Cardiocondyla ulianini

Seifert (2023) notes that habitats occupied by this species in E Dagestan, Kyrghistan and Kazakhstan were in three cases sandy river terraces with very sparse dry steppe vegetation and once a flat, salty and periodically inundated loess soil at a lake margin. Nests had one or two simple entrance holes. Two excavated nests contained two and four fully sclerotized ergatoid males with shear-shaped mandibles. The presence of more than one adult male in these nests and the fact that only one of these six males showed an injury (an amputated tibia) indicates that males of Cardiocondyla ulianini tend to coexist and avoid fighting at least in adult stage. Alate gynes were observed in SE Kazakhstan 7 August 2001. Marikovsky & Yakushkin (1974) described the biology of supposedly Cardiocondyla ulianini from SE Kazakhstan. However, a possible confusion with sympatric Cardiocondyla littoralis or Cardiocondyla caspiense makes the interpretation of their findings difficult.

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. Cardiocondyla ulianini is a characteristic species that differs from the related species Cardiocondyla elegans, Cardiocondyla bulgarica, Cardiocondyla persiana, and Cardiocondyla sahlbergi in both workers and gynes by a much narrower petiole, a much lower SPBA/CS, and smaller vertex foveolae with wider and more shining interspaces. The lower PoOc/CL is an additional difference to C. sahlbergi, C. bulgarica, and C. persiana, the shorter scape and PLG provide further separation from C. elegans. For differences to Cardiocondyla gallilaeica and Cardiocondyla israelica see under those species.

Seifert (2023) - Medium-sized, CS 522 µm. Head moderately elongated, CL/CW 1.149. Postocular distance rather low, PoOc/CL 0.411. Scape moderately long, SL/CS 0.810. Eye rather large, EYE/CS 0.251. Occipital margin suggestively concave. Frons rather broad (FRS/CS 0.257), frontal carinae slightly converging immediately caudal of FRS level (FL/FR 1.060). Dorsal profile of promesonotum and of propodeum convex with a well-developed metanotal depression (Mgr/CS 3.44 %). Propodeal spines rather short, more triangular than spiny, SP/CS 0.120), their axis in profile deviating by about 45° from longitudinal axis of mesosoma, their bases approached (SPBA/CS 0.236). Petiole rather narrower and much higher than wide (PeW/CS 0.290, PeH/CS 0.336), its node in dorsal aspect slightly longer than wide; in profile with a moderately long peduncle that is about 1.25fold as long as high and with a moderately steep anterior slope of the node (about 60° relative to ventral profile). Postpetiole twice as wide as high (PpW/CS 0.564, PpH/CS 0.279), in dorsal view heard-shaped, with a concave anterior margin and convex sides; postpetiolar sternite with the anteromedian portion significantly more bulging than its anteroparamedian portion; in lateral view this anteromedian bulge forms a small, obtusely-angled, rounded corner and changes into the helcium with a distinct angle. Clypeus smooth and shiny, with only suggested of microrugulae. vertex in overall impression shiny, completely without carinulae or microrugae, very weak and fine rugulae are restricted to frontal laminae and frontolateral head (genae). vertex with numerous foveolae the diameter of which is smaller than the width of the brilliantly shining interspaces (dFOv 13.8), the interspaces with scattered very fine stickman-like fragments of a microreticulum; outer margin of foveolae shallow, not very clearly demarcated and internal foveolar surface often with longitudinal carinulae (Fig. 25). Dorsal promesonotum and propodeum glabrous. Promesonotum with scattered and shallow foveolae of 10–12 µm diameter. Lateral meso- and metapleurae rather shiny and delicately longitudinally striate-reticulate, contrasting the glabrous parts of mesonotum and pronotum. Dorsum of waist glabrous except for a very delicate microreticulum. First gaster tergite glabrous. Pubescence on whole body rather short and dilute, PLg/CS 5.89 %, sqPDg 4.89. Color of head, mesosoma, and gaster varying from pale yellowish brown to blackish brown.

Cardiocondyla ulianini is a characteristic species that differs from members of the four species of the C. elegans group as well as from Cardiocondyla bulgarica, Cardiocondyla persiana, and Cardiocondyla sahlbergi by the structure of vertex foveolae and several morphometric differences (Tabs. 1 and 2). For differences to Cardiocondyla littoralis, Cardiocondyla caspiense, Cardiocondyla gallilaeica and Cardiocondyla israelica see these species.

