Temnothorax nitens

Mackay (2000) "This species nests under stones (Wheeler. 1906; Cole. 1942; Moody and Francke. 1982; Wheeler and Wheeler. 1986), or logs (Wheeler and Wheeler. 1973a). One nest was found in a termite nest (Wheeler. 1903a). Nests contain 69-276 workers (Cole. 1958a). Nests are monogynous (Frumhoff and Ward. 1992). This species occurs in ponderosa pine and. pinyon-juniper forests (Gregg. 1944; Wheeler and Wheeler. 1986; Mackay et al.. 1987). Cole (l958a) reports sexuals in the nest from June to August. It is one of the last ants to colonize an area (Mackay. 1993b)."



Identification
Mackay (2000) "The mesosoma of the holotype of this species is nearly completely smooth and shining. Wheeler (1903a) stated that smooth workers are found in nests together with workers that are more roughly sculptured. Cole (1958) also found considerable variability in this species in terms of color, scape length, surface sculpture and length of propodeal spines. Thus this species is difficult to characterize. The propodeal spines are nearly always relatively small, which would distinguish it from other species with smooth sculpture, such as L. schmittii. This species appears to be closely related to several others, including L. mariposa, L. melinus and L. adustus. Based on the holotype, it can be separated from these other species by the nearly smooth and polished dorsum of the mesosoma, as all of the other species have mesosomae that are densely sculptured. I am not convinced that we really know the true identity of L. nitens and it is possible that some of the records from the literature are based on misidentifications."

Range
USA. Western states, including Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas.

Abundance
xxxxx Only known from a few collections. xxxxx

Biology
XXXXXXX Ward 2005:18-19 NEEDS EDITING Comments. T. nitens is a common western United States species characterized by a strongly cuneate (wedge-shaped) petiole, as seen in profile (Fig. 8). Body color varies from pale yellow to medium brown. Integument sculpture tends to be light; the head and mesosoma are finely reticulate-foveolate, with extensive shiny areas usually on the front of the head and occasionally on the mesosoma dorsum. The propodeal spines are variable, relatively short but better developed (on average) than in T. andrei, and usually as prominent as the anteroventral petiolar process, or more so (Figure 8). In the holotype worker of T. nitens the mesosoma dorsum is smooth and shiny centrally, but as noted by others (Wheeler 1903d; Cole 1958c) the head and mesosomal sculpture is highly variable in this species, and both shiny and more heavily sculptured workers can be found in the same nest. I have also observed this in California populations from the Sierra Nevada. The California workers with a shiny promesonotum tend to have weak longitudinal carinulae encroaching anteriorly and laterally, as in the T. nitens type. Mackay’s (2000) treatment of T. nitens is inconsistent. On the one hand he seems to accept a broad concept of the species, showing it as having a wide distribution in western North America, accepting the previous synonymy of heathii and occidentalis under T. nitens (incorrectly, as it turns out—see under T. andrei), and citing biological data from a diverse selection of localities. On the other hand, he describes a colony series from New Mexico as a new species (melinus), even though it falls well within the ambit of T. nitens (sensu lato). Restricting the use of the name T. nitens to workers with an especially shiny mesosoma is difficult to justify, given the patterns of intranidal variation described above. It seems more reasonable to treat it as a polytypic species, with variable effacement of the mesosomal sculpture. T. mariposa was originally described as a variety of T. nitens. It was synonymized under that species by Creighton (1950a), and later resurrected by Cole (1958c) and raised to species. Cole’s argument was that both forms co-occurred in the Yosemite region without intergrading. But examination of a large series of nitens-like specimens from throughout the California Sierra Nevada challenges this thesis. It leads me to the conclusion that T. mariposa simply connotes larger individuals of T. nitens which have correspondingly broader heads and a tendency towards darker body color and coarser sculpture on the side of the mesosoma. There is no evidence of a gap in this size variation (nor in the correlated variation in shape, color and sculpture). The LACM collection has nitens-like nest series collected by Cole at Yosemite. His accessions 136, 184, 198, 201, 230, 231 and 233 are identified as “nitens” and 239 as “mariposa”. The “nitens” series are collectively smaller and more lightly sculptured than accession 239, but accessions 230, 231 and 233 have workers approaching those of 239 in size and sculpture. Moreover, the syntypes of T. mariposa (LACM, MCZC) agree more closely with the majority series (136 to 233) than ZOOTAXA with 239, so Cole’s attributions and conclusions are difficult to justify. Temnothorax chandleri (Mackay) is evidently closely related to L. nitens and might prove to be conspecific with it. The main diagnostic feature of T. chandleri is the heavily sculptured head, which lacks a shiny surface except for a median strip. The type series consisted of three workers, of which the holotype was destroyed while in transit to MCZC (Stefan Cover, pers. comm.). A paratype worker was said to be deposited at the University of New Hampshire (Mackay 2000: 331) but no specimen is present there (Don Chandler, pers. comm.). Thus, the only known type specimen is the paratype worker in WPMC. Here is a description of that specimen which I examined briefly in August 2003: Petiole cuneate in profile; HW ~0.57 mm; head densely reticulate-foveolate (with weak longitudinal orientation), except for a small shiny central strip which does not extend to the posterior margin; mesosoma densely reticulate-foveolate; propodeal spines short, blunt; dorsum of mesosoma with about 24 short, erect hairs in profile; abdominal tergite IV smooth and shiny except for weak basal striolae; postpetiole moderately broad, length ~0.7× width; pale yellow brown. This paratype agrees with five workers collected recently at Black Butte Lake, Glenn Co., California (P. S. Ward#14606), in a fallen log of cottonwood (Populus fremontii) in riparian woodland. The types of T. chandleri were collected from leaf litter at the edge of a slough (Mackay 2000). These limited biological data suggest that T. chandleri may be a riparian habitat specialist, whereas T. nitens is found in a diverse array of habitats from sea level to ~2600m.

