Messor varrialei

This species is known only from the western Turkey and Dodecanese islands (Karpathos and Rhodes), as well as Iran. Lowland species, nests were observed in clay wastelands, ruderal places inside tourist resorts and pastures (Salata & Borowiec, 2019). Pashaei Rad et al. (2018) found this species in Iran on parkland ground in a moderate rainfall area.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Iran, North Macedonia, Turkey.

Nomenclature

 * . Messor barbarus subsp. varrialei Emery, 1921b: 215, fig. 6 (s.) TURKEY.
 * Type-material: holotype worker.
 * Type-locality: Turkey: Anatolia, Budrum, 29.ix.1918 (R. Varriale).
 * Type-depository: MSNG.
 * Subspecies of barbarus: Emery, 1922c: 97; Santschi, 1926f: 290; Finzi, 1939c: 154.
 * Junior synonym of structor: Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 114; Bolton, 1995b: 258; Legakis, 2011: 11; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 20.
 * Status as species: Steiner, Csösz, et al. 2018: supplementary material, 7; Salata & Borowiec, 2019a: 65.
 * Senior synonym of aegaeus: Steiner, Csösz, et al. 2018: supplementary material, 7.
 * Distribution: Greece, Turkey
 * aegaeus. Messor structor var. aegaeus Santschi, 1926f: 286.
 * Type-material: syntype workers, syntype queens, syntype males (numbers not stated).
 * Type-localities: Turkey: Anatolia (R.Varriale), Greece: Egeo I. (R. Varriale?).
 * [Note: Emery, 1921b: 214, comments that he had also seen specimens from Budrum and Isole dei Principi, Sea of Marmara (Turkey), and Rhodes and Crete (Greece).]
 * Type-depository: MSNG.
 * [First available use of Messor barbarus subsp. structor var. aegaea Emery, 1921b: 213, fig. 5 (w.q.m.) TURKEY, GREECE; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name.]
 * Subspecies of structor: Menozzi, 1928a: 126; Santschi, 1934d: 275; Menozzi, 1936d: 276; Finzi, 1939c: 155; Baroni Urbani, 1964a: 2; Aktaç, 1977: 120; Bolton, 1995b: 252; Legakis, 2011: 9; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 20.
 * Junior synonym of varrialei: Steiner, Csösz, et al. 2018: supplementary material, 7.

Taxonomic Notes
Salata & Borowiec (2019) (misidentification):
 * As Messor muticus: Borowiec and Salata, 2012: 514 (part).
 * As Messor orientalis: Borowiec and Salata, 2012: 515 (part).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Agosti, D. and C.A. Collingwood. 1987. A provisional list of the Balkan ants (Hym. Formicidae) and a key to the worker caste. I. Synonymic list. Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft, 60: 51-62
 * Aktaç, N.. "Studies on the myrmecofauna of Turkey I. Ants of Siirt, Bodrum and Trabzon." Istanbul Universitesi Fen Fakultesi Mecmuasi. Seri B 41 (1977): 115-135.
 * Aldawood AS, Sharaf MR (2011) Monomorium dryhimi sp. n., a new ant species (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of the M. monomorium group from Saudi Arabia, with a key to the Arabian Monomorium monomorium-group. ZooKeys 106: 4754. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.106.139
 * Baroni Urbani, C.. "Su alcune formiche raccolte in Turchia." Annuario dell'Istituto e Museo di Zoologia dell'Università di Napoli 16 (1964): 1-12.
 * Karaman M. G. 2009. An introduction to the ant fauna of Macedonia (Balkan Peninsula), a check list (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Natura Montenegrina 8(3): 151-162.
 * Kiran K., and C. Karaman. 2012. First annotated checklist of the ant fauna of Turkey (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 3548: 1-38.
 * Menozzi C. 1928. Note sulla mirmecofauna paleartica. Bollettino del Laboratorio di Zoologia Generale e Agraria della Reale Scuola Superiore d'Agricoltura. Portici. 21: 126-129.
 * Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2019. Preliminary contributions toward a revision of Greek Messor Forel, 1890 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Turkish Journal of Zoology 43: 52-67.
 * Santschi F. 1926. Travaux scientifiques de l'Armée d'Orient (1916-1918). Fourmis. Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle 32: 286-293.