Myrmica xavieri

Two nest collections were fairly typical for lobicornis-group species, being in soil under stones. The nest of the holotype was found at 1630 m in open pine forest (Pinus sylvestris) with moist soil and the other nest was in well-trampled grass on a mountain pass c.1500 m near pine forest. (Radchenko and Elmes 2010)

Identification
Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - tentatively placed the lobicornis-group based on the shape of scape of the female castes (it has a small vertical lobe at the bend) and on the long scape of the males. On the other hand, the shape of scape of the workers and queens is similar to that of the species of schencki-group (e.g. shield-l ike process presents on its short, vertical part). Moreover, all castes have a not-notched medially anterior clypeal margin (in contrast, the species of the lobicornis- and schencki-groups have distinctly notched clypeus). Finally, the scape of the male is even longer than that of other lobicornis-group species, in length it is similar to the rubra-group species but it is distinctly angled at its base. We suspect that M. xavieri is an Iberian endemic being a relict of a fauna isolated in Spain during recent ice ages and may typify its own separate species group. In the recent molecular phylogeny of Jansen et al. (2010) M. xavieri is most related to Myrmica sulcinodis.

Key to Myrmica of West Europe and North Africa

Distribution
Known only from the type localities in Spain.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Spain.

Nomenclature

 *  xavieri. Myrmica xavieri Radchenko, Elmes & Savolainen, 2008: 51, figs. 1-3 (w.q.m.) SPAIN. See also: Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 327.

Etymology
Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - this species was dedicated to our friend and colleague, the Spanish myrmecologist Prof. Xavier Espadaler of Barcelona.