Messor structor

A common and widespread harvester ant that ranges across southern Europe and NW Africa. In the Middle East and Central Asia there are some forms which have never been taxonomically reviewed (Rigato & Toni, 2011).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Balearic Islands, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iberian Peninsula, Iran, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.

Habitat
A range of xeric habitats and, in some areas, open well drained anthropogenic habitats (lawns, abandoned fields, etc.).

Biology
Stoyanov et al. (2015) - Messor structor are harvester ants storing seeds in underground granaries. Being major seed consumers in xeric habitats they influence the vegetation by depleting and dispersing seeds (Azcarate, Peco 2003, MacMahon et al. 2000, Schlick-Steiner et al. 2005). According to Seifert (1996), Central European populations of the harvester ant genus Messor are currently considered to constitute a single species Messor structor. It has been reported that M. structor ants live mainly in polygynous colonies and could be members of unicolonial populations (Schlick-Steiner et al. 2005). Messor structor is one of the most widespread steppe species. It is well adapted to different conditions and occurs in all of Europe. In Bulgaria this ant is found all over the country in medium-sized populations and occur in plain desolate terrains, mountainous slopes, outskirts of mixed woodland zones and in open well-drained areas such as abandoned fields, pastures, and overgrown lawns.

This study examined genetic variability among populations of Messor structor from various localities (n=36 nests) in from Southern Bulgaria using isoenzymic analysis. Three of the four enzyme loci used were found to be polymorphic. Observed and expected heterozygosities (Ho and He) ranged from 0.0 to 0.111 and from 0.168 to 0.372, respectively. Nei’s (1972) genetic distance was found to range from 0.001 (between Boliarino and Lubenova mahala) to 0.462 (between Chirpan and Merichleri). The estimated mean F-IS and F-ST values from isozyme data were 0.8738 and 0.1432, respectively. Two of the studied populations were grouped separately in dendrograms as compared to all other populations which formed a large cluster consisting of three sub-clusters.

