Temnothorax interruptus

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
Sparsely distributed from Spain to Czechoslovakia and North Italy to Sweden (Collingwood 1979).

This taxon was described from Germany. It is also found in Denmark, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Croatia, Greece, Austria, Montenegro, Belgium, France, 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; in Temnothorax: Bolton, 2003: 271. Subspecies of tuberum: Forel, 1874: 85; Emery & Forel, 1879: 458; André, 1883a: 299; Forel, 1890a: lxxiv; Emery, 1891b: 6; Bondroit, 1910: 497; Emery, 1916b: 175; Emery, 1924d: 256; Finzi, 1930d: 315; Stitz, 1939: 171. Status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 124; Bondroit, 1911: 12; Donisthorpe, 1915d: 166; Bondroit, 1918: 132; Müller, 1923: 94; Lomnicki, 1928: 3; Novak & Sadil, 1941: 93; Kratochvíl, 1944: 42; Bernard, 1967: 212; Kutter, 1977c: 131; Collingwood, 1979: 75; Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 138. Senior synonym of simpliciuscula: Roger, 1859: 258; Mayr, 1861: 59. Current subspecies: nominal plus nitidiceps.
 * simpliciuscula. Myrmica simpliciuscula Nylander, 1856b: 92, pl. 3, fig. 40 (w.) FRANCE. 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 var. tuberoaffinis Forel, 1874: 86. Nomen nudum. Leptothorax tuberum r. affinis var. tuberoaffinis Forel, 1915d: 23 (in key); unavailable name.] Subspecies of affinis: Stitz, 1939: 174; Novak & Sadil, 1941: 92. Junior synonym of affinis: Kutter, 1977c: 14; of interruptus: Plateaux & Cagniant, 2012: 429.

Additional References

 * [[Media:Borgesen 2000.pdf|Børgesen, L. W. 2000. Ecological notes on Leptothorax interruptus: an ant new to Denmark (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Entomol. Medd. 68: 67-77 PDF]]
 * Plateaux, L. & Cagniant, H. 2012. Quelques synonymies dans le genre Temnothorax Mayr, 1855 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France 117 (4), 427-440.