Myrmica sabuleti

Identification
Reddish brown. Antennal scapes are sharply angulate with a longitudinal keel running forward from the bend and a more or less massive lateral extension, which in Scandinavian samples is frequently curved up to appear as a large semiupright tooth seen from behind. The petiole node is more rounded and usually less truncate than in Myrmica scabrinodis Nyl. and the epinotal spines are relatively longer but these features are too variable for certain discrimination between the species in all cases. Head Index: 85.6; Frons Index: 36.8; Frontal Lamina Index: 66.5. Length: 4.0-5.0 mm. (Collingwood 1979)

Distribution
South Europe to Central Scandinavia, Portugal to Urals (Collingwood 1979).

This taxon was described from Denmark. It is also found in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Biology
Collingwood (1979) - This is a robust species usually nesting in sun exposed sheltered sites, often in groups of small nests each containing up to a 1000 or more workers with a few queens. It is characteristically larger and more brightly coloured than the similar Myrmica scabrinodis and easy to distinguish in Scandinavia where the scape development is relatively massive equivalent to the form described as var. lonae Finzi. Nests are usually located under stones but unlike M. scabrinodis seldom or never in tree stumps or in boggy land.

Nomenclature

 *  sabuleti. Myrmica sabuleti Meinert, 1861: 327 (w.m.) DENMARK. Emery, 1908a: 176 (q.); Hauschteck, 1965: 325 (k.); Donisthorpe, 1915b: 258 (gynandromorph). Junior synonym of lobicornis: Dalla Torre, 1893: 111. Subspecies of scabrinodis: Emery, 1908a: 176; Bondroit, 1910: 495; Emery, 1916b: 120; Menozzi, 1922b: 325; Finzi, 1924a: 12; Finzi, 1926: 101; Menozzi, 1936d: 270. Status as species: Bondroit, 1918: 102; Santschi, 1931b: 345; Karavaiev, 1934: 80; Stitz, 1939: 94; Weber, 1939b: 144; Holgersen, 1940: 184; Novak & Sadil, 1941: 79; Bernard, 1967: 117; Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 31; Kutter, 1977c: 68; Arnol'di & Dlussky, 1978: 534; Collingwood, 1979: 54; Seifert, 1988b: 31; Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 97. Senior synonym of scabrinodolobicornis: Radchenko, 1994e: 80. See also: Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 250.
 * scabrinodolobicornis. Myrmica rubra var. scabrinodolobicornis Forel, 1874: 77 (w.q.m.) SWITZERLAND. Subspecies of scabrinodis: Emery, 1921f: 40; of sabuleti: Weber, 1948a: 296. Junior synonym of lonae: Sadil, 1952: 249; of sabuleti: Radchenko, 1994e: 80.