Tapinoma nigerrimum

A west-Mediterranean ant, relatively common in the warmest areas. In Italy it occurs mostly in central and southern regions (Rigato & Toni, 2011).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Algeria, Balearic Islands, Belgium, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, Morocco, Spain, Turkey.

Biology
This ant was observed on larvae of Lampides boeticus that were feeding on Erophaca baetica in Sierra Morena, southern Spain. T. nigerrimum has also been associated with the butterflies  Tomares ballus and  Leptotes pirithous (Obregon et al. 2015).

Nomenclature

 *  nigerrima. Formica nigerrima Nylander, 1856b: 71 (w.) FRANCE. [Unresolved junior primary homonym of Formica nigerrima Christ, 1791: 513 (now in Lasius) (Bolton, 1995b: 401).] Emery, 1869b: 10 (q.m.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1951: 199 (l.). Combination in Tapinoma: Mayr, 1861: 41. Junior synonym of erraticum: Mayr, 1865: 62. Revived from synonymy as subspecies of erraticum: Emery & Forel, 1879: 454. Subspecies of erraticum: André, 1882b: 224; Forel, 1902a: 154; Forel, 1904b: 376; Ruzsky, 1905b: 478; Emery, 1916b: 215; Finzi, 1924a: 14; Kutter, 1928: 65. Status as species: Ruzsky, 1902d: 20; Bondroit, 1918: 89; Emery, 1925d: 46; Finzi, 1930d: 316; Santschi, 1931a: 10; Bernard, 1967: 258; Kutter, 1977c: 181. Senior synonym of magnum: Forel, 1876: 61; of ibericum: Collingwood, 1978: 71. Junior synonym of erraticum: Dlussky, Soyunov & Zabelin, 1990: 169; Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 192.]; Bolton, 1995b: 401. Revived from synonymy: Shattuck, 1994: 150; Casevitz-Weulersse & Galkowski, 2009: 478; Seifert, 2012a: 145.
 * ibericum. Tapinoma nigerrima var. ibericum Santschi, 1925g: 349 (m.) SPAIN. Junior synonym of nigerrimum: Collingwood, 1978: 71.
 * magnum. Tapinoma magnum Mayr, 1861: 41 (q.m.) ITALY. Junior synonym of nigerrimum: Forel, 1876: 61.