Nomenclature

 *  structor. Formica structor Latreille, 1798: 46 (w.m.) FRANCE. Latreille, 1802c: 237 (q.). Combination in Manica: Jurine, 1807: 279; in Atta: Mayr, 1855: 464; in Myrmica: Nylander, 1856b: 85; in Aphaenogaster: Roger, 1863b: 29; in A. (Messor): Forel, 1892i: 316; in Stenamma (Messor): Emery, 1898c: 126; in Messor: Emery, 1897f: 238; Ruzsky, 1903b: 315. Subspecies of barbarus: Emery, 1908e: 455; Forel, 1910a: 9; Emery, 1914d: 156; Santschi, 1917e: 91; Menozzi, 1918: 83; Santschi, 1921a: 110; Emery, 1924b: 12. Status as species: Nasonov, 1889: 37; Ruzsky, 1905b: 728; Forel, 1915d: 35; Bondroit, 1918: 150; Finzi, 1924a: 13; Menozzi, 1926b: 181; Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927a: 92; Finzi, 1930d: 312; Karavaiev, 1934: 108; Bernard, 1967: 144; Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 66. Senior synonym of aedificator: Mayr, 1855: 464; of mutica: Mayr, 1855: 464; Nylander, 1856b: 85; Smith, F. 1858b: 162; Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 114; Radchenko, 2007: 31; of lapidum: Nylander, 1856b: 85; of tyrrhena: Emery, 1921b: 210; of rufitarsis: Nylander, 1856b: 85; Smith, F. 1858b: 162; Mayr, 1863: 397; Nasonov, 1889: 37; Emery, 1921f: 73; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 54; Casevitz-Weulersse, 1990a: 154; Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 115; of clivorum (and its junior synonyms rubella, subpolitus), jakowlevi, tataricus, turanicus (and its junior synonym darianus) and material of the unavailable name romana referred here: Dlussky, Soyunov & Zabelin, 1990: 224; of novaki, varrialei: Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 114; of sevani: Arakelian, 1994: 39. Current subspecies: nominal plus aegaeus, platyceras, tadzhikorum.
 * lapidum. Formica lapidum Fabricius, 1804: 407 (w.) AUSTRIA. Junior synonym of structor: Nylander, 1856b: 85.
 * rufitarsis. Formica rufitarsis Fabricius, 1804: 406 (w.) AUSTRIA. Combination in Aphaenogaster: Roger, 1863b: 29; in Messor: Emery, 1921b: 211. Junior synonym of structor: Nylander, 1856b: 85; Smith, F. 1858b: 162; Mayr, 1863: 397; Nasonov, 1889: 37; Emery, 1921f: 73. Revived from synonymy as subspecies of barbarus: Emery, 1921b: 211. Subspecies of structor: Santschi, 1926f: 290; Menozzi, 1933b: 54. Status as species: Röszler, 1942a: 51; Bernard, 1955a: 361 (in key); Bernard, 1967: 144; Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 63; Kutter, 1977c: 82; Arnol'di, 1977b: 1643; Arnol'di & Dlussky, 1978: 537 (in key). Junior synonym of structor: Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 54; Casevitz-Weulersse, 1990a: 154.
 * aedificator. Formica aedificator Schilling, 1839: 56 (w.) POLAND. Junior synonym of structor: Mayr, 1855: 464.
 * mutica. Myrmica mutica Nylander, 1849: 39 (w.q.m.) RUSSIA. Combination in Aphaenogaster: Roger, 1863b: 29; in Stenamma (Messor): Emery, 1898c: 126; in Messor: Ruzsky, 1903b: 315. Junior synonym of structor: Mayr, 1855: 464; Nylander, 1856b: 85; Smith, F. 1858b: 162. Revived from synonymy as subspecies of structor: Emery, 1898c: 126; Ruzsky, 1904b: 4; Bondroit, 1918: 151; Santschi, 1934d: 275. Junior synonym of rufitarsis: Bernard, 1967: 144. Revived from synonymy as subspecies of rufitarsis: Arnol'di, 1977b: 1643. Revived status as species: Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 54. Junior synonym of structor: Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 114; Radchenko, 2007: 31.
 * tyrrhena. Stenamma (Messor) structor var. tyrrhena Emery, 1898c: 141 (w.q.m.) ITALY. Combination in Messor: Emery, 1908e: 456. Junior synonym of structor: Emery, 1921b: 210.
 * clivorum. Messor structor var. clivorum Ruzsky, 1905b: 735 (s.w.) KAZAKHSTAN. Karavaiev, 1927a: 286 (q.m.). Subspecies of barbarus: Emery, 1908e: 454; Forel, 1910a: 24. Raised to species: Emery, 1921b: 210 (footnote); Dlussky, 1962: 179; Tarbinsky, 1976: 56; Arnol'di, 1977b: 1639. Senior synonym of rubella: Emery, 1921b: 210; of subpolitus: Tarbinsky, 1976: 56. Junior synonym of structor: Dlussky, Soyunov & Zabelin, 1990: 224; Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 114.
 * tataricus. Messor tataricus Ruzsky, 1905b: 738 (w.) KAZAKHSTAN. Subspecies of clivorum: Arnol'di, 1977b: 1644. Junior synonym of structor: Dlussky, Soyunov & Zabelin, 1990: 224; Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 114.
 * rubella. Messor platyceras var. rubella Crawley, 1920a: 164 (s.w.m.) IRAN. Junior synonym of clivorum: Emery, 1921b: 210.
 * varrialei. Messor barbarus subsp. varrialei Emery, 1921b: 215, fig. 6 (s.) TURKEY. Junior synonym of structor: Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 114.
 * turanicus. Messor structor subsp. turanicus Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927a: 91 (in key) (w.) UZBEKISTAN. Senior synonym of darianus: Pisarski, 1967: 383; Pisarski, 1970: 306; Tarbinsky, 1976: 54; Arnol'di, 1977b: 1644 (all these authors give darianus as the senior name, but turanicus has priority). Junior synonym of structor: Dlussky, Soyunov & Zabelin, 1990: 224.
 * novaki. Messor structor subsp. novaki Finzi, 1929: 92 (w.) YUGOSLAVIA. Junior synonym of structor: Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 114.
 * darianus. Messor rufitarsis subsp. darianus Pisarski, 1967: 383 (w.) KAZAKHSTAN. [First available use of Messor structor st. rufitarsis var. darianus Santschi, 1926f: 291; unavailable name.] Junior synonym of turanicus: Pisarski, 1967: 383; Pisarski, 1970: 306; Tarbinsky, 1976: 54; Arnol'di, 1977b: 1644 (in all these darianus is given seniority over turanicus, but the latter is the first available name).
 * jakowlevi. Messor rufitarsis subsp. jakowlevi Arnol'di, 1977b: 1643 (w.) UKRAINE. [First available use of Messor barbarus subsp. capitatus var. jakowlevi Ruzsky, 1905b: 750; unavailable name.] Material of the unavailable name salina referred here by Arnol'di, 1977b: 1643. Junior synonym of structor: Dlussky, Soyunov & Zabelin, 1990: 224; Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 114.
 * sevani. Messor clivorum subsp. sevani Arnol'di, 1977b: 1644 (s.w.) CAUCASUS. [First available use of Messor structor subsp. striaticeps var. sevany Karavaiev, 1926b: 103; unavailable name.] Junior synonym of structor: Arakelian, 1994: 39.