Tetramorium atlante

This North African species is relatively rarely encountered. Although Kairouan, Tunisia (the type locality) is placed only 70 m a.s.l. Cagniant (1970, 1997) noted than T. atlante prefers mountainous habitats. Its known localities are mostly between 1600 m (material examined by Borowiec et al. (2016)) to 2300 m (Haut Atlas). Ants were collected in agricultural habitat such as farmlands, pastures, and in scrubs, luminous forests, roadsides. Preference for mountain habitats differentiates T. atlante from Tetramorium semilaeve, which, according to Borowiec et al. (2015), prefers littoral habitats located usually below 700 m a.s.l. and only occasionally reach to the elevation of just over 1000 m a.s.l. (Borowiec et al. 2016).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Morocco, Tunisia.

Nomenclature

 *  atlante. Tetramorium semilaeve subsp. atlantis Cagniant, 1970a: 430 (w.q.) TUNISIA.
 * [First available use of Tetramorium caespitum st. punicum var. atlantis Santschi, 1918c: 155; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name.]
 * [Note: T. punicum var. atlantis Cagniant, 1964: 106; unavailable name (variety proposed after 1960).]
 * Borowiec, L., Galkowski & Salata, 2016: 46 (q.m.).
 * Subspecies of semilaeve: Bolton, 1995b: 404; Cagniant, 1997: 98; Cagniant, 2006a: 196.
 * Status as species: Borowiec, L., Galkowski & Salata, 2016: 44 (redescription).