xxxxx

Original Combination
Leptothorax (Leptothorax) nitens Emery, 1895c: 322, pl. 8, fig. 16 (w.) U.S.A. Cole, 1958c: 536 (q.m.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1973b: 71 (l.). Combination in L. (Myrafant): Smith, D.R. 1979: 1394; in Temnothorax: Bolton, 2003: 271. Senior synonym of mariposa, melinus: Ward, 2005: 17. See also: Wheeler, W.M. 1903c: 244; MacKay, 2000: 379.

Worker
Testacea, pedibus dilutioribus, superne nitida, capite nitidissimo, vertice fere impunctato, genis et fronte rugulosis, clypeo antice striatulo, postice laevigato, haud carinato, margine antico subsinuato,mandibulis basi striatis, antennis 12articulatis, flagelli articulo primo sequentibus tribus una longiore, clavae articulis 2 primis subaequalibus; thoracis dorso haud impresso, nitido, parce punctato, lateribus opacis, crebre punctatis, dentibus metanoti brevissimis; pedunculi segmento 1. brevi, nodo alto, cuneiformi, segmento 2. praecedente paulo crassiore; piUs corporis modice copiosis, brevibus, clavatis. Long. 2 1/4 mm.

Queen
(Cole 1958) Head densely punctate and subopaque except for a narrow longitudinal strip, between the median ocellus and the clypeus, which is finely and faintly punctate and rather shining; hairs sparse, slender, pointed, erect and suberect, yellow, of variable length, mostly limited to ocellar area, mandibles, and clypeus. Thorax, except scutum, strongly shining, very faintly punctulate and longitudinally striate; scutum distinctly striato-punctulate and shining to subopaque; epinotal declivity finely and faintly punctate. Mayrian furrows moderately developed. Thoracic dorsum with sparse, slender, pointed, mostly suberect and subappressed, moderately long hairs which are longest on scutellum. Petiolar and postpetiolar nodes with very sparse, suberect hairs. Gaster with sparse, scattered, moderately long, slender, pointed, appressed, subappressed, and suberect hairs. Pubescence absent from entire body.

Male
(Cole 1958) alate - Epinotal spines prominent, rather long, very broad at base, pointed apically, directed posteriorly. Petiole and postpetiole as in worker. Cephalic dorsum with very sparse, rather long, blunt, slender, erect, yellow hairs. Gular area with abundant, short, slender, pointed, suberect hairs. Thoracic dorsum with numerous erect, mostly short (but variable in length), slender, blunt, yellow hairs. Hairs on petiolar and postpetiolar nodes long, slender, pointed, rather numerous. Lateral surfaces of epinotum densely punctate; infraspinal facet transversely striato-punctate. Head and thorax rather uniformly and longitudinally rugulose, faintly and finely punctulate, and shining. Gastric hairs moderately abundant, slender, scattered, of unequal length, erect and sub erect dorsally, sub erect laterally. Pubescence everywhere very dilute. Body color a rather deep tan, gaster strongly infuscated.

Type Material
Mackay (2000) "Although Creighton (1950) states there are no types in this country, the holotype (consisting of only a mesosoma) is in the USNM (labeled AmFkCan. 23-6 Ut; USNMType # 54075) (seen). A specimen labeled as a type in Emery's collection (MCSN) is incorrectly labeled (seen). The locality is: USA, San Francisco. The specimen is poorly mounted and the head is covered with glue. so it is impossible to identify it."

Type Locality
USA, San Francisco