Messor wasmanni

A grain harvesting species (Collingwood and Agosti 1996). This taxon belongs to a group of species widespread in the Middle East and Central Asia, where several to many still unreviewed forms occur. Its westernmost known range reaches Sardinia and Corsica. It is common in central and southern Italy, and in the Balkans (Rigato & Toni, 2011). In Greece it prefers open habitats of low and mid altitude. In Achaia, it was observed in a rural site of an urban area, along roadside with mediterranean bushes, in luminous young mixed forest, and pastures (Borowiec & Salata, 2021).

Identification
Collingwood and Agosti (1996) - HW 2.5-2.9; EL/HW 0.16-0.19. This species differs from Messor semirufus and related species by the shape of the pronotum which is mildly flattened dorsally and expanded laterally into a protuberant boss at each side. This is a constant and characteristic feature and most easily seen in slanted profile.

Distribution
One of the commonest Greek ants, recorded from all provinces (Borowiec et al., 2022).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Iran, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Montenegro, Oman, North Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Syria, Turkey.

Nomenclature

 * . Messor barbarus subsp. wasmanni Krausse, 1910: 524 (in text) (w.) ITALY (Sardinia).
 * Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
 * Type-localities: Italy: Sardinia, Cagliari, Orisanto, Asuni, 1909 (A.H. Krausse-Heldrungen).
 * [Note: locality data from Krausse, 1911: 15.]
 * Type-depository: unknown.
 * [Also described as new by Krausse, 1911: 15.]
 * Finzi, 1929: 83 (q.); Finzi, 1933: 163 (m.).
 * As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Krausse, 1912b: 164; Emery, 1915a: 249; Emery, 1916b: 142; Santschi, 1917e: 90; Emery, 1921f: 71; Menozzi, 1921: 26; Emery, 1922c: 94.
 * Subspecies of barbarus: Emery, 1912f: 97.
 * Subspecies of semirufus: Santschi, 1927c: 230; Finzi, 1928c: 788; Finzi, 1929: 82; Finzi, 1930d: 312; Finzi, 1933: 163; Zimmermann, 1935: 17.
 * Subspecies of meridionalis: Bondroit, 1920b: 305; Baroni Urbani, 1964b: 30 (footnote); Baroni Urbani, 1969a: 331; Baroni Urbani, 1968b: 434; Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 59.
 * Junior synonym of semirufus: Bernard, 1967: 147; Baroni Urbani, 1974: 227.
 * Junior synonym of meridionalis: Collingwood, 1978: 68; Poldi, et al. 1995: 3.
 * Status as species: Casevitz-Weulersse, 1990b: 156 (in key); Collingwood, 1993b: 194; Bolton, 1995b: 258; Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 322; Bračko, 2006: 137; Petrov, 2006: 92 (in key); Bračko, 2007: 17; Casevitz-Weulersse & Galkowski, 2009: 489; Karaman, M.G. 2011b: 40; Legakis, 2011: 11; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 516; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 21; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2013: 385 (in text); Borowiec, L. 2014: 114; Bračko, et al. 2014: 14; Lebas, et al. 2016: 300; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2018: 6; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 46; Salata & Borowiec, 2019a: 66.
 * Distribution: Croatia, France (Corsica), Greece, Italy (Sardinia), Macedonia, Oman, Slovenia, Tunisia, Turkey.

A very common grain-harvesting ant found on all of the Greek islands, on the southern Balkan mainland, in South Italy and the Mediterranean islands of Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily but not in Malta or the Balearics. It has also been taken locally in Tunisia but its occurrence so far south as Oman is a surprise. However, Tohme (1968) and Tohme & Tohme (1981) recorded it as the synonym Messor concolor from Lebanon and Syria respectively. (Collingwood and Agosti 1996)

Type Material
Collingwood and Agosti (1996) - Specimens labelled M. concolor cotype in both the Oxford Hope Museum and the NHMB are confirmed as M. wasmanni, M concolor being a junior synonym.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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