Messor instabilis

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: India, Pakistan. Palaearctic Region: Israel.

Nomenclature

 * . Atta instabilis Smith, F. 1858b: 163 (w.m.) INDIA (no state data, “Northern India”).
 * Type-material: syntype workers, syntype males (numbers not stated).
 * Type-locality: India: northern India (no collector’s name).
 * Type-depository: BMNH.
 * Bingham, 1903: 279 (s.q.).
 * Combination in Messor: Bingham, 1903: 278.
 * As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Emery, 1921f: 71.
 * Junior synonym of barbarus: Tiwari, 1999: 38 (error).
 * Subspecies of capitatus: Emery, in Dalla Torre, 1893: 101.
 * Subspecies of barbarus: Forel, 1903a: 694; Bingham, 1903: 278; Forel, 1906b: 86; Emery, 1922c: 94; Emery, 1924a: 8; Wheeler, W.M. 1926: 3; Karavaiev, 1926b: 100; Karavaiev, 1927a: 287; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 137.
 * Status as species: Mayr, 1863: 396; Smith, F. 1871a: 333; Santschi, 1923f: 325; Santschi, 1927c: 247 (in key); Wheeler, W.M. 1927g: 103; Santschi, 1931a: 4; Santschi, 1936c: 200; Menozzi, 1939a: 297; Eidmann, 1942: 246; Cagniant, 1964: 87; Pisarski, 1967: 383; Pisarski, 1970: 306; Bolton, 1995b: 254; Vonshak, et al. 2009: 42; Borowiec, L. 2014: 107; Bharti, Guénard, et al. 2016: 38; Rasheed, et al. 2019: 432.
 * Senior synonym of punctata: Bingham, 1903: 279; Pisarski, 1967: 383; Pisarski, 1970: 306; Bolton, 1995b: 254.
 * Distribution: Afghanistan, India, Israel, Pakistan.
 * punctata. Aphaenogaster barbara var. punctata Forel, 1886d: 248 (w.) INDIA (Jammu & Kashmir).
 * Type-material: holotype (?) worker.
 * [Note: no indication of number of specimens is given.]
 * Type-locality: India: Kashmir (no collector’s name).
 * Type-depository: MHNG.
 * As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Emery, 1891b: 12.
 * Subspecies of capitatus: Dalla Torre, 1893: 101.
 * Subspecies of barbarus: Forel, 1894b: 89; Forel, 1903a: 694; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 803.
 * Junior synonym of barbarus: Tiwari, 1999: 38 (error).
 * Junior synonym of instabilis: Bingham, 1903: 279; Pisarski, 1967: 383; Pisarski, 1970: 306; Bolton, 1995b: 256.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Bharti H., Y. P. Sharma, M. Bharti, and M. Pfeiffer. 2013. Ant species richness, endemicity and functional groups, along an elevational gradient in the Himalayas. Asian Myrmecology 5: 79-101.
 * Bharti H., Y. P. Sharma, and A. Kaur. 2009. Seasonal patterns of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Punjab Shivalik. Halteres 1(1): 36-47.
 * Bodlah I., M. T. Rasheed, X. Huang, A. Gull-E-Fareen, J. A. Siddiqui, and M. A. Bodlah. 2019. First records of two species of genus Messor Forel, 1890 (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) along with trophic associations with aphids from Pothwar Region, Pakistan. The J. Anim. Plant Sci. 29(4): 7 pages.
 * Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
 * Cagniant, H. 1964. "Étude de quelques fourmis marocaines. Statistique provisoire des Formicidae du Maroc." Bulletin de la Société d' Histoire naturelle de l' Afrique du Nord 53 (1964): 83-118.
 * Forel A. 1903. Les Formicides de l'Empire des Indes et de Ceylan. Part X. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 14: 679-715.
 * Menozzi C. 1939. Formiche dell'Himalaya e del Karakorum raccolte dalla Spedizione italiana comandata da S. A. R. il Duca di Spoleto (1929). Atti della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano. 78: 285-345.
 * Pajni H. R., and R. K. Suri. 1978. First report on the Formicid fauna (Hymenoptera) of Chandigarh. Res. Bull. (Science) Punjab University 29: 5-12.
 * Raci N., C. Sravanthy, C. Sammaiah, and M. Thirupahaiah. 2015. Biodiversity of ants (Insecta-Hymenoptera) in agroecosystem and grass land in Jammikunta, Karimnagar District, Telangana, India. Journal ofEnvironment 4(1): 11-16.
 * Rasheed M. T., I. Bodlah, A. G. Fareen, A. A. Wachkoo, X. Huang, and S. A. Akbar. 2019. A checklist of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Pakistan. Sociobiology 66(3): 426-439.
 * Vonshak M., and A. Ionescu-Hirsch. 2009. A checklist of the ants of Israel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Israel Journal of Entomology 39: 33-55.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1922. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. VIII. A synonymic list of the ants of the Ethiopian region. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 711-1004