Myrmica wittmeri

Myrmica wittmeri seems to be well adapted to high altitude regions of Himalaya above the timberline. The nests were observed under stone and in rotten wood, in ground covered with scarce vegetation mainly of Rhododendron. Nest temperature ranged from 15°C to 23°C and relative humidity varied from 43% to 72%. Alates appear in the month of June and July. Altitudinal range of this species is 2300m to 3300m. (Bharti et al., 2016)

Identification
Radchenko and Elmes (2010) – A member of the smythiesii group that distinctly differs from the other species of this group by its much darker colour and reduced sculpture on the alitrunk.

Distribution
Known only from the type localities in India (Himahal Pradesh State) and Pakistan.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: India, Pakistan.

Castes
Known only from the worker caste.

Nomenclature

 *  wittmeri. Myrmica wittmeri Radchenko & Elmes, 1999a: 38, fig. 3 (11-14) (w.) PAKISTAN. See also: Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 326.

Etymology
Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - named for the collector, the coleopterologist Dr. Walter Wittmer (1915-1998) of the Natural History Museum, Basle, Switzerland.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Bharti H., S. Sasi, and A. Radchenko. 2016. Biogeography and ecology of Myrmica species (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) in Himalayan regions. Sociobiology 63(3): 956-975.
 * Bharti H., Y. P. Sharma, M. Bharti, and M. Pfeiffer. 2013. Ant species richness, endemicity and functional groups, along an elevational gradient in the Himalayas. Asian Myrmecology 5: 79-101.
 * Jansen G., R. Savolainen, K. Vespalainen. 2010. Phylogeny, divergence-time estimation, biogeography and social parasite–host relationships of the Holarctic ant genusMyrmica(Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 56: 294-304.
 * Radchenko, A. G., and G. W. Elmes. "A taxonomic revision of the ant genus Myrmica Latreille, 1804 from the Himalaya (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Entomologica Basiliensia 23 (2001): 237-276.
 * Rasheed M. T., I. Bodlah, A. G. Fareen, A. A. Wachkoo, X. Huang, and S. A. Akbar. 2019. A checklist of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Pakistan. Sociobiology 66(3): 426-439.