Messor meridionalis

The taxonomic identity of Messor meridionalis is uncertain (it is a species dubium), its type series probably contains specimens belonging to the more than one species. Most records of M. meridionalis probably concern Messor wasmanni (Borowiec, 2014).

Identification
André (1883b) - "Var. meridionalis. Entièrement noire ou brun de poix avec le thorax d'un rouge obscur. Taille moyenne. Tète plus ou moins luisante, parfois légèrement striée ; pronotum transversalement ridé ; metanotum à peine denté." [=Var. meridionalis. Entirely black or pitch brown with dark red thorax. Midsized. Head more or less shiny, sometimes slightly striated; pronotum transversely wrinkled; barely toothed metanotum.]

Collingwood and Agosti (1996) - HW 2.3-2.6; EL/HW 0.204-0.223. This bicoloured species known from Afghanistan (Pisarki 1967) and most of the countries of the Middle East including Iraq and Iran is immediately distinguishable from Messor semirufus, Messor wasmanni and other superficially similar species by its relatively large eyes. In museum collections several different species are placed under the name M meridionalis so that there is uncertainty as to which species this name should apply.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates. Palaearctic Region: Afghanistan, Albania, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Montenegro, Oman, North Macedonia, Turkey.

It is known from Central Asia and the Middle East (Abdul-Rassoul et al. 2013).

Nomenclature

 * . Aphaenogaster barbara var. meridionalis André, 1883b: 355 (w.) GREECE, ALBANIA, TURKEY, ALGERIA, TUNISIA.
 * Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
 * Type-localities: Greece, Albania, Turkey, Algeria, Tunisia (no further data).
 * Type-depository: MNHN.
 * [Note: Santschi, 1927c: 230, says the Greek syntypes cannot be found.]
 * Ruzsky, 1905b: 747 (q.m.); Emery, 1908e: 450 (q.).
 * Combination in Aphaenogaster (Messor): Forel, 1890a: lxx; Ruzsky, 1905b: 746;
 * combination in Stenamma (Messor): Emery, 1898c: 125;
 * combination in Messor: Emery, 1897f: 239; Emery, 1908e: 450.
 * As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Emery, 1891b: 12; Forel, 1904b: 373; Forel, 1904c: 15; Ruzsky, 1905b: 746; Forel, 1906c: 190; Emery, 1922c: 94; Karavaiev, 1926b: 100; Santschi, 1926f: 287.
 * Subspecies of capitatus: Dalla Torre, 1893: 101.
 * Subspecies of barbarus: Forel, 1886e: clxviii; Forel, 1890a: lxx; Emery, 1898c: 125; Emery, 1901e: 57; Ruzsky, 1902d: 28; Ruzsky, 1903b: 315; Emery, 1908d: 23; Emery, 1908e: 450; Forel, 1910a: 24; Santschi, 1910a: 43; Karavaiev, 1910a: 270; Karavaiev, 1910b: 64; Forel, 1911d: 346; Emery, 1912f: 97; Karavaiev, 1912a: 9; Krausse, 1912b: 164; Emery, 1914d: 156; Wheeler, W.M. & Mann, 1916: 170; Emery, 1916b: 142; Karavaiev, 1916: 507; Santschi, 1917e: 90; Stitz, 1917: 343; Santschi, 1921a: 110; Menozzi, 1921: 26; Emery, 1921b: 208; Emery, 1921f: 71; Finzi, 1923: 3; Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1923: 256; Viehmeyer, 1923: 87; Ruzsky, 1923: 5; Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927a: 90 (in key); Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929b: 45; Donisthorpe, 1950e: 1060.
 * Subspecies of instabilis: Santschi, 1923f: 325 (in text).
 * Subspecies of semirufus: Santschi, 1927c: 230; Kutter, 1927: 99; Finzi, 1928c: 788; Finzi, 1930c: 22; Santschi, 1934d: 275; Grandi, 1935: 100; Menozzi, 1936d: 276; Finzi, 1939c: 155; Santschi, 1939c: 6; Novák & Sadil, 1941: 82 (in key).
 * Subspecies of minor: Arnol'di, 1948: 211 (in list).
 * Junior synonym of semirufus: Baroni Urbani, 1974: 227.
 * Junior synonym of caducus: Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 121; Arakelian, 1994: 34; Bolton, 1995b: 255.
 * Status as species: Bondroit, 1918: 155; Müller, 1923a: 68; Müller, 1923b: 64; Cori & Finzi, 1931: 238; Collingwood, 1961a: 58; Collingwood, 1961b: 289; Baroni Urbani, 1964a: 2; Pisarski, 1967: 384; Baroni Urbani, 1968b: 434; Pisarski, 1970: 306; Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 59; Collingwood, 1978: 81 (in key); Tohmé, G. & Tohmé, H. 1981: 144; Collingwood, 1985: 251; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 54; Poldi, et al. 1995: 3; Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 318; Werner & Wiezik, 2007: 148; Gratiashvili & Barjadze, 2008: 139; Paknia, et al. 2008: 155; Vonshak, et al. 2009: 42; Legakis, 2011: 10; Collingwood, et al. 2011: 426; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 19; Borowiec, L. 2014: 109; Tohmé, G. & Tohmé, 2014: 134; Lebas, et al. 2016: 300.
 * Distribution: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates.
 * [Note: the distribution list is merely a compilation from the literature which almost certainly does not reflect taxonomic reality.]

Taxonomic Notes
Borowiec & Salata (2020): This taxon is species dubium. According to the original description (André 1883), it was described from specimens belonging to more than one species. Location of types is unknown and before their study and designation of the lectotype the status of this species is uncertain. Recent authors assigned records of Messor meridionalis from Europe, Turkey and the Middle East to Messor wasmanni.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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