Cardiocondyla sahlbergi

Pashaei Rad et al. (2018) found this species in Iran in a pitfall trap at edge of grassland in a moderate rainfall montane area. Little else is known concerning its biology.

Identification
Seifert (2003) - A member of the Cardiocondyla bulgarica group. The lectotype gyne of C. sahlbergi differs from the Cardiocondyla ulianini gyne by much stronger foveolae on head, mesosoma and waist, and much larger CL/CW, PoOc/CL, and PEW ICS (Tab. 15).

Seifert (2023) - Medium-sized, CS 522 µm. Head moderately elongated, CL/CW 1.176. Postocular distance large, PoOc/CL 0.439. Scape moderately elongated, SL/CS 0.798. Eye rather small, EYE/CS 0.231, with notable microsetae. Occipital margin weakly concave. Frons rather broad (FRS/CS 0.256), frontal carinae slightly converging immediately caudal of FRS level (FL/FR 1.058). Dorsal profile of promesonotum and of propodeum convex with a rather deep metanotal depression (Mgr/CS 3.83 %). Spines rather short and acute (SP/CS 0.125), their axis in profile deviating by about 35° from longitudinal axis of mesosoma, their bases rather distant (SPBA/CS 0.279). Petiole rather wide and slightly higher than wide (PeW/CS 0.331, PeH/CS 0.351); in profile with a rather long peduncle and moderately steep anterior and posterior slopes of the node (about 65° and 62° relative to ventral profile—i.e. rather symmetric). Postpetiole wide and moderately high (PpW/CS 0.565, PpH/CS 0.305), in dorsal view suggestively heard-shaped, with a concave anterior margin and convex sides. Head in overall impression shiny. Whole vertex with shallow, feebly bicoronate foveolae of 16–18 µm diameter, foveolar distance on central vertex larger than foveolar diameter, near to eyes about equal to foveolar diameter, the interspaces very shiny and with very delicate stickman-like microstructures (Fig. 49). Mesosoma shiny, microreticulum and microrugulae very weakly developed, a few foveolae are present on dorsal promesonotum. Waist segments very shiny with barely visible microreticulum. Pubescence on whole body rather short and dilute, PLg/CS 6.4 %, sqPDg 4.64. Color of head, mesosoma, waist and gaster usually homogenously dark brown; mandibles, scape, tibiae and tarsae pale yellowish brown.

In his original description of C. sahlbergi, Forel explicitly referred only to a gyne from “Palestine (Sahlberg)” and a gyne from “Caucase (Ruzsky)”. The first specimen could not be discovered during a search in the collections of Forel in Lausanne, genève, and Basel but the latter gyne is present in the MHN genève collection under the labelling “C.elegans Em. v. sahlbergi type For. , Caucase (Ruszky)”, “Aralokaspigebiet N2”, “Typus” [printed red label] and “ANTWEB CASENT 098340”. This specimen was fixed by Seifert (2003) as lectotype. A worker specimen with the same labelling but “ANTWEB CASENT 098341” was not directly investigated but is in any character shown by the images in www.antweb.org consistent with the worker concept of C. sahlbergi presented here. The gynes of C. sahlbergi, Cardiocondyla persiana and Cardiocondyla bulgarica are separated by a PCA of the characters CS, CL/CW, PoOc/CL, SL/CS, PeW/CS, PpW/CS, SP/CS, sqPDg, PLg/CS, PeH/CS, PpH/CS, dFOv, ML/CS with the type specimens being allocated to their corresponding clusters (Fig. 138). This is in agreement with the clustering of workers.

The workers of C. sahlbergi are similar to those of Cardiocondyla persiana but differ from the latter by shorter microsetae on clypeus (compare Figs. 46 and 50), shorter pubescence on all body parts, smaller, less densely packed vertex foveolae (compare Figs. 49 and 53), wider waist segments, the petiole node in lateral view being more symmetric (compare Figs. 47 and 51) and a frequently darker mesosoma. A character-reduced LDA using the characters CS, SL/CS, PeW/CS, sqPDg, dFOv, PigCon, EYE/CS classifies 99.0 % of 103 worker individuals of both species correctly and provides a strong separation on the nest sample level (Fig. 139).

Distribution
Touches Europe by the westernmost site at Altunkent (41.01°N, 28.67°E). Distributed eastwards over Asia Minor, the great Caucasus, the Caspian region, the Iran, and Afghanistan to Kyrgistan (42.9°N, 74.6°E). The southernmost sites are in the Iran (29.59°N, 51.99°E) and in Israel (32.95°N, 35.63°E). The altitudinal range varies from minus 29 m in the Caspian region to 2000 m at the southernmost site in the Iran. (Seifert, 2023).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Uzbekistan.

Nomenclature

 * . Cardiocondyla elegans var. sahlbergi Forel, 1913d: 429 (q.) JORDAN.
 * Type-material: holotype queen.
 * Type-locality: Jordan: “Jourdain (Palestine)” (U. Sahlberg).
 * [Note: Seifert, 2003a: 235, designated as lectotype a queen from Caucasus, “Aralokaspigebiet” (Ruzsky) (probably now Azerbaijan). It seems from the original description that the single queen from Jordan was intended as the type-material because that was the one described, and because Forel dismisses the Caucasus specimen with, “J’ai reçu dans le temps cette variété, peu importante du reste, de M. Ruzsky, du Caucase”.]
 * Type-depository: MHNG.
 * Finzi, 1936: 166 (w.).
 * Subspecies of elegans: Emery, 1922e: 125; Finzi, 1936: 166; Menozzi, 1933b: 93.
 * Junior synonym of bogdanovi: Radchenko, 1995b: 450.
 * Status as species: Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 56; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 276 (in key); Bolton, 1995b: 133; Gallé, et al. 1998: 215; Seifert, 2003a: 235 (redescription); Petrov, 2006: 99 (in key); Gratiashvili & Barjadze, 2008: 138; Paknia, et al. 2008: 153; Vonshak, et al. 2009: 41; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 17; Borowiec, L. 2014: 48; Bračko, 2019: 170.
 * Distribution: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Tunisia, Turkey, Uzbekistan.

