Myrmica hirsuta

This species is a social parasite found in the nests of Myrmica sabuleti.

Identification
Similar to a microgyne Myrmica sabuleti but distinguished by the laterally enlarged post petiole, wider frons and excessive development of body hairs. Head width: 1.05 mm. Body length: 5.2 mm. Mean postpetiole width: 0.675 mm. (Collingwood 1979)

Distribution
This taxon was described from United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is also found in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, and the Russian Federation.

Fennoscandia, Denmark and the British Isles
Collingwood (1979) - This species was discovered by Elmes (1978) in a small group of colonies containing apparently normal Myrmica sabuleti workers and in some cases normal queens. The small queens were at first assumed to be microgynes of M. sabuleti but body pilosity and relative postpetiole measurements were found to be outside the range of that species. In size and appearance M. hirsuta resembles Myrmica myrmicoxena Forel found once only as a parasite of Myrmica lobicornis in Switzerland and also has affinities with the similar but much larger Myrmica bibikoffi Kutter (1963).

Castes
Queens and males are commonly present. Workers are relatively rare in this social parasite.

Nomenclature

 *  hirsuta. Myrmica hirsuta Elmes, 1978: 131, fig. 2 (q.m.) GREAT BRITAIN. Elmes, 1994: 439 (w.). See also: Collingwood, 1979: 51; Bolton, 1988a: 4; Radchenko & Elmes, 2003a: 228; Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 149.

Additional References

 * [[Media:Boer & Noordijk 2004.pdf|Boer, P.; Noordijk, J. 2004. De ruige gaststeekmier Myrmica hirsuta nieuw voor Nederland (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Ned. Faun. Meded. 20: 25-32 PDF]]


 * [[Media:Elmes 1978.pdf|Elmes, G. W. 1978. A morphometric comparison of three closely related species of Myrmica (Formicidae), including a new species from England. Syst. Entomol. 3: 131-145 PDF]]


 * [[Media:Elmes 1994.pdf|Elmes, G. W. 1994. A population of the social parasite Myrmica hirsuta Elmes (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) recorded from Jutland, Denmark, with a first description of the worker caste. Insectes Soc. 41: 437-442 PDF]]


 * Radchenko, A.G. & Elmes, G.W. 2010. Myrmica ants of the Old World. Fauna Mundi 3: 1-789.