Cataglyphis chionistrae

All nests discussed by Salata et al. (2023) were located under moderate sized stones located in the highest parts of Mt. Olympus around the peak locality of Chionistra, overgrown with Pinus nigra subsp. nigra var. pallasiana at an altitude from 1862 to 1928 m a.s.l. Cataglyphis chionistrae is the only species of the C. cursor complex from the eastern part of the Mediterranean Basin that prefers shadowed sites inside old pine forests. All other species are more photophilous and build nests in open spaces such as mountain steppes or xerothermophilic meadows with sparse vegetation, and if in pine forests, then on luminous clearings or broad sandy roadsides.

Identification
Workers of C. chionistrae differ from Cataglyphis minos in the lack of erect setae on their antennal scapes, less setose pronotum and propodeum, and in major workers in the lack of erect setae on the first gastral tergite; from Cataglyphis cretica in the smaller body size, less opalescent body sculpture, and in the presence of long and erect setae on the occipital part of the head and all mesosomal tergites (also in minor workers); from Cataglyphis hellenica, Cataglyphis italica, and Cataglyphis cf. aenescens from Türkiye in usually deep black and always monochromous body coloration; longer antennal scapes (SI approximately 1.3 in C. chionistrae vs < 1.22 in C. hellenica, C. italica, and C. cf. aenescens), and more shiny body surface.

This species is a member of the Cataglyphis cursor species complex within the cursor species group characterized by a petiole in the shape of a thick squama and monomorphic or with monophasic size variation of worker caste (Agosti 1990). Recent genetic studies showed that C. aenescens sensu lato is a group of cryptic or subcryptic taxa with rather small distribution areas and complicated genetic structure displaying clonal social hybridogenesis (Kuhn et al. 2020). In the eastern part of the Mediterranean Basin, the following species have been hitherto recorded:
 * Cataglyphis aenescens - Türkiye
 * Cataglyphis cretica - Crete
 * Cataglyphis hellenica - Greece
 * Cataglyphis italica - Italy
 * Cataglyphis minos - Crete

The status of the Turkish populations recorded under C. aenescens is rather unclear. This taxon appears to be common in Central Anatolia (Kiran & Karaman 2021). However, as the true C. aenescens was described from “Russia meridionalis” without the exact type locality and based on material collected by V. Motschulsky, it is possible that Turkish populations are not conspecific with populations from eastern Ukraine and the area north of the Caucasus. Kuhn et al. (2020) reported C. aenescens from Iran based on material collected close to the Caspian Sea and revealed that these populations genetically differ from populations distributed eastward. Thus, it is also possible that populations from the south Caspian area are not conspecific with true C. aenescens. So far, no species of the cursor complex has been noted from Israel (Vonshak & Ionescu-Hirsch 2009) nor Lebanon (Guenard et al. 2017), but C. aenescens was recorded from Syria by Wheeler & Mann (1916). However, it is unknown which morphogenotype the Syrian populations represent.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Cyprus.

Nomenclature

 * . Cataglyphis chionistrae Salata, Demetriou, Georgiadis & Borowiec, 2023: 304, figs. 1-10, 20 (w.q.) CYPRUS.

Type Material

 * Holotype: major worker (pin): CYPRUS, Limassol, Mt | Olympos/Chionistra loc. 1, 1862 m | 34.92943 / 32.87001 | 25 IV 2022, L. Borowiec || Pinus nigra forest | nest under stone (MNHW).
 * Paratypes: 24 workers, 1 queen: the same data as holotype (MNHW, JDPC, ZMUA); 1 queen, 6 workers: CYPRUS, Limassol, Mt | Olympos/Chionistra loc. 3, 1928 m | 34.93563 / 32.8624 | 26 IV 2022, L. Borowiec || Pinus nigra forest | nest under stone (MNHW).