Type Material

 * Lectotype gyne labelled “C.elegans var. sahlbergi Forel, $ type, Caucase (Ruszky)” and on a second label “Aralokaspigebiet”, (Seifert, 2023).

If both labels are true, the terra typica should be the eastern Caucasus (present Dagestan or Azerbaijan). Three worker paratypes, placed in the box with the lectotype gyne of C. sahlbergi and with similar labelling by Forel (“C.elegans var. sahlbergi Forel, type, Caucase (Ruszky) / Aralokaspigebiet”) do not belong to C. sahlbergi and are instead typical Cardiocondyla ulianini in both structure and morphometry.

Seifert (2003) - In his original description of Cardiocondyla sahlbergi, Forel explicitly referred only to a gyne from “Palestine (Sahlberg)” and a gyne from “Caucase (Ruzsky)”. The first specimen could not be discovered during a search in the collections of Forel in Lausanne, Geneve, and Basel but the latter gyne was found in the MHNG collection bearing the labelling “C.elegans var. sahlbergi Forel, type, Caucase (Ruszky)” and “Aralokaspigebiet”. It was fixed by present designation as the lectotype of Cardiocondyla sahlbergi. A series of three workers, mounted on another pin, and with equal labelling is not conspecific with the lectotype. These workers are indistinguishable from the lecto- and paralectotypes of Cardiocondyla ulianini. They cannot be considered as syntypes of C. sahlbergi since the original description does not mention workers.

Worker
Seifert (2003) - Head relatively long, CL/CW 1.189. Postocular distance large, PoOc/CL 0.446. Eyes of medium size, EYE 0.233 ± 0.006. Vertex with shallow, but well-demarcated, simple or bicoronate foveolae; interspaces usually narrower than foveolar diameter and glabrous, with only weak carinulae. Frontal lobes and area posterior of frontal lobes shining but weakly longitudinally carinulate-rugulose. Frontal carinae immediately posterior of FRS level frequently slightly converging sometimes parallel. Clypeus mainly smooth. Mesosoma in overall impression shining. Dorsal area of promesonotum foveolate, interspaces shining, wider than foveolar diameter, and with very weak cross-branched microcarinulae. Mesosoma laterally shining and with very weak microreticulum. Metapleurae with weak longitudinal rugosity. Postpetiolar sternite with weak anteromedian bulge. Head, mesosoma, and gaster usually concolorous dark brown; lighter-coloured specimens usually differing from Cardiocondyla bulgarica by dirty yellowish tinge and weak pigmentation contrast between dorsal head and mesosoma. PigCap/PigMes 1.081 ± 0.096 [1.00, 1.43].

Queen
Seifert (2003) - lectotype: CL 646, ML 866, MW 454, CL/CW 1.172, SL/CS 0.753, PoOc/CL 0.439, dFOV 17, FRS/CS 0.277, SPBA/CS 0.361, SP/CS 0.175, PEW/CS 0.518, PPW/CS 0.754, PEW/PPW 0.687, PEH/CS 0.468, PPH/CS 0.358, sqrtPDG 3.59, PLG/CS 10.36 %, PigCap 10, PigMes 10.

Head relatively long, CL/CW 1.172. Postocular index rather large, PoOc/CL 0.435. Vertex with well-demarcated, bicoronate foveolae of 17 - 18 mm diameter, interspaces smaller than foveolar diameter and shining, with weak cross-branched microstructures. Lateral and caudal area of clypeus, frontal lobes, and area posterior of frontal lobes longitudinally carinulate-rugulose. Mesonotum, praescutellum, and scutellum with well-developed foveolae of 18 - 20 mm diameter. Propodeum brilliantly shining. Lateral area of metapleuron longitudinally rugulose. Petiole with a caudomediodorsal corner. Postpetiole with conspicuous anteromedioventral corner, its anterior margin in dorsal view concave. 1st tergite pubescence in the type semierect (30 - 45°). Head, mesosoma, waist, and gaster rather concolourous medium brown.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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 * Pashaei Rad S., B. Taylor, R. Torabi, E. Aram, G. Abolfathi, R. Afshari, F. Borjali, M. Ghatei, F. Hediary, F. Jazini, V. Heidary Kiah, Z. Mahmoudi, F. Safariyan, and M. Seiri. 2018. Further records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Iran. Zoology in the Middle East 64(2): 145-159.
 * Seifert B. 2003. The ant genus Cardiocondyla (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) - a taxonomic revision of the C. elegans, C. bulgarica, C. batesii, C. nuda, C. shuckardi, C. stambuloffii, C. wroughtonii, C. emeryi, and C. minutior species groups. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien. B, Botanik, Zoologie 104: 203-338.
 * Seifert, B.. "The ant genus Cardiocondyla (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) - a taxonomic revision of the C. elegans, C. bulgarica. C. batesii, C. nuda, C. shuckardi, C. stambuloffii, C. wroughtonii, C. emeryi, and C. minutior species groups." Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien 104B (2003): 203-338.
 * Vonshak M., and A. Ionescu-Hirsch. 2009. A checklist of the ants of Israel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Israel Journal of Entomology 39: 33-55.