Myrmica siciliana

A high altitude Sicilian endemic that nests in open habitats.

Identification
M. siciliana belongs to the schencki species group. Although it shares many morphological features with other species of the group, it well differs from all others as follows. The female castes well differ from the other species of the schencki-group (except for the oriental Myrmica onoyamai) by their less-extended frontal lobes (mean FLI 1.29 vs. > 1.40); the frontal lobes of M. onoyamai (mean FLI 1.20) are even less extended. The distinctly wide frons of the workers and queens of M. siciliana (mean FI 0.30) well separates them from Myrmica ravasinii, Myrmica schencki and Myrmica pelops. Finally and not least, although subjective and difficult to quantify, the shape of the lobe at the base of scape of workers and queens of M. siciliana appears very different to that of the other species. Males of M. siciliana most resemble those of M. schencki but differ from them by a relatively longer and lower petiole, and by a distinctly less angled curve at the base of the scape. They are easily distinguished from those of M. ravasinii and Myrmica caucasicola by the short standing hairs on legs and antennae; from Myrmica deplanata by a distinctly longer scape, and from M. onoyamai and Myrmica koreana by a somewhat longer scape that is distinctly curved at its base.

Distribution
Sicily.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Italy.

Biology
Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - M. siciliana lives in the mountains of northeast Sicily at fairly high altitudes ( > 1500 m). Generally they nest in the soil in areas of grazed grassland with no obvious above-ground nest structure; we did not see woven funnel entrances that are typically associated with Myrmica schencki, Myrmica koreana, Myrmica obscura and several North American schencki-like species. M. siciliana sometimes nests in open grassy areas: glades or even bare areas in beech-woods, but they are most abundant in damp areas of open grazed grassland. They do not require permanently wet soil, rather they live on the drier margins of ponds and areas temporarily flooded following heavy rain. M. siciliana colonies face quite strong competition from Myrmica sabuleti and Tetramorium, Lasius, Formica and Aphaenogaster species and like many other species of Myrmica in such circumstances, they forage mostly in the early morning and early evening. This species was believed to be restricted to the Mt. Nebrodi region of Sicily but we found two specimens (queen and worker foraging in mature woodland) on the neighbouring Mt. Etna region. It is probably endemic to just these Sicilian mountains but we cannot rule out the possibility that it might also live in the adjacent Calabrian mountains of southern Italy.

When collecting we observed the end of a nuptial flight in an area of damp grassland (ca. 0.5 ha) among open mixed woodland where the holotype nest had been taken on August 28th 2005. Sexuals of both Myrmica siciliana and Myrmica spinosior were found leaving their nests and we caught both alate and dealate queens on the ground. The actual swarm was not located but we guess it was centred on one of the trees in the small meadow, and was a fairly local affair because swarming on the day did not seem to be widespread.

Nomenclature

 *  siciliana. M yrmica siciliana Radchenko, Elmes & Alicata, 2006: 502, figs. 2-21 (w.q.m.) ITALY (Sicily). See also: Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 277.

Etymology
Named for the Island of Sicily, where it is believed to be endemic.