Myrmica divergens

Radchenko & Elmes (2010) - Based on collecting data it seems probable that M. divergens preferred habitat is the intrazonal woodland between riparian meadows and steppe with rivers providing the main routes for connection between populations. The type specimen was taken towards the north of its range on an island in the river Lena. The best data is from collections made in north Mongolia by Michat Woyciechowski (also see notes for Myrmica angulinodis). He collected most colonies of M. divergens from "Riparian Woodland" at about 1000 m a.s.l. on the south-facing bank of the Jeröö river, and some from "Shrublands" about 1100 m a.s.l. that border the steeper valley sides (for vegetative details and photographs of these habitats see Muehlenberg et al. 2000). Nests were constructed directly in the soil or in grass and moss tussocks; one nest was found in the soil in a very wet peat bog in a river valley. M. Woyciechowski found sexuals in the nest at the end of July and in August; a single male was found participating in a mating swarm of M. angulinodis on 10th August 1999. Somewhat confusingly Pisarski (1969a) said that in Mongolia nests were found in the soil, under and in moss and frequently in grass tussocks which conforms to the observations above, but he then gives the habitat of M. divergens as "dry steppe, nests in the soil" (loc. cit., p. 227). We have two nest samples collected by Bogdan Pisarski in 1964, from Larix forest near Ulan Bator, but there is no further data. M. Woyciechowski collected very few dealate queens in the Mongolian M. divergens nest samples, which suggests that their colonies are not highly polygynous.

Identification
Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - Based on the morphological characters of the female castes, M. divergens could be placed either in the scabrinodis or lobicornis species groups. For example, the same nest sample may contain some individuals with a broadly rounded anterior clypeal margin and no medial notch, a feature of the scabrinodis-group, and others that have a shallowly notched clypeus, as seen in species of the lobicornis-group. In addition, M. divergens has antennal scapes that are strongly curved or even slightly angled at the base but with no trace of a carina or lobe, this feature distinguishes M. divergens from all schencki-group species, which are typified by the presence of vertical lobe (or at least denticle) on the base of the antennal scape. However, males have a short antennal scape (SI1 < 0.40, SI2 < 0.43), which is a feature of the scabrinodis and schencki-groups and completely distinguishes M. divergens from any species from the lobicornis-group (SI1 > 0.65, SI2 > 0.68). This combination of male and female features led us to place M. divergens in the scabrinodis group (Radchenko et al. 2002).

Distribution
South and East Siberia (to the west - until Altai Mts.), Mongolia.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Mongolia, Russian Federation.

Nomenclature

 *  divergens. Myrmica bergi var. divergens Karavaiev, 1931c: 105, fig. 1 (w.) RUSSIA. Radchenko, Elmes & Woyciechowski, 2002: 411 (q.m.). Subspecies of bergi: Pisarski, 1969a: 227; Dlussky & Pisarski, 1970: 85. Junior synonym of bergi: Radchenko, 1994e: 76. Revived from synonymy and raised to species: Radchenko, Elmes & Woyciechowski, 2002: 411. See also: Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 121.

Etymology
Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - M. divergens: from the Latin word divergens = divergent, to indicate the characteristic kind of rugosity on the head dorsum.