Aphaenogaster rugosoferruginea

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Greece.

Nomenclature

 *  rugosoferruginea. Aphaenogaster splendida r. rugosoferruginea Forel, 1889: 260 (w.) GREECE. Combination in Aphaenogaster (Attomyrma): Emery, 1921f: 60. Raised to species: Borowiec & Salata, 2013: 338.

Worker
Borowiec and Salata (2013) - (n=28): HL:1117 ± 66.3 (1224-981); HW: 860.2 ± 51.3 (964-760); SL: 1330 ± 72.2 (1439-1150); ML: 1585.8 ± 103.9 (1794-1336); SPSP: 244.8 ± 36.3 (383- 190); PEL: 514.5 ± 37.7 (570-436); PPL: 330.7 ± 36 (391-246); PEH: 303.8 ± 17.4 (346-268); PPH: 275.7 ± 21 (318-235); SPBA: 226.9 ± 20.4 (268-196); SPWI: 244.5 ± 20.2 (285-213); HI: 77.1 ± 2.7 (84.2-72.4); SI:154.8 ± 6.6 (168.5-141).

Head and thorax rusty-yellow to rusty-brown, head on frontal face sometimes with darker spot of diffused borders, margins of pronotal and mesonotal segments often infuscate. Abdomen brown with paler yellowish brown base and posterior margin of each sternite. Mandibles, antennae and legs yellow.

Head approximately 1.3 times as long as wide, not bulging behind eyes, softly converging posterad, without vertexal corners, hind margin straight. Anterior margin of clypeus softly convex. Eyes moderately large, approximately 0.2 times as long as length of lateral margin of head, placed slightly in front of the middle of head. Scapes elongate, approximately 1.55 times as long as width of head, at base 0.6 times as wide as in apex then gradually widened, with gentle preapical constriction. Funicle elongate, approximately 1.2 times as long as scape, first segment elongate, approximately twice as long as wide on apex, 0.7 times as long as two subsequent segments combined, segments 2-7 elongate, segments 3 approximately 1.2 times as long as segment 2, segment 8 approximately twice as long as wide, last three segments indistinctly wider than preceding segments, not forming a distinct club, as long as segments 5-8 combined.

Promesonotum approximately twice as long as wide, pronotum strongly convex in profile, anterior part of mesonotum placed distinctly higher than posterior part of pronotum thus promesonotal convexity slightly angulate in posterior third. Propodeum elongate, propodeal spines short, spiniform, runs obliquely upwards. Petiole elongate with long stem, its anterior face deeply concave, node rounded. Posterior face shallowly concave. Ventral margin of petiole straight, without spine or distinct angulation. In dorsal view, petiole constricted at base then weakly divergent, almost parallel sided before petiolar node, then globular. Postpetiole in lateral profile regularly rounded. In dorsal view the postpetiole approximately 1.5 times as long as wide with regularly rounded sides.

Mandibles elongate, without distinct striation but with some elongate punctures, shiny. Clypeus with few longitudinal and oblique rugae. Frontal carinae short, as long as 1/4 length of head, subparallel, frontal triangle with few longitudinal rugae but shiny between rugosities. Whole surface of head with longitudinal, oblique and reticulate sculpture, and with distinct microreticulation between rugosities, also vertex and tempora rugose thus head appears dull. Scapes mostly smooth and shiny. Entire pronotum microreticulate, also in anterior part, in posterior part with more or less visible irregular rugosities, on sides with few longitudinal rugae. Mesonotum on top and sides microgranulate with few rugae, propodeum on sides with distinct granulate sculpture, and some longitudinal rugae, at the top with wrinkled sculpture. Entire dorsum of mesosoma with sparse, long, erect hairs, the longest slightly longer than propodeal spines. Petiole and postpetiole on almost entire surface microreticulate but without wrinkles, appearing more or less shiny. Gaster lucid, only base close to postpetiole with indistinct, short, longitudinal grooves and diffused microreticulation. Petiolar node, postpetiole and gaster with long standing pilosity. Variability within the population small, manifested mostly by size and paler and darker coloration.

