Temnothorax dessyi

In Greece is a very distinct undescribed species probably belonging to the Temnothorax angustulus species group. The closest species at first glance is Temnothorax dessyi, known from the Dodecanese and eastern Peloponnese. This undescribed species is known from Mediterranean coniferous forests. It nests under moss on stones or in rock crevices (Salata & Borowiec, 2018; Borowiec et al., 2022).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Greece, Turkey.

Nomenclature

 *  dessyi. Leptothorax (Leptothorax) dessyi Menozzi, 1936d: 289, fig. 13 (w.) GREECE. Combination in Temnothorax: Bolton, 2003: 271.

Queen
Salata and Borowiec (2018) - (n=2): HL: 0.88, 0.82; HW: 0.82, 0.74; SL: 0.49, 0.5; EL: 0.25, 0.23; EW: 0.16, 0.19; ML: 1.41, 1.34; PSL: 0.22, 0.2; SDL: 0.17, 0.16; PEL: 0.38, 0.37; PPL: 0.23, 0.23; PEH: 0.36, 0.3; PPH: 0.36, 0.3; PNW: 0.85, 0.79; PEW: 0.25, 0.23; PPW: 0.33, 0.3; HI: 93.5, 91.0; SI1: 54.9, 61.0; SI2: 58.7, 67.0; MI: 60.5, 58.5; EI1: 66.7, 82.1; EI2: 18.5, 23.0; PI: 104.5, 125.0; PPI: 63.6, 75.7.

Colour. Whole body dark brown. Antennae and posterior part of malar area brighter. Head. Trapezoid, lateral surfaces below eyes straight, gently rounded on the posterior edges, occipital margin of head straight. Anterior margin of the clypeus gradually convex. Eyes big, oval, 0.3 times as long as length of the head. Antennal scape short, slightly curved, 0.6 times as long as length of the head, not reaching occipital margin of head, in apex gradually widened, its base without teeth. Pedicel more than 2 times longer than wide; average 1.2 times longer than second segment of funiculus. Other funicular segments more than 1 ½ times longer than wide. Surface of scape with very fine and sparse microreticulation; covered with thin, moderate dense, decumbent to suberect setae, shorter than 1/3 of scape width. Mandibles oval, with sparse, longitudinal striae, shiny. Clypeus shiny with a thick, longitudinal striae, area between striae smooth, shiny. Frontal carinae short, slightly extending across the fronts of the antennal fossae. Antennal fossa deep, with sparse roundly curved striae, area between striation with microreticulation and shiny. Frontal lobes narrow, smooth with thick longitudinal striae. Lateral sides of frons with longitudinal reticulation, its interior part with longitudinal striation; smooth in the centre; area between striation and reticulation with microreticulation; genae and malar area with reticulation, area between reticulation with microreticulation, shiny; temple and vertex with sparser and partly reduced longitudinal striation and reticulation, are between striae with microreticulation. Entire head bearing thin, adpressed setae; frons and occipital margin with additional thick, erect setae. Mesosoma. Short and low, square, 1.6 times as long as head; in lateral view its dorsum slightly convex; propodeal spines reduced, triangular, short, with wide base, with blunt apex; dorsal surface of propodeum inclined towards its posterior surface. Pronotum with longitudinal, horizontal, weak but dense striation and reticulation, area between rugae with microreticulation, shiny. Scutum with longitudinal striation, reduced or absent on lateral sides; scutellum and axilla smooth and shiny; with sparse longitudinal striation on lateral sides; propodeum shiny, with sparse, thick reticulation on dorsum and weaker and denser sculpture on lateral sides. Anepisternum and katepisternum shiny with horizontal striation and reticulation, smooth on lateral edges. Mesosoma dorsum with sparse, thick, erect setae. Petiole. Peduncle short, node low and narrow, with anterior and posterior faces straight, its dorsal surface narrow and convex. On the whole surface covered by dense reticulation and long, thick erect setae. Postpetiole. In lateral view, regularly rounded, 0.7 times as long as wide, apical half with gently rounded sides. On the whole surface covered by dense reticulation and long, thick erect setae. Gaster. Smooth and shiny, bearing sparse, long, suberect to erect, pale setae.

Type Material
Types studied by Salata et al. (2018): Temnothorax dessyi: Syntype (w.): [Leptothorax | Dessyi | Typus! Menoz. | Menozzi dater. || Dlimbo | Scapranto | 24.IV.1934 | C. Menozzi] (DSAB).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
 * Borowiec L., and S. Salata. 2012. Ants of Greece - Checklist, comments and new faunistic data (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus 23(4): 461-563.
 * Borowiec L., and S. Salata. 2017. Ants of the Peloponnese, Greece (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Polish Journal of Entomology 86: 193-236.
 * Czechowski W., A. Radchenko, W. Czechowska and K. Vepsäläinen. 2012. The ants of Poland with reference to the myrmecofauna of Europe. Fauna Poloniae 4. Warsaw: Natura Optima Dux Foundation, 1-496 pp
 * Kiran K., and C. Karaman. 2012. First annotated checklist of the ant fauna of Turkey (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 3548: 1-38.
 * Kiran K., and V. Aksoy. 2011. Ant fauna of Sultan Mountains, Turkey (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). p. 22. In: 4th Central European Workshop of Myrmecology, CEWM, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
 * Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2018. Taxonomic and faunistic notes on Greek ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom Entomology 27: 1-51.