Tetramorium syriacum

The meager biological information known about this species is taken from specimen labels: collected from a date farm and roadside desert, and foragers found on the ground.

Identification
Csösz, Radchenko and Schulz (2007) - T. syriacum workers differ from related species by the extremely wide frons, FR/CS 0.50 [0.49, 0.55].

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia. Palaearctic Region: Georgia, Israel, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey.

Castes
Known only from the worker caste.

Nomenclature

 *  syriacum. Tetramorium caespitum var. syriaca Emery, 1924d: 277 (w.) SYRIA. [First available use of Tetramorium caespitum subsp. caespitum var. syriaca Emery, 1909d: 702; unavailable name.] Subspecies of caespitum: Emery, 1925c: 179; of semilaeve: Santschi, 1934d: 279. Raised to species: Collingwood, 1985: 265. See also: Csösz, Radchenko & Schulz, 2007: 34.

Worker
Csösz, Radchenko and Schulz (2007) - Holotype: CL: 850; CW: 835; FR: 460; FL: 470; SL: 615; ML: 940; MW: 560; PEW: 260; PEH: 285; NOH: 165; NOL: 215; PEL : 190; PPW: 290; PPL: 210; PPH: 270; SPL: 125; SPSP: 205; EL: 145; EH: 110; ED: 215.

Figs 68–71. Large size, CS 832 [807, 865]. Whole body and appendages dark brown to black. Head slightly longer than broad, CL/CW 1.02 [0.99, 1.04], with slightly convex sides, straight occipital margin and rounded occipital corners. Eyes relatively small, EYE 0.162 [0.155, 0.171]. Frons very wide, FR/CS 0.50 [0.49, 0.55], frontal lobes as wide as frons, or slightly wider FL/FR 1.01 [1.00, 1.02]. Scape short, SL/CS 0.75 [0.70, 0.77], with short dorsal carina basally, strong parallel costulae extending scape. Promesonotal dorsum convex, metanotal groove shallow, but visible. Propodeal teeth long. Petiolar node cubic in profile, NOH/NOL 0.84 [0.78, 0.89], petiole relatively low, PEH/NOL 1.51 [1.43, 1.60]. General appearance coarsely rugose, ground surface microreticulate, dull. Head dorsum longitudinally rugose and microreticulate, occiput and sides rugoso-reticulate and microreticulate. Alitrunk dorsum rugoso-reticulate and coarsely microreticulate. Mesopleuron usually microreticulate. Dorsum of petiolar node rugoso-reticulate and microreticulate, dorsum of postpetiole longitudinally rugulose and microreticulate. Polygonal striation continuous on 1st gastral tergite, posteriorly disrupted. Basal part of first gastral tergite microreticulate (see fig. 7.), MRG 181.7 ±26.4 [150, 230]. Ventral surface of head with several short and few moderately long, straight, or few “C”-shape setae arising posterior to buccal cavity (see fig. 5.).

Type Material
Csösz, Radchenko and Schulz (2007) - Holotype worker: I. a. Brul., “Jaffa” [now Tel Aviv, ISRAEL], “Tetramorium”, “caespitum. caesp.”, “v. syriaca Em” [Emery’s handwriting] (1 worker; )

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.
 * Csősz S., A. Radchenko, and A. Schulz. 2007. Taxonomic revision of the Palaearctic Tetramorium chefketi species complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 1405: 1-38.
 * Gratiashvili N., Barjadze S. 2008. Checklist of the ants (Formicidae Latreille, 1809) of Georgia. Proceedings of the Institute of Zoology (Tbilisi) 23: 130-146.
 * López, F. "Estudio morfológico y taxonómico de los grupos de especies ibéricas del género Tetramorium Mayr, 1855." Boletín de la Asociación Española de Entomología 15 (1991): 29-52.
 * Vonshak M., and A. Ionescu-Hirsch. 2009. A checklist of the ants of Israel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Israel Journal of Entomology 39: 33-55.