Cardiocondyla sahlbergi

Pashaei Rad et al. (2018) found this species in Iran in a pitfall trap at edge of grassland in a moderate rainfall montane area.

Identification
Seifert (2003) - A member of the Cardiocondyla bulgarica group. The lectotype gyne of C. sahlbergi differs from the Cardiocondyla ulianini gyne by much stronger foveolae on head, mesosoma and waist, and much larger CL/CW, PoOc/CL, and PEW ICS (Tab. 15).

Distribution
Seifert (2003) - Cardiocondyla sahlbergi is so far not known from Europe. The known range extends from NW Asia Minor (29° E) east to Kazakhstan (77° E, Nikolayevka in the premountain semidesert of the Zailijsky Alatau) and from the Caucasus (43° N) south to Israel and Iran (29 ON). The very poor collecting activity in Egypt and Libya does not allow to conclude an isolated position of the sample from Tunisia (10° E, 33° N).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation, Tunisia, Turkey, Uzbekistan.

Nomenclature

 *  sahlbergi. Cardiocondyla elegans var. sahlbergi Forel, 1913d: 429 (q.) ISRAEL. Finzi, 1936: 166 (w.). Raised to species: Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 56. Junior synonym of bogdanovi: Radchenko, 1995b: 450. Revived from synonymy: Seifert, 2003a: 235.

Worker
Seifert (2003) - Head relatively long, CL/CW 1.189. Postocular distance large, PoOc/CL 0.446. Eyes of medium size, EYE 0.233 ± 0.006. Vertex with shallow, but well-demarcated, simple or bicoronate foveolae; interspaces usually narrower than foveolar diameter and glabrous, with only weak carinulae. Frontal lobes and area posterior of frontal lobes shining but weakly longitudinally carinulate-rugulose. Frontal carinae immediately posterior of FRS level frequently slightly converging sometimes parallel. Clypeus mainly smooth. Mesosoma in overall impression shining. Dorsal area of promesonotum foveolate, interspaces shining, wider than foveolar diameter, and with very weak cross-branched microcarinulae. Mesosoma laterally shining and with very weak microreticulum. Metapleurae with weak longitudinal rugosity. Postpetiolar sternite with weak anteromedian bulge. Head, mesosoma, and gaster usually concolorous dark brown; lighter-coloured specimens usually differing from Cardiocondyla bulgarica by dirty yellowish tinge and weak pigmentation contrast between dorsal head and mesosoma. PigCap/PigMes 1.081 ± 0.096 [1.00, 1.43].

Queen
Seifert (2003) - lectotype: CL 646, ML 866, MW 454, CL/CW 1.172, SL/CS 0.753, PoOc/CL 0.439, dFOV 17, FRS/CS 0.277, SPBA/CS 0.361, SP/CS 0.175, PEW/CS 0.518, PPW/CS 0.754, PEW/PPW 0.687, PEH/CS 0.468, PPH/CS 0.358, sqrtPDG 3.59, PLG/CS 10.36 %, PigCap 10, PigMes 10.

Head relatively long, CL/CW 1.172. Postocular index rather large, PoOc/CL 0.435. Vertex with well-demarcated, bicoronate foveolae of 17 - 18 mm diameter, interspaces smaller than foveolar diameter and shining, with weak cross-branched microstructures. Lateral and caudal area of clypeus, frontal lobes, and area posterior of frontal lobes longitudinally carinulate-rugulose. Mesonotum, praescutellum, and scutellum with well-developed foveolae of 18 - 20 mm diameter. Propodeum brilliantly shining. Lateral area of metapleuron longitudinally rugulose. Petiole with a caudomediodorsal corner. Postpetiole with conspicuous anteromedioventral corner, its anterior margin in dorsal view concave. 1st tergite pubescence in the type semierect (30 - 45°). Head, mesosoma, waist, and gaster rather concolourous medium brown.

Type Material
Cardiocondyla elegans var. sahlbergi Forel, 1913; Palestine and Caucasus [type investigated].

1 lectotype gyne labelled “C.elegans var. sahlbergi Forel, queen type, Caucase (Ruszky)” and on a second label “Aralokaspigebict”,. If both labels are true, the terra typical should be the eastern Caucasus (present Azerbaijdzan).

In his original description of Cardiocondyla sahlbergi, Forel explicitly referred only to a gyne from “Palestine (Sahlberg)” and a gyne from “Caucase (Ruzsky)”. The first specimen could not be discovered during a search in the collections of Forel in Lausanne, Geneve, and Basel but the latter gyne was found in the MHNG collection bearing the labelling “C.elegans var. sahlbergi Forel, type, Caucase (Ruszky)” and “Aralokaspigebiet”. It was fixed by present designation as the lectotype of Cardiocondyla sahlbergi. A series of three workers, mounted on another pin, and with equal labelling is not conspecific with the lectotype. These workers are indistinguishable from the lecto- and paralectotypes of Cardiocondyla ulianini. They cannot be considered as Syntypes of C. sahlbergi since the original description does not mention workers.