Lepisiota nigra

Due to the great variation within several taxa of Lepisiota it is likely that at least some records of L. nigra concern dark forms of other species and this taxon needs further taxonomic study (Borowiec, 2014).

Identification
Collingwood and Agosti (1996) - HW 0.63-0.64, SI 150-165. This is a black shining ant, similar to Lepisiota gracilicornis in body shine but morphologically closer to Lepisiota frauenfeldi.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates. Palaearctic Region: Balearic Islands, Bulgaria, Croatia, Egypt, Greece, Iberian Peninsula, Iran, Israel, Italy , Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Spain.

Association with Other Organisms
This species is associated with the aphids, , , , , , , , , and  (Saddiqui et al., 2019 and included references).

Nomenclature

 *  nigra. Acantholepis frauenfeldi var. nigra Dalla Torre, 1893: 171 (w.q.m.) ITALY (attributed to Emery).
 * Emery, 1916b: 222 (w.q.m.).
 * Combination in Lepisiota: Bolton, 1995b: 228.
 * Subspecies of frauenfeldi: Dalla Torre, 1893: 171; Ruzsky, 1905b: 461; Emery, 1908d: 24; Karavaiev, 1910b: 45; Forel, 1911d: 351; Emery, 1914d: 158; Emery, 1916b: 221; Santschi, 1917d: 47 (in key); Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1923: 248; Müller, 1923b: 115; Emery, 1925b: 25; Soudek, 1925b: 16; Menozzi, 1926b: 182; Donisthorpe, 1927a: 8; Menozzi, 1929e: 128; Finzi, 1930d: 316; Cori & Finzi, 1931: 240; Menozzi, 1934: 164; Grandi, 1935: 102; Finzi, 1936: 186; Ceballos, 1956: 310; Tarbinsky, 1976: 130 (redescription).
 * Synonym of karawaiewi: Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929c: 483.
 * [Note: Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929c: 483 gives karawaiewi as senior synonym, but nigra has priority.]
 * Junior synonym of frauenfeldi: Collingwood, 1978: 71.
 * Status as species: Zimmermann, 1935: 45; Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 175; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 281 (in key); Bolton, 1995b: 228; Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 368; Bračko, 2006: 150; Legakis, 2011: 24; Collingwood, et al. 2011: 467; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 508; Borowiec, L. 2014: 95; Sharaf, Monks, et al. 2016: 9 (in key); Salata & Borowiec, L., 2018: 20.
 * splendens. Acantholepis frauenfeldi var. splendens Karavaiev, 1912b: 586 (w.q.) GREECE.
 * Combination in Lepisiota: Bolton, 1995b: 228.
 * Subspecies of frauenfeldi: Santschi, 1917d: 47 (in key); Emery, 1925b: 25; Finzi, 1928c: 791; Finzi, 1936: 186.
 * Status as species: Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 57; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 281 (in key); Bolton, 1995b: 228; Lapeva-Gjonova, et al. 2010: 35; Legakis, 2011: 25; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 509; Borowiec, L. 2014: 96.
 * Junior synonym of nigra: Salata & Borowiec, L., 2018: 20.

Type Material


Type locality(-ies): “Umgegend von Kanea, Kreta, am Meeresstrand “in Tuff” (13.III.1910. Th. Shebunin und N. Tshebotarev), ww und 1 flugelloses q (Königin).—Ebenda, auf einem Kartoffelfeld unter einem Steine (5.III.1910, Dieselben Sammler), ww”.

Original Karawajew label(-s): “Acantholepis / frauenfeldi / v. splendens Kar. / typus”, “Крит, Канея [= Crete, Kanea] / Шебунин и Чеботарев [= Shebunin and Chebotarev] / 1910 г.”.

Material: SYNTYPES, 7 w (newly mounted, IN 314/6/2), 403 w (in alcohol, IN 314/BAMS1/Karaw63).

Salata and Borowiec (2018) - L. nigra, syntype (w): var. nigra Emery; Is. Tremiti, S. Domino, Cecconi; ANTWEB,CASENT0905148 (MSNG); L. splendens, syntypes (5w): v. splendens; Критъ, Канеа,; Шебунин и Чеботарёв; 4204., Coll. Karawajewi; Acantholepis frauenfeldi, Mayr, v. splendens, Kar. typus.

Taxonomic Notes
Salata & Borowiec, L., 2018: Karavaiev (1912), in the description of L. splendens, mentioned the following features to distinguish it from L. nigra: more smooth and slender body surface, head shape and size of propodeal spines. Examination of type specimens and study on samples collected from different Cretan sites manifested wide variability within features mentioned by Karavaiev. Also, we didn’t find any strong features that support an existence of two different species. Therefore we consider L. splendens as a junior synonym of L. nigra.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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