Cardiocondyla koshewnikovi

This species inhabitats moist areas in deserts and semideserts.

Identification
Seifert (2003) - Cardiocondyla koshewnikovi is considered here as a Central Asian sister species of the W Palaearctic Cardiocondyla stambuloffii. The gynes are outstanding by a head size clearly above the upper extremes of any known Palaearctic species including C. stambuloffii and they additionally differ from the latter by a much stronger sculpture. The workers are more similar but can be separated on the individual level by a discriminant function.

Accessory discriminative characters of C. koshewnikovi are the sharper propodeal spines and the more sloping prespinal profile of propodeum.

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

Biology
Seifert (2003) - Moister spots in deserts or semideserts, which are frequently salty and situated at the margins of lakes or rivers, are reported as habitats of this species. Two nests were completely dug out by the author in the Saissan Depression 25 July 2001 in a moist Phragmites stand in the dune valley of a semidesert. One or two simple entrances (in one nest hidden under fragments of dead Phragmites leaves) led to one vertical duct that passed through three levels of horizontal galleries or chambers in the upper 10 cm of soil. One nest contained 7 ergatoid males, 5 freshly eclosed alate gynes, 35 gyne pupae, 5 gyne prepupae and 440 workers. Another nest contained 409 workers and as much as 27 dealate gynes, the reproductive status of which was not checked.

Nomenclature

 *  koshewnikovi. Cardiocondyla koshewnikovi Ruzsky, 1902b: 480 (w.q.) RUSSIA. [Also described as new by Ruzsky, 1902c: 16.] Subspecies of stambuloffii: Forel, 1902h: 440; Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927d: 37. Junior synonym of stambuloffii: Pisarski, 1970: 308. Revived from synonymy as subspecies of stambuloffii: Tarbinsky, 1976: 72; Dlussky & Zabelin, 1985: 213. Revived status as species: Dlussky, Soyunov & Zabelin, 1990: 195. See also: Radchenko, 1995b: 450; Seifert, 2003a: 266.

Worker
Seifert (2003) - Head moderately long, CL/CW 1.155. Postocular distance rather large, PoOc/CL 0.444. Scape slightly longer than in Cardiocondyla stambuloffii, SL/CS 0.791. Eyes small, EYE 0.219. Frontal carinae immediately behind FRS level converging caudad. Whole clypeus, frontal laminae, and vertex anteromedianly longitudinally carinulate-rugulose. Remaining vertex strongly longitudinally rugulose (in the type specimens these rugulae form together with weaker anostomosae a semi-reticulum whose meshes carry in their centre flat tubercles of 7 - 9 mm diameter around bases of pubescence hairs; in other specimens reticulum almost lacking). Pronotum anteriorly transversely rugulose. Mesosoma dorsally on most of its surface longitudinally carinulate-rugulose; rugae usually stronger than in C. stambuloffii; triangular area anterior of spine bases or whole dorsal propodeum glabrous and only with a very fine superficial reticulum. Lateral area of mesonotum, mesopleurae, lateral area of propodeum, and metapleurae longitudinally rugulose. Spines as short as in C. stambuloffii, but more acute. Propodeal dome more steeply sloping caudad than usually seen C. stambuloffii. Spine bases much more approached than in C. stambuloffii. Nodes of waist segments smooth. Petiole with a high node that is in dorsal view slightly wider than long. Postpetiole in dorsal view with straight or very weakly concave anterior margin, relatively narrower than in C. stambuloffii: ratio PPW/PPL 1.704 ± 0.075 [1.612, 1.846] n=23. Concolorous medium to dark brown with yellowish tinge.

Queen
Seifert (2003) - Much larger than Cardiocondyla stambuloffii, CS 767 ± 27; head shorter, CL/CW 1.106. Postocular index very large, PoOc/CL 0.476. Postocular head much wider than preocular head, overall shape of head capsule trapezoidal. Occipital margin straight. Frontal carinae immediately caudal of FRS level converging caudad. Mesosoma massive, MW 624 ± 48. Whole dorsal head capsule fully microsculptured and covered with dense subdecumbent pubescence, thus appearing entirely mat, in particular occipital region in contrast to C. stambuloffii not shining. Clypeus, frontal laminae and vertex posterior of frontal laminae clearly longitudinally rugulose; remaining vertex more finely and densely longitudinally rugulose (the rugulae partially form a semireticulum); interspaces between rugulae with densely-packed tubercles of 8 - 10 mm diameter that form the bases of pubescence hairs. Foveolae on vertex completely lacking. Mesonotum because of shallower microsculpture more shining than vertex, rugulose, with small tubercles of 8 - 11 mm diameter at hair bases. Scutellum longitudinally rugulose, with similar tubercles in the interspaces. Whole propodeum, metapleuron, mesopleuron and anepisternite densely carinate, clearly stronger sculptured than in C. stambuloffii. Propodeal spines reduced to rather blunt dents. Petiole very high, dorsum less shining than in C. stambuloffii, clearly wider than long and not ending in a caudal corner. Postpetiole more than twice as wide as long and almost twice as wide as petiole, PPW/CS 0.862; postpetiolar sternite with strong and acute anteromedian dent. Whole body with dense subdecumbent to decumbent pubescence; pubescence on first gaster tergite extremely dense, sqrtPDG 2 .46. Whole body more or less concolorous medium brown, mesosoma sclerites occasionally with lighter patches; appendages lighter.

Type Material
Seifert (2003) - M. Ruzsky sent type specimens to A. Forel and to the late G. Mayr, which are still present in the collections of and. These ants were mounted by Forel and Mayr in a different way but the original labels of Ruzsky written with a pencil and the high morphometric (coefficient of variation in CS, SL/CS, PoOc, EYE, PEW/SC, PPW/CS only 1.3 - 1.5 %) and structural similarity indicate that all 5 syntypes in MHNG and NHMW came from the same source. In detail these types are: lectotype worker (by present designation) labelled by Ruzsky “Card. Koshewnikovi Umg.d.Aralsees 1902 M.R.” and carrying a blue printed label “Cotypus”; 1 paralectotype worker, originally from the same pin but transferred by the author to another pin and labelled with a laser printer and identical text “Card. koshewnikovi Umg.d.Aralsecs 1902 M.R.”, both in MHNG; 1 paralectotype worker labelled by Forel “Card. stambulotlii koshewnikovi Ruzsky Umgbg.d.Aralsees (Ruzsky)” and carrying a blue printed label “Cotypus”; MHNG. 1 paralectotype worker labelled by Ruzsky with a pencil “Card. koshewnikovi, Aralsee W 5.” and by G. Mayr in ink “Aralsee Ruzsky”, NHMW; 1 paralectotype worker with same mode of preparation labelled by G. Mayr “Aralsec, Coll. G.Mayr” and “stambuloffi v. koshasnikovi [writing error, B.S.] Ruzsky, Type”, NHMW.

The published type locality “Ust'ye rek Syr-Darya, Raim” (= “mouth of river Syr-Darya, Raim”) does not contradict to the labelling “Umgebung des Aralsee”. Hence, these specimens can be accepted as types of Ruzsky.

Radchenko (1995) believed that type specimens of C. koshewnikovi from Lake Aral have been lost and he “fixed” a neotype without, however, publishing its collecting date and locality. Furthemlore he did not publish any character of discriminative value. Hence, Radchenko's neotypc fixation is invalid according to the articles 75.3.2 - 75.3.6 of ICZN.