Myrmica vandeli

Radchenko and Elmes (2003) - This species lives in warm, humid places and is particularly abundant in marshes and bogs in the southern foothills of the Alps. Almost always it lives in association with Myrmica scabrinodis, perhaps preferring slightly moister nest sites. We have never located mixed colonies among strong populations of Myrmica vandeli, only from more northern marginal populations where M. vandeli is much rarer. Several records have been made of it living in mixed colonies with M. scabrinodis workers, which suggests that it might in some circumstances be a facultative, temporary, social parasite of M. scabrinodis (Elmes, Radchenko and Thomas, in press). These observations led us to suggest that at the centre of its range it might be a free-living competitor of M. scabrinodis while at the margins it is out competed and resorts to temporary social parasitism to establish colonies (Elmes, Radchenko and Thomas, in press). This species might be an example of Emery's rule "in action".

Identification
M. vandeli has several "socially parasitic" features, such as reduced spurs and hairy body and is similar to Myrmica bibikoffi and Myrmica hirsuta, differing from the latter by the size of its queens, details of sculpture, shape of postpetiole, etc. (Radchenko and Elmes 2003)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Austria, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Iberian Peninsula, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Nomenclature

 *  vandeli. Myrmica vandeli Bondroit, 1920a: 148, figs. 1, 2 (q.m.) FRANCE. [Also described as new by Bondroit, 1920b: 301.] Kutter, 1977c: 71 (w.). Subspecies of scabrinodis: Weber, 1950b: 211. Revived status as species: Bernard, 1967: 122; Kutter, 1977c: 71; Seifert, 1988b: 33. See also: Elmes & Thomas, 1985: 97; Radchenko & Elmes, 2003a: 230; Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 315.