Myrmica laurae

When Emery (1907) described S. laurae it was presumed to be a social parasite though its host was unknown. Mei (1987) identified the host of M. samnitica as M. sabuleti. However, in the non-type series Mei collected from Abruzzo and Lazio, the specimens mounted with them as hosts were M. scabrinodis. The worker specimens of these M. scabrinodis have relatively large scape lobes and could easily be mistaken for M. sabuleti, alternatively it is quite possible that M. laurae could use several different host species as does M. karavajevi. No workers have been found. One parasitized host nest found at altitude 1400m, living under a stone, in a shaded clearing in a Pinus nigra wood. (Radchenko and Elmes 2003)

Identification
M. laurae well differs from most other socially parasitic Myrmica species by combination of the following features: eyes in both sexes with conspicuous hairs, length of the longest hairs 0.035 (queens) - 0.040 mm (males); generally a very hairy species; cubital cell on forewings closed and not partly separated by short vein; males with 12-jointed antennae, antennal scape long and slender, feebly curved at the base; antennal scape of queen not angulate, gradually curved at the base, but with distinct narrow longitudinal ridge. (Radchenko and Elmes 2003)

Key to Parasitic Myrmica of West Europe and North Africa Queens / Males

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Italy.

Nomenclature

 *  laurae. Sifolinia laurae Emery, 1907: 49, figs. (q.) ITALY. Combination in Myrmica: Bolton, 1988a: 4. Senior synonym of samnitica: Radchenko & Elmes, 2003a: 224. See also: Emery, 1908f: 550; Kutter, 1973c: 256; Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 181.
 * samnitica. Myrmica samnitica Mei, 1987: 457, figs. 1-15 (q.m.) ITALY. Junior synonym of laurae: Radchenko & Elmes, 2003a: 224.

Queen
Radchenko and Elmes (2003) - (n= 14, data of holotype are in brackets): HL 0.95-1.09 (1.03); HW 0.87-1.05 (0.98); SL 0.68-0.79 (0.75); AL 1.50-1.85 (1.76) mm; FI 0.41-0.49 (0.49); FLI 1.05-1.17 (1.10); SI1 0.70-0.75 (0.73); SI2 0.74-0.80 (0.77); PPI 0.62-0.69 (postpetole lost); ESLI 0.35-0.41 (0.41); males (n=6): HL 0.76-0.82; HW 0.77-0.84; SL 0.60-0.67; AL 1.50-1.96 mm; SI1 0.76-0.79; S12 0.78-0.80; PPI 0.70-0.75; ESLI 0.23-0.35.

Etymology
Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - this species was dedicated to Laura Coggi, the baby daughter of Prof. Alessandro Coggi of Siena, who collected and gave the type specimen to Emery.