Messor minor

A west-Mediterranean taxon, whose variability and taxonomy of which are still poorly known. In Italy it is common especially along the Tyrrhenian Sea (Rigato & Toni, 2011).

Distribution
This taxon was described from Italy. It is also found in Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

It occurs in North Africa (Abdul-Rassoul et al. 2013).

Nomenclature

 *  minor. Aphaenogaster barbara var. minor André, 1883b: 355 (w.q.) ITALY. Emery, 1908e: 451 (m.). Combination in Messor: Emery, 1908e: 451. Subspecies of capitatus: Dalla Torre, 1893: 101; of barbarus: Emery, 1908e: 451; Forel, 1910a: 9; Santschi, 1921d: 69; Finzi, 1924a: 13; of instabilis: Santschi, 1923f: 325. Status as species: Bondroit, 1918: 155; Santschi, 1927c: 232; Kutter, 1927: 99; Santschi, 1934d: 273; Bernard, 1967: 149; Arnol'di, 1977b: 1640. Senior synonym of pompeianus: Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 61. Current subspecies: nominal plus calabricus, capreensis, hesperius, laboriosus.
 * pompeianus. Messor minor var. pompeianus Santschi, 1927c: 233 (w.) ITALY. Finzi, 1929: 86 (q.). Junior synonym of minor: Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 61.

Additional References

 * Abdul-Rassoul, M.S., Ali, H.B. & Augul, R.SH. 2013. New Records of Unidentified Ants worker (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) stored in Iraqi Natural History Museum with key to Species. Adv. Biores., Vol 4 (2): 27-33.
 * Rigato, F.; Toni, I. 2011. Short notes 21. Hymenoptera, Formicidae. Pp. 873-882 in: Nardi, G.; Whitmore, D.; Bardiani, M.; Birtele, D.; Mason, F.; Spada, L.; Cerretti, P. (eds.) 2011. Biodiversity of Marganai and Montimannu (Sardinia). Research in the framework of the ICP Forests network. Conservazione Habitat Invertebrati, 5. Sommacampagna, Verona: Cierre Edizioni, 896 pp.