608, 0.645].

Promesonotal dorsum convex, metanotal groove shallow. – Smoothest and shiniest surface within complex: longitudinal costae and costulae on head dorsum and occiput usually interrupted by large-scale smooth and shiny areas. Postoculo-temporal area of head with few longitudinal costae and costulae, POTCos = 2.14 ± 1.21 [0.13, 4.50]. Longitudinal costae and costulae on mesosoma interrupted by smooth and shiny areas, lateral side of propodeum with strongly pronounced smooth and shiny area, Ppss = 85.6 ± 36.1 [21.1, 169.5] μm. Dorsum of petiolar node usually smooth, exceptionally feebly microreticulated. – Connected stickman-like or reticulate microsculpture: small units scattered over 1st gastral tergite, MC1TG = 14.91 ± 2.53 [9.64, 20.85]. – Some workers with long c-shaped, crinkly, or sinuous hairs on ventral head posterior to buccal cavity.

Male
Paramere structure belongs to caespitum-like form: ventral paramere lobe with one or two sharp corners; without distinct emargination between paramere lobes in posterior view, both paramere lobes reduced in size; in ventro-posterior view, second corner on ventral paramere lobe missing or < 87 μm apart from first. In posterior view, typically only one sharp corner on ventral lobe.

Type Material
Wagner et al. (2017) - Lectotype designation: Csosz & Marko 2004: 53. Type material not investigated. Nagytétény (Hungary), 47.391° N, 18.987° E, 101 m a.s.l., leg. P. Röszler, 24.VII.1934.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * 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. 2007. Checklist of the ants of Slovenia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Natura Sloveniae 9: 15-24
 * 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., K. Kiran, C. Karaman, S. Salata, and L. Borowiec. 2016. Survey of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Greek Thrace. Biodiversity Data Journal 4: e7945. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e7945
 * Csősz S., B. Markó, and L. Gallé. 2011. The myrmecofauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Hungary: an updated checklist. North-Western Journal of Zoology 7: 55-62.
 * Csősz S., H. C. Wagner, M. Bozsó, B. Seifert, W. Arthofer, B. C. Schlick-Steiner, F. Steiner, and Z Pénzes. 2014. Tetramorium indocile Santschi, 1927 stat. rev. is the proposed scientific name for Tetramorium sp. C sensu Schlick-Steiner et al. (2006) based on combined molecular and morphological evidence (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zoologischer Anzeiger 253: 469-481.
 * 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
 * Dubovikoff D. A., and Z. M. Yusupov. 2018. Family Formicidae - Ants. In Belokobylskij S. A. and A. S. Lelej: Annotated catalogue of the Hymenoptera of Russia. Proceedingss of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences 6: 197-210.
 * Kiran K. C. Karaman, A. Lapeva-Gjonova, and V. Aksoy. 2017. Two new species of the "ultimate" parasitic ant genus Teleutomyrmex KUTTER, 1950 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Western Palaearctic. Myrmecological News 25: 145-155.
 * Lapeva-Gjonova A., and K. Kiran. 2012. Ant fauna (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Strandzha (Istranca) Mountain and adjacent Black Sea coast. North-western journal of Zoology 8(1): 72-84.
 * Markó B., B. Sipos, S. Csősz, K. Kiss, I. Boros, and L. Gallé. 2006. A comprehensive list of the ants of Romania (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecologische Nachrichten 9: 65-76.
 * Markó B., and S. Csősz. 2002. Die europäischen Ameisenarten (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) des Hermannstädter (Sibiu, Rumänien) Naturkundemuseums I.: Unterfamilien Ponerinae, Myrmicinae und Dolichoderinae. Annales Historico-Naturales Musei Nationalis Hungarici 94: 109-121.
 * Sandor C., and M. Balint. 2004. Redescription of Tetramorium hungaricum RÖSZLER, 1935, a related species of T. caespitum (Linnaeus, 1758) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecologische Nachrichten 6: 49-59.
 * Schar S., G Talavera, X. Espadaler, J. D. Rana, A. A. Andersen, S. P. Cover, and R. Vila. 2018. Do Holarctic ant species exist? Trans-Beringian dispersal and homoplasy in the Formicidae. Journal of Biogeography 00: 1-12.
 * Steiner F. M., S. Schödl, and B. C. Schlick-Steiner. 2002. Liste der Ameisen Österreichs (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Stand Oktober 2002. Beiträge zur Entomofaunistik 3: 17-25.
 * Wagner H. C., W. Arthofer, B. Seifert, C. Muster, F. M. Steiner, and B. C. Schlick-Steiner. 2017. Light at the end of the tunnel: Integrative taxonomy delimits cryptic species in the Tetramorium caespitum complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 25: 95-129.