Myrmica aimonissabaudiae

A little more is known about the ecology of M. aimonissabaudiae compared to most other Himalayan species because it appears to be one of the most common, based on published data and material in collections. It has been found at quite a range of altitudes, 1300 to 3450 m (most of Menozzi's material was collected between 2200 m and 2600 m), in both natural and disturbed habitats. The latter includes fields and parks where it prefers relatively wet places being quite common in irrigated fields; Menozzi (1939: 289) particularly mentions that it was found near oasi in the middle of quite arid regions. More recent records suggest that M. aimonissabaudiae is most abundant in semi-natural habitats where nests have been found in open grasslands with or without shrubs, and in deciduous and coniferous forests, where it nests both in the ground and in rotten wood (Philip Ward, pers. comm.). Based on these reports it appears to occupy a niche similar to that of Myrmica ruginodis in Europe.

Identification
M. aimonissabaudiae belongs to the rugosa species group (Radchenko and Elmes 2001b); its junior synonym, M. dicaporiaccoi, was erroneously placed to the rubra-group by Radchenko (1994b). It most resembles two other Himalayan species – Myrmica rugosa and Myrmica hecate - particularly by the distinct (but not coarse) sculpture on the nodes of the petiole and postpetiole. However it differs from the former by having much better developed reticulation on the head dorsum, and from the latter by its less multidentate mandibles (7-9 teeth on the masticatory margin of mandibles vs. > 10 in M. hecate). (Radchenko and Elmes 2010)

Distribution
NE Afghanistan, NE Pakistan, India: Kashmir, Himahal Pradesh, West Bengal (Darjeeling), Sikkim, Meghalaya; Nepal, Bhutan.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan. Palaearctic Region: Afghanistan.

Nomenclature

 *  aimonissabaudiae. Myrmica aimonissabaudiae Menozzi, 1939a: 286, figs. 1, 3 (w.q.) PAKISTAN. Collingwood, 1961a: 56 (m.). Senior synonym of dicaporiaccoi: Radchenko & Elmes, 2001a: 248. [Misspelled as amedeussabaudiae by Menozzi, 1939a: 286.] See also: Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 82.
 * dicaporiaccoi. Myrmica dicaporiaccoi Menozzi, 1939a: 289, figs. 5, 6 (w.) PAKISTAN. Junior synonym of aimonissabaudiae: Radchenko & Elmes, 2001a: 248.

Etymology
Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - the name derives from the first name Aimone combined with Sabaudi (meaning Savoyan). It is dedicated to the leader of the Italian Expedition to the Karakorum, 1929, which collected the type material.