Temnothorax kemali

This species is associated with Mediterranean herbs and bushes or dry deciduous and coniferous forests, often nesting inside dry stems of herbs (Salata & Borowiec, 2019).

Identification
Temnothorax kemali belongs to the Temnothorax kemali species-group (Salata and Borowiec 2019), which is characterized by a partly smooth head, distinct propodeal spines, and a petiole with an obtuse top. The group includes a few undescribed species.

Distribution
This is an eastern species, recorded from the Aegean Islands and the Dodecanese. From Thrace noted under name Temnothorax cf. affinis (Bračko et al. 2016; Borowiec et al., 2022).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Greece, Turkey.

Nomenclature

 *  kemali. Leptothorax kemali Santschi, 1934d: 277 (w.) TURKEY. Combination in Temnothorax: Bolton, 2003: 271.

Queen
Salata and Borowiec (2018) - Salata and Borowiec (2018) - (n=2): HL: 0.77, 0.75; HW: 0.69, 0.69; SL: 0.49, 0.47; EL: 0.21, 0.23; EW: 0.18, 0.18; ML: 1.36, 1.28; PSL: 0.25, 0.25; SDL: 0.17, 0.16; PEL: 0.43, 0.41; PPL: 0.23, 0.21; PEH: 0.3, 0.29; PPH: 0.31, 0.3; PNW: 0.8, 0.79; PEW: 0.24, 0.25; PPW: 0.3, 0.26; HI: 89.3, 92.3; SI1: 63.0, 63.2; SI2: 70.5, 68.5; MI: 59.0, 61.5; EI1: 84.6, 78.6; EI2: 23.4, 24.2; PI: 136.8, 138.9; PPI: 77.8, 73.8.

Colour. Body orange; frons, malar area and vertex black tinted; gaster dark ornage with bright spot on the anterior part of first tergite. Head. Trapezoid, lateral surfaces below eyes straight, gently rounded on the posterior edges, occipital margin of head convex. Anterior margin of the clypeus gradually convex. Eyes big, oval, 0.3 times as long as length of the head. Antennal scape short, slightly curved, 0.6 times as long as length of the head, not reaching occipital margin of head, in apex gradually widened, its base without teeth. Pedicel more than 2 times longer than wide; average 1.2 times longer than second segment of funiculus. Other funicular segments more than 1 ½ times longer than wide. Surface of scape with very fine and sparse microreticulation; covered with thin, moderate dense, decumbent setae, shorter than 1/3 of scape width. Mandibles oval, with sparse, longitudinal striae, shiny. Clypeus shiny with thick, longitudinal striae, area between striae smooth, shiny. Frontal carinae short, slightly extending across the fronts of the antennal fossae. Antennal fossa deep, with sparse roundly curved striae, area between striation with microreticulation and shiny. Frontal lobes narrow, smooth with thick longitudinal striae. Frons with longitudinal reticulation, its interior part with reticulation weaker; area between reticulation with microreticulation; genae and malar area with reticulation denser than on frons, area between reticulation with microreticulation, shiny; temple and vertex with sparse reticulation, are between striae with microreticulation. Entire head bearing thin, adpressed setae; frons and occipital margin with additional thick, erect setae. Mesosoma. Short and low, 1.8 times as long as head; in lateral view its dorsum slightly convex; propodeal spines moderate, triangular, with wide base and acute apex; dorsal surface of propodeum inclined towards its posterior surface. Pronotum with longitudinal, dense reticulation, area between rugae with microreticulation, shiny. Scutum with longitudinal striation, reduced or absent on lateral sides and centre; scutellum and axilla smooth and shiny; with sparse longitudinal striation on lateral sides; propodeum shiny, with dense, thick reticulation on dorsum and weaker and denser sculpture on lateral sides. Anepisternum and katepisternum shiny, with dense, longitudinal reticulation. Mesosoma dorsum with sparse, thick, erect setae. Petiole. Peduncle moderate, node low and wide, with anterior and posterior faces straight, its dorsal surface wide and slightly convex. On the whole surface covered by dense reticulation and long, thick erect setae. Postpetiole. In lateral view, regularly rounded, 0.8 times as long as wide, apical half with gently rounded sides. On the whole surface covered by dense reticulation and and long, thick erect setae. Gaster. Smooth and shiny, bearing sparse, long, suberect to erect, pale setae.

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.
 * Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2018. Taxonomic and faunistic notes on Greek ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom Entomology 27: 1-51.