Messor wasmanni

A grain harvesting species (Collingwood and Agosti 1996). This taxon belongs to a group of species widespread in the Middle East and Central Asia, where several to many still unreviewed forms occur. Its westernmost known range reaches Sardinia and Corsica. It is common in central and southern Italy, and in the Balkans (Rigato & Toni, 2011).

Identification
Collingwood and Agosti (1996) - HW 2.5-2.9; EL/HW 0.16-0.19. This species differs from Messor semirufus and related species by the shape of the pronotum which is mildly flattened dorsally and expanded laterally into a protuberant boss at each side. This is a constant and characteristic feature and most easily seen in slanted profile.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Iran, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Montenegro, Oman, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey.

Nomenclature

 *  wasmanni. Messor barbarus subsp. wasmanni Krausse, 1910: 524 (w.) ITALY (Sardinia). [Also described as new by Krausse, 1911: 15.] Finzi, 1929: 83 (q.); Finzi, 1933: 163 (m.). Subspecies of semirufus: Santschi, 1927c: 230; Finzi, 1928c: 788; Finzi, 1930d: 312; of meridionalis: Baroni Urbani, 1964b: 30; Baroni Urbani, 1968b: 434. Junior synonym of semirufus: Baroni Urbani, 1974: 227; of meridionalis: Collingwood, 1978: 68. Revived from synonymy and raised to species: Casevitz-Weulersse, 1990a: 154. Senior synonym of concolor: Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 322.
 * concolor. Messor semirufus var. concolor Santschi, 1927c: 229 (s.w.m.) SYRIA. [First available use of Messor barbarus subsp. semirufus var. concolor Emery, 1908e: 448; unavailable name.] Subspecies of semirufus: Baroni Urbani, 1964a: 1. Junior synonym of semirufus: Baroni Urbani, 1974: 227. Revived from synonymy and raised to species: Tohmé, G. & Tohmé, H. 1981: 143. Junior synonym of wasmanni: Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 322.

A very common grain-harvesting ant found on all of the Greek islands, on the southern Balkan mainland, in South Italy and the Mediterranean islands of Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily but not in Malta or the Balearics. It has also been taken locally in Tunisia but its occurrence so far south as Oman is a surprise. However, Tohme (1968) and Tohme & Tohme (1981) recorded it as the synonym Messor concolor from Lebanon and Syria respectively. (Collingwood and Agosti 1996)

Type Material
Collingwood and Agosti (1996) - Specimens labelled M. concolor cotype in both the Oxford Hope Museum and the NHMB are confirmed as M. wasmanni, M concolor being a junior synonym.