Temnothorax interruptus

This species occurs mostly in xerothermic grasslands or other open habitats, especially in northern localities, and it can often be collected in overgrown limestone or gypsum rocks. It nests in soil, under stones, in moss or in rock rubble. Sometimes specimens can be found at the edges of dry, deciduous oak forests (Csosz et al., 2018).

Identification
Light bright yellow with dark areas at the side of the dorsum of the first gaster segment and frequently at the front corners of the head. The antennal club is distinctly dark. The dorsal outline of the alitrunk is smoothly curved without a break and the propodeal spines are long and curved. The petiole node is steeply peaked in profile. Length: 2.3-3.4 mm (Collingwood 1979).

Distribution
This is a Turano-European species. Its known distribution stretches from Spain to the Caucasus, from Central Europe to the Mediterranean peninsula. This species, by crossing the Caucasus, also gained a foothold in Eastern Turkey, where it co-occurs with Temnothorax strymonensis (Csosz et al., 2018).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iberian Peninsula, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Biology
Collingwood (1979) - This is a rather uncommon ground nesting species. In Britain where it has been well studied by Donisthorpe (1927) it is found nesting in dry peat or among small stones and heather roots in small colonies of 50-100 workers and single queens. Alatae are present in the nests during July.

Nomenclature

 *  interruptus. Myrmica interrupta Schenck, 1852: 106 (w.q.) GERMANY.
 * [Also described as new by Schenck, 1853: 188.]
 * Mayr, 1855: 446 (m.).
 * Combination in Leptothorax: Mayr, 1855: 446.
 * Combination in Temnothorax: Bolton, 2003: 271.
 * As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Lameere, 1892: 69.
 * Subspecies of tuberum: Forel, 1874: 85 (in key); Emery & Forel, 1879: 458; André, 1883a: 299; Emery, 1884a: 379; Forel, 1890a: lxxiv; Emery, 1891b: 6; Emery, in Dalla Torre, 1893: 127 (footnote); Emery, 1898c: 134; Forel, 1904f: 425; Bondroit, 1910: 497; Stitz, 1914: 63; Crawley, 1914a: 91 (in key); Forel, 1915d: 24 (in key); Emery, 1916b: 175; Escherich, 1917: 328 (in key); Bondroit, 1918: 132; Soudek, 1922: 55; Emery, 1924d: 256; Menozzi, 1925d: 29; Finzi, 1930d: 315; Stitz, 1939: 171.
 * Status as species: Mayr, 1855: 446 (redescription); Smith, F. 1858b: 120; Roger, 1859: 258; Mayr, 1861: 59 (in key); Roger, 1863b: 26; Mayr, 1863: 427; André, 1874: 191 (in key); Emery, 1878b: 51; Dalla Torre, 1893: 124; Bondroit, 1911: 12; Donisthorpe, 1915d: 166; Bondroit, 1918: 132; Müller, 1923b: 94; Donisthorpe, 1927b: 185; Lomnicki, 1928: 5; Zimmermann, 1935: 33; Novák & Sadil, 1941: 93 (in key); Novák, in Kratochvíl, et al. 1944: 119; Consani & Zangheri, 1952: 41; Bernard, 1956a: 163; Bernard, 1967: 212 (redescription); Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 109; Pisarski, 1975: 20; van Boven, 1977: 107; Kutter, 1977c: 131; Collingwood, 1978: 84 (in key); Arnol'di & Dlussky, 1978: 542 (in key); Collingwood, 1979: 75; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 275 (in key); Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 138; Douwes, 1995: 90; Bolton, 1995b: 239; Czechowski, et al. 2002: 48; Seifert, 2007: 233; Casevitz-Weulersse & Galkowski, 2009: 495; Lapeva-Gjonova, et al. 2010: 22; Boer, 2010: 51; Legakis, 2011: 18; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 542; Czechowski, et al. 2012: 145; Borowiec, L. 2014: 179; Radchenko, 2016: 232; Csősz et al., 2018: 109.
 * Senior synonym of simpliciuscula: Roger, 1859: 258; Mayr, 1861: 59; Roger, 1863b: 26; Mayr, 1863: 427; André, 1874: 203 (in list); Forel, 1874: 102 (in list); Emery & Forel, 1879: 459; Dalla Torre, 1893: 124, Emery, 1924d: 256; Radchenko, 2016: 232.
 * Senior synonym of tuberoaffinis: Plateaux & Cagniant, 2013: 429.
 * Senior synonym of knipovitshi: Csősz et al., 2018: 109.
 * Senior synonym of junipereti: Csősz et al., 2018: 118.
 * Senior synonym of nikitae: Csősz et al., 2018: 118.
 * junipereti. Leptothorax junipereti Arnol'di, 1977a: 203 (w.) UKRAINE.
 * Status as species: Arnol'di & Dlussky, 1978: 543 (in key).
 * Junior synonym of knipovitshi: Radchenko, 1994d: 156 (in key); Radchenko, 1995c: 18.
 * Junior synonym of interruptus: Csősz et al., 2018: 118.
 * knipovitshi. Leptothorax tuberum subsp. knipovitshi Karavaiev, 1916: 499 (w.q.) UKRAINE.
 * Combination in Temnothorax: Bolton, 2003: 271.
 * Subspecies of tuberum: Karavaiev, 1927c: 266 (in key); Karavaiev, 1934: 139 (redescription).
 * Status as species: Radchenko, 1994d: 156 (in key); Bolton, 1995b: 240; Radchenko, 1995c: 17; Borowiec, L. 2014: 180; Radchenko, 2016: 222.
 * Junior synonym of interruptus: Csősz et al., 2018: 109.
 * Senior synonym of junipereti: Radchenko, 1994d: 156 (in key); Radchenko, 1995c: 18; Radchenko, 2016: 222.
 * Senior synonym of nikitae: Radchenko, 1994d: 156 (in key); Radchenko, 1995c: 18; Radchenko, 2016: 222.
 * nikitae. Leptothorax nikitae Arnol'di, 1977a: 202 (w.) UKRAINE.
 * Status as species: Arnol'di & Dlussky, 1978: 543 (in key); Arakelian, 1994: 55.
 * Junior synonym of knipovitshi: Radchenko, 1994d: 156 (in key); Radchenko, 1995c: 18.
 * Junior synonym of interruptus: Csősz et al., 2018: 118.
 * simpliciuscula. Myrmica simpliciuscula Nylander, 1856b: 92, pl. 3, fig. 40 (w.) FRANCE.
 * Status as species: Smith, F. 1858b: 120.
 * Junior synonym of interruptus: Roger, 1859: 258; Mayr, 1861: 59.
 * tuberoaffinis. Leptothorax tuberoaffinis Bondroit, 1918: 131 (w.q.) SWITZERLAND.
 * [First available use of Leptothorax tuberum r. affinis var. tuberoaffinis Forel, 1915d: 23 (in key) (w.q.) SWITZERLAND; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name.]
 * [Leptothorax tuberum var. tuberoaffinis Forel, 1874: 86; Dalla Torre, 1893: 128. Nomina nuda.]
 * Subspecies of affinis: Stitz, 1939: 174; Novák & Sadil, 1941: 92 (in key); Bolton, 1995b: 246 (error).
 * Junior synonym of affinis: Kutter, 1977c: 14; Radchenko, 2016: 217 (error).
 * Junior synonym of interruptus: Plateaux & Cagniant, 2013: 428.