Queen
Borowiec and Salata (2013) - (n=5): HL: 1456.8 ± 37.5 (1506-1402); HW: 860.3 ± 51.3 (964-760); SL: 1422.4 ± 56.2 (1477-1346); ML: 2605.2 ± 112.2 (2800-2532); MH: 1770.8 ± 32.8 (1806-1742); SPSP: 491.6 ± 14.4 (503-469); PEL: 830 ± 71.2 (927-765); PPL: 469 ± 7.8 (480-458); PPH: 537.4 ± 21.1 (570-514); SPBA: 603.4 ± 29.4 (626-553); SPWI: 552 ± 20.7 (570-525); HI: 85.8 ± 2.9 (90-81.9); SI: 113.9 ± 4.6 (118.9-109.1). Head and thorax rusty-yellow to rusty-brown, head on frontal face usually with darker spot of diffused borders, margins of pronotal and mesonotal segments often infuscate. Abdomen brown with paler yellowish brown base and posterior margin of each sternite. Mandibles, antennae and legs yellow.

Head approximately 1.3 times as long as wide, not bulging behind eyes, softly converging posterad, without vertexal corners, hind margin straight. Anterior margin of clypeus softly convex. Eyes large, approximately 0.25 times as long as length of lateral margin of head, placed slightly in front of the middle of head. Ocelli large, first ocellus placed on the line connecting posterior margin of the eyes. Scapes elongate, approximately 1.5 times as long as width of head, at base 0.6 times as wide as in apex then gradually widened, with gentle preapical constriction. Funicle elongate, approximately 1.4 times as long as scape, first segment elongate, approximately 1.8 times as long as wide on apex, 0.7 times as long as two subsequent segments combined, segments 2-7 elongate, segments 3 approximately 1.3 times as long as segment 2, segment 8 approximately 2.2 times as long as wide, last three segments indistinctly wider than preceding segments, do not form a distinct club, as long as segments 5-8 combined.

Mesosomal plate 1.15 times as long as wide, relatively high and robust, in profile regularly convex with rounded pronotal corners. Scutellum 1.6 times as wide as long, posterior margin regularly semicircular, in lateral view scutellum strongly convex, placed higher than top of mesonotal plate. Propodeum located considerably lower than mesosomal plate, propodeal spines moderately elongate, spiniform, with pointed tips, oriented obliquely upwards. In dorsal view the spines slightly diverging outside. Petiole elongate with long stalk, softly concave anterior face, rounded top of node and distinctly concave posterior face, inner margin straight with soft angulation anteriorly. Postpetiole slightly wider than long, in lateral view with rounded top, in dorsal view subcircular. Mandibles indistinctly striate, shiny. Frontal carinae short, extending to 1/4 length of head, softly divergent. Clypeus with longitudinal rugae but appears more or less shiny. Whole surface of head with distinct longitudinal and irregular rugae, on vertex partly transverse and reticulate rugosities, no in sculptured areas but surface between rugae smooth, appears more or less shiny. Scapes with very small punctation but appears smooth and shiny. Pronotum with transverse rugae, mesonotal plate almost completely covered with longitudinal striation except along middle in anterior third with narrow smooth and shiny area. Scutellum mostly with longitudinal striation, on top with more or less developed impunctate, smooth area. Anepisternum mostly with fine longitudinal striae but partly diffused in anterior third, katepisternum in anterior third smooth, in posterior 2/3 length with more or less distinct striation gradually higher and sharper to metanotal suture. Propodeum on sides and top with sharp striation, only area between propodeal spines smooth and shiny. Petiole and postpetiole in middle of anterior face smooth, on sides granulate to rugose, on top with transverse rugae. Abdomen smooth and shiny, only base close to postpetiole with indistinct, short, longitudinal grooves. All dorsum covered with short erect hairs.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
 * Borowiec L., and S. Salata. 2012. Ants of Greece - Checklist, comments and new faunistic data (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus 23(4): 461-563.
 * Borowiec L., and S. Salata. 2013. Ants of Greece  additions and corrections (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 24(3-4): 335-401.
 * Forel, A. "Ameisen aus den Sporaden, den Cykladen und Griechenland, gesammelt 1887 von Herrn von Oertzen." Berliner Entomologische Zeitschrift 32 (1889): 255-265.
 * Salata S., L. Borowiec, and A.Trichas. 2018. Taxonomic Revision of the Cretan Fauna of the Genus Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with Notes on the Endemism of Ant Fauna of Crete. Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 68(4): 769-808.
 * Salata S., and L Borowiec. 2017. Species of Tetramorium semilaeve complex from Balkans and western Turkey, with description of two new species of (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 62:279–313.
 * Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2018. A new species of the ant genus Lasius Fabricius, 1804 from Crete (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 789: 139–159.
 * Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2018. Taxonomic and faunistic notes on Greek ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom Entomology 27: 1-51.