Distribution
Seifert (2023) - Continuously distributed across the steppe and semidesert zone from the S Ukraine (32°E) eastwards to N Xinjang (88°E). The northern range border is demarcated by 46.5°N in the Ukraine and 46.7°N in E Kazakhstan and the southern border by 34°N in Afghanistan. The altitudinal range extends from 25 m below zero in the Caspian region to 1800 m in Afghanistan. A morphologically typical sample, centrally placed in the C. ulianini cluster by PCA considering the 16 standard characters, allegedly from Hofuf /Saudi Arabia (25.4°N, 49.6°E), appears extremely isolated. The most likely explanation is confusion of labels after side-by-side stereomicroscopic comparison of unmounted specimens belonging to different samples as it was a frequent investigation practice by Cedric Collingwood—the donor of several samples in the SMN görlitz collection. This putting of specimens in wrong tubes repeatedly lead to dramatic zoogeographic confusion: a male of the exclusively Himalayan Lasius crinitus was “transferred” by Collingwood to Spain, a worker of the exclusively Australasian Cardiocondyla paranuda to the Sahara desert (see Seifert et al. 2017) or a worker of Cardiocondyla bulgarica, restricted to the Balkans and Asia Minor, to inner Tunisia.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia. Palaearctic Region: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Turkey, Ukraine.

Biology
Seifert (2003) - Marikovsky & Yakushkin (1974) described the biology of Cardiocondyla ulianini from SE Kazakhstan. The narrow petiole and approached spine base visible in their figures of worker and gyne as well as the sites (lowland semidesert along the middle and lower river Ili) give a high probability for a correct determination. The similar Cardiocondyla littoralis is much rarer in this region and the sympatric Cardiocondyla sahlbergi as the next similar species has a distinctly larger petiole width and spine base distance and is not known from this region. Most probably a misidentification, however, was their “male-like ergatoid gyne” found in a nest of “C. ulianini” near the locality Nikolayevka in the premountain semidesert of the Zailijsky Alatau (Marikovsky & Yakushkin 1974). First of all, they apparently followed Forel's, Emery's and Bernard's tradition of misidentifying an ergatoid male as a gyne. Secondly, this ergatoid male, depicted side by side with an ergatoid male of C. ulianini, most probably belongs to another species. Because of the larger petiole width and spine base distance this male probably belongs to C. sahlhergi.

This is a desert species and, when ground water is very deep, the nest structure can be much more complex with the vertical duct crossing as much as 40 - 50 of such chambers one after the other down to a depth of 1 50 cm. This elaborate vertical structuring ensures direct access to ground water, it enables a free choice of narrow temperature optima during the extreme diurnal temperature changes in the desert, and it provides a protected hibernation during the cold Central Asian winter (Martkovsky & Yakushkin 1974).

My own studies of C. ulianini in Kyrghyztan and Kazakhstan confirmed the statements of Marikovsky & Yakushkin (1974) on habitats, behaviour, nest populations, and general biology with the exception that eclosion of alate gynes may occur already in the beginning of August. Colonies contain less then 500 workers and may have more than one queen. New nests can be formed by fission.

Nomenclature

 * . Cardiocondyla elegans var. ulianini Emery, 1889a: 441 (w.) UZBEKISTAN?
 * Type-material: lectotype worker (by designation of Seifert, 2003a: 229), 2 paralectotype workers).
 * Type-locality: “Turkestan”: (no further data) (Fedtschenko); paralectotypes with same data.
 * [Note: Radchenko, 2016: 235, implies that the type-locality is Uzbekistan.]
 * Type-depositories: MSNG (lectotype); MHNG, MSNG (paralectotypes).
 * [Misspelled as uljanini by Dalla Torre, 1893: 70, Ruzsky, 1905b: 627, Emery, 1922e: 125, and others.]
 * Karavaiev, 1910b: 57 (q.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1953d: 188 (l.); Marikovsky & Yakushkin, 1974: 57 (w.q.m., ergatoids); Tarbinsky, 1976: 74 (m.).
 * Subspecies of elegans: Dalla Torre, 1893: 70; Ruzsky, 1903b: 313; Ruzsky, 1905b: 627; Emery, 1909a: 22; Karavaiev, 1910b: 56; Emery, 1922e: 125; Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1923: 254; Schkaff, 1925: 274; Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927d: 38; Pisarski, 1967: 388; Tarbinsky, 1976: 74 (redescription); Dlussky, 1981a: 17; Dlussky & Zabelin, 1985: 213.
 * Junior synonym of elegans: Dlussky, Soyunov & Zabelin, 1990: 194; Bolton, 1995b: 133; Radchenko, 1995b: 449.
 * Status as species: Marikovsky & Yakushkin, 1974: 57; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 56; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 276 (in key); Seifert, 2003a: 229 (redescription); Petrov, 2006: 99 (in key); Schultz, R. et al. 2006: 206; Borowiec, M.L. et al. 2009: 378; Guénard & Dunn, 2012: 41; Borowiec, L. 2014: 49; Radchenko, 2016: 235.
 * Senior synonym of schkaffi: Radchenko, 2016: 235.
 * Distribution: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.
 * schkaffi. Cardiocondyla elegans subsp. schkaffi Alpatov & Arnol’di, 1928: 724 (w.q.) UKRAINE.
 * [Note: reference not seen; data obtained from Karavaiev, 1934: 114, Karavaiev, 1937: 172, Radchenko, 2016: 235.]
 * Subspecies of elegans: Arnol'di, 1933b: 599; Karavaiev, 1934: 114 (redescription); Karavaiev, 1937: 172; Arnol’di & Dlussky, 1978: 538 (in key); Bolton, 1995b: 133.
 * Junior synonym of elegans: Radchenko, 1995b: 449.
 * Junior synonym of ulianini: Radchenko, 2016: 235.

Type Material
Seifert (2003) - Lectotype worker (by present designation) and paralectotype worker,, labelled “Turkestan Fedtschenko, mus. Moscou” and “Cardiocondyla elegans var. ulianini Em.”. 1 paralectotype worker (des. by Forel as “Cotype”),, labelled “Cardiocondyla elegans var. ulianini Em., Turkestan”.

Seifert (2023) - This taxon has been described from material of the Fedchenko Expedition to “Turkestan”. The geographic position of the type locality is unknown and should be somewhere in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan or Tajikistan. Investigated were lectotype and paralectotype worker from MCSN genova, labelled “Turkestan Fedtschenko, mus. Moscou” and “Cardiocondyla elegans var. ulianini Em.” and one worker from MHN genève, designated by Forel as “Cotype” and labelled “Cardiocondyla elegans var. ulianini Em., Turkestan”.

Worker
Seifert (2003) - Head of medium length (CL/CW 1.149), occipital margin slightly excavated. Postocular distance larger (PoOc/CL 0.410) and scape shorter (SLICS 0.809) than in Cardiocondyla elegans. Clypeus smooth and shining, only with suggestion of microrugae. Very weak and fine rugulae restricted to frontal lobes and frontolateral area of head (genae). Vertex completely without carinulae or microrugae, in overall impression much more shining than in C. elegans, and with smaller foveolae, whose diameter is smaller than width of brilliantly shining interspaces (dFOV 13.8); internal foveolar surface finely microcorrugated and never bicoronate. Frontal carinae weakly converging immediately caudal of the FRS level. Dorsal promesonotum and propodeum glabrous. Promesonotum with scattered and shallow foveolae of 10 - 12 mm diameter. Outer spine base distance much lower than in other species (SPBA/CS 0.236). Petiole narrow (PEW/CW 0.292), its node in dorsal aspect slightly longer than wide. Postpetiole almost twice as wide as petiole and low (PEW/PPW 0.517, PPH/CS 0.279). Postpetiolar sternite with anteromedian portion significantly more bulging than anteroparamedian portion; in lateral view this anteromedian bulge forming small, obtusely-angled, rounded corner and changing into helcium with distinct angle. Colour of head, mesosoma, and gaster varying from pale yellowish brown to blackish brown.

Queen
Seifert (2003) - Head of medium length, CL/CW 1.158, occipital margin straight or very weakly concave. Postocular distance smaller than in other species of the C. bulgarica group, PoOc/CL 0.398. Scape much shorter than in Cardiocondyla elegans, SLiCS 0.764. Vertex with shallow, but well demarcated foveolae, foveolar interspaces brilliantly shining, almost without microstructures, and about as wide or slightly wider than foveolar diameter. Vertex and clypeus almost without longitudinal microsculpture except for very weak longitudinal carinulae posterior of and on frontal lobes. Dorsal mesonotum and scutellum with foveolae of 8 – 11 mm diameter and shining interspaces, which are much wider than foveolar diameter. Spines rather long (SP/CS 0.205), their axes diverging in dorsofrontal view by 70° and their bases rather closely-set (SPBA/CS 0.318). Metapleurae with very weak longitudinal rugosity. Petiole narrower than in related species, its node in dorsal view little wider than long and brilliantly shining. Postpetiole node more than twice as wide as median length, with strongly concave anterodorsal margin, its sternite with conspicuous anteromedian corner. Rather concolourous medium brown with yellowish-reddish tinge. Two distinct morphs, microsomatic-brachypterous and macrosomatic-macropterous gynes, differ significantly in mesosoma dimensions and wing size but are equal in any other measurement.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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 * Pashaei Rad S., B. Taylor, R. Torabi, E. Aram, G. Abolfathi, R. Afshari, F. Borjali, M. Ghatei, F. Hediary, F. Jazini, V. Heidary Kiah, Z. Mahmoudi, F. Safariyan, and M. Seiri. 2018. Further records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Iran. Zoology in the Middle East 64(2): 145-159.
 * Pisarski B. 1967. Fourmis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) d'Afghanistan récoltées par M. Dr. K. Lindberg. Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 24: 375-425.
 * Seifert B. 2003. The ant genus Cardiocondyla (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) - a taxonomic revision of the C. elegans, C. bulgarica, C. batesii, C. nuda, C. shuckardi, C. stambuloffii, C. wroughtonii, C. emeryi, and C. minutior species groups. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien. B, Botanik, Zoologie 104: 203-338.