Temnothorax unifasciatus

Identification
Yellowish with the head often brown and the gaster characteristically having a dark band across the first gaster segment. The propodeal spines are short but strong and distinct. The outline of the alitrunk is more flattened than in L. interruptus and the petiole node in the worker has a distinct dorsal truncate area which meets the anterior face at a clearly defined angle. Length: 2.8-3.5 mm (Collingwood 1979).

Distribution
An abundant species throughout Central and South Europe from Spain, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Switzerland to the Caucasus and from South Italy to North Germany and the Netherlands (Collingwood 1979).

This taxon was described from France.

Biology
Collingwood (1979) - This widely distributed and common species is rather similar to Temnothorax tuberum but is slightly larger and in the female castes easily distinguished by the banded gaster. It nests among rocks and under stones but also frequently occurs under bark. Individual colonies are usually more populous than the other North European Leptothorax species with workers numbering 200 or more. Alatae are found in July and August.

Nomenclature

 *  unifasciatus. Formica unifasciata Latreille, 1798: 47 (w.q.m.) FRANCE. Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1955b: 25 (l.). Combination in Manica: Jurine, 1807: 279; in Leptothorax: Mayr, 1855: 444; in Temnothorax: Bolton, 2003: 272. Subspecies of tuberum: Forel, 1874: 85; Emery & Forel, 1879: 459; André, 1883a: 299; Forel, 1890a: lxxv; Emery, 1891b: 5; Bondroit, 1910: 497; Emery, 1916b: 175; Finzi, 1924a: 13; Menozzi, 1925d: 28; Karavaiev, 1926c: 163. Status as species: Saunders, E. 1880: 220; Nasonov, 1889: 32; Dalla Torre, 1893: 129; Ruzsky, 1902d: 21; Bondroit, 1912: 351; Bondroit, 1918: 131; Müller, 1923: 91; Finzi, 1928b: 130; Finzi, 1930d: 314; Finzi, 1933: 164; Boven, 1947: 179; Bernard, 1967: 211; Kutter, 1977c: 134; Collingwood, 1979: 76; Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 144. Senior synonym of anoplogynus: Emery, 1916b: 175; of unifasciatointerruptus Kutter, 1977c: 14; of cordieri and material of the unavailable name paolii referred here: Casevitz-Weulersse, 1990b: 417; of brauneri Karavaiev, kirillovi, salina, ucrainicus: Radchenko, 1995c: 15; of volubilis: Cagniant & Espadaler, 1997: 274. Current subspecies: nominal plus obenbergeri, rougeti, staegeri, unifasciatonigriceps.
 * anoplogynus. Leptothorax anoplogynus Emery, 1869b: 15 (w.q.) ITALY. Subspecies of tuberum: André, 1883a: 300; of unifasciatus: Ruzsky, 1902d: 22. Junior synonym of unifasciatus: Emery, 1916b: 175.
 * unifasciatointerruptus. Leptothorax tuberum var. unifasciatointerruptus Forel, 1874: 86 (m.) SWITZERLAND. Subspecies of unifasciatus: Bondroit, 1918: 131. Junior synonym of unifasciatus: Kutter, 1977c: 14.
 * kirillovi. Leptothorax tuberum subsp. kirillovi Ruzsky, 1905b: 591, fig. 140 (w.) KAZAKHSTAN. Junior synonym of unifasciatus: Radchenko, 1995c: 15.
 * volubilis. Leptothorax volubilis Santschi, 1929e: 155, fig. 5 (w.q.) MOROCCO. Junior synonym of unifasciatus: Cagniant & Espadaler, 1997: 274.
 * brauneri. Leptothorax (Leptothorax) tuberum var. brauneri Karavaiev, 1937: 172, fig. 2 (w.) RUSSIA. [Junior primary homonym of brauneri Ruzsky, above.] Replacement name: brauniella Radchenko, 1995c: 15.
 * salina. Leptothorax tuberum var. salina Karavaiev, 1937: 174, fig. 2 (w.) UKRAINE. Junior synonym of unifasciatus: Radchenko, 1995c: 15.
 * ucrainicus. Leptothorax unifasciatus subsp. ucrainicus Arnol'di, 1977a: 204 (w.) UKRAINE. Junior synonym of unifasciatus: Radchenko, 1995c: 15.
 * brauniella. Leptothorax tuberum brauniella Radchenko, 1995c: 15. Replacement name for brauneri Karavaiev, above. [Junior primary homonym of brauneri Ruzsky, 1905b: 603.] Junior synonym of of unifasciatus: Radchenko, 1995c: 15.

Description
Plateaux, L. & Cagniant, H. 2012: 436: We conclude from all these observations that Leptothorax tuberum unifasciatointerruptus is a hybrid of Temnothorax unifasciatus and Temnothorax albipennis. Hybridization works in both directions, parents may be alternately of the two species, and males are from the parthenogenetic egg of the queen mother. Note that both species exist also in places (especially in Luberon and Ventoux) where the where the form was found. We therefore ask: T. albipennis x T. unifasciatus = L. tuberum unifasciatointerruptus Forel.

Additional References

 * Plateaux, L. & Cagniant, H. 2012. Quelques synonymies dans le genre Temnothorax Mayr, 1855 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France 117 (4), 427-440.