Aphaenogaster jolantae Borowiec & Salata, 2014

Salata, Sebastian & Borowiec, Lech, 2016, A new species of the Aphaenogaster cecconii group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Rhodes, Zootaxa 4170 (1), pp. 194-200 : 199

Aphaenogaster jolantae Borowiec & Salata, 2014

Aphaenogaster jolantae was described from only two localities in central Rhodes. A recent expedition to the island resulted in the discovery of this species in four new localities listed below:

25 workers: Kolymbia, Tsambika Hill, 157 m, 2015-05-03, 36,23902 N / 28,15942 E; 5 workers: Epta Piges, 99 m, 2015-05-04, 36,25459 N / 28,11378 E (the locality was 300 m from the type locality); 15 workers: n. Arhipoli loc. 2, 194 m, 2015-05-04, 36,26546 N / 28,06688 E; 3 workers: road to Prof. Ilias loc. 4, 589 m, 2015-05- 0 7, 36,27368 N / 27,95618 E.

In Tsambika Hill workers were collected on the damp wall of a shallow cave. The following ant species were recorded in the same area: Aphaenogatser sporadis Santschi, 1933 , Camponotus gestroi Emery, 1878 , Camponotus kiesenwetteri Roger, 1859 , Camponotus sanctus Forel, 1904 , Crematogster ionia Forel, 1911 , Lepisiota melas (Emery, 1915) , Messor orientalis (Emery, 1898) , Messor cf. structor , Pheidole cf. pallidula , Plagiolepis taurica Santschi, 1920 , Temnothorax cf. exilis, Tetramorium diomedeum Emery, 1908 and Trichomyrmex perplexus (Radchenko, 1997) . In Epta Piges workers were collected on the damp wall of a deep gorge. For other ant species recorded in this locality see data for Aphaenogaster charesi . In Arhipoli and Prof. Ilias workers were collected in crevices of rocks in a shady forest. In Arhipoli the following ant species were recorded in the same area: Camponotus baldaccii Emery, 1908 , Camponotus boghossiani Forel, 1911 , Camponotus kiesenwetteri Roger, 1859 , Camponotus lateralis (Olivier 1792) , Camponotus oertzeni Forel, 1889 , Camponotus samius Forel, 1889 , Crematogaster ionia Forel, 1911 , Lepisiota melas (Emery, 1915) , Pheidole cf. pallidula , Plagiolepis taurica Santschi, 1920 , Temnothorax cf. affinis , Temnothorax dessyