Plagiolepis vindobonensis

Identification
Pale to dark brown, somewhat shining, with sparse pubescence. Erect hairs are present over head and alitrunk and more thickly distributed over gaster. Head about as long as broad; pronotum broad, about 1 1/2 width of propodeum; gaster heartshaped, much broader than alitrunk; scale, nodal reduced. Third and fourth funiculus segments subequal, about twice as long as second segment. Scape overreaching occiput by about 1/6 its length. Ocelli absent. Length: 1.0-2.0 mm (Collingwood 1979).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Austria, Belgium, Channel Islands, Croatia, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Romania, Slovenia.

Biology
This minute species lives in small isolated colonies nesting under flat stones usually with several queens (Collingwood 1979).

Fungi
This species is a host for the endoparastic fungus Myrmicinosporidium durum (Espadaler & Santamaria, 2012).

Nomenclature

 *  vindobonensis. Plagiolepis vindobonensis Lomnicki, 1925c: 77, figs. 1-4 (w.) AUSTRIA. Santschi, 1926f: 293 (q.); Boven, 1946: 9 (m.). Junior synonym of pygmaea: Bernard, 1967: 277. Revived from synonymy: Kutter, 1977c: 189; Seifert, 1994: 29. See also: Collingwood, 1979: 110; Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 203. Junior synonym of taurica: Radchenko, 1989b: 155; Radchenko, 1996a: 185. Revived from synonymy: Seifert, 2007: 259; resynonymised with taurica: Lapeva-Gjonova et al. 2010: 34. [Status of this name with respect to taurica remains unresolved; both are retained at species-rank here.]