Tapinoma simrothi

Mainly a west-Mediterranean taxon, mentioned also from Afghanistan and the Arabian Peninsula (Rigato & Toni, 2011).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen. Palaearctic Region: Afghanistan, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, China, Gibraltar, Greece, Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Kuwait, Malta, Montenegro, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Spain.

Biology
Tapinoma simrothi in Saudi Arabia was observed nesting in a decaying carpet, among roots of graminae plants and attending unidentified mealybugs, and also coexisting with Solenopsis saudiensis (Sharaf and Aldawood 2011).

Nomenclature

 *  simrothi. Tapinoma erraticum var. simrothi Krausse, 1911: 18 (w.) ITALY (Sardinia). Emery, 1925d: 49 (q.m.). Raised to species: Emery, 1925d: 48; Menozzi, 1933b: 77; Santschi, 1936c: 204. Junior synonym of erraticum: Baroni Urbani, 1964b: 55. Revived from synonymy, status as species: Bernard, 1967: 259; Kutter, 1977c: 182. Current subspecies: nominal plus phoeniceum. See also: Shattuck, 1994: 154.

Additional References

 * Berville, L., Hefetz, A., Espadaler, X., Lenoir, A., Renucci, M., Blight, O. & Provot, E. 2013. Differentiation of the ant genus Tapinoma (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Mediterranean Basin by species-specific hydrocarbon profiles. Myrmecological News 18, 77-92.
 * Rigato, F.; Toni, I. 2011. Short notes 21. Hymenoptera, Formicidae. Pp. 873-882 in: Nardi, G.; Whitmore, D.; Bardiani, M.; Birtele, D.; Mason, F.; Spada, L.; Cerretti, P. (eds.) 2011. Biodiversity of Marganai and Montimannu (Sardinia). Research in the framework of the ICP Forests network. Conservazione Habitat Invertebrati, 5. Sommacampagna, Verona: Cierre Edizioni, 896 pp.