Myrmica tibetana

Collected in subalpine meadows at altitudes over 3000 m.

Identification
Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - M. tibetana typifies the tibetana species group It has, like Myrmica tenuispina, frontal carinae that are strongly curved outwards in their anterior third, and wide, subsquare frontal lobes, but differs from the latter species by its short propodeal spines. We placed M. tibetana and M. tenuispina in the same group because the workers of both species have uniquely shaped frontal carinae and frontal lobes from among the Old World Myrmica species (Radchenko and Elmes 2001b). However the males of these two species have quite different length scapes, those of M. tibetana are distinctly longer than those of M. tenuispina (SI1 > 0.75 versus < 0.40, respectively).

Distribution
Tibet.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: Tibet. Palaearctic Region: Afghanistan, China.

Castes
Queens are unknown.

Nomenclature

 *  tibetana. Myrmica tibetana Mayr, 1889: 279 (w.) TIBET. Ruzsky, 1915a: 440 (m.). See also: Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 304.

Etymology
Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - named for Tibet, the region where the type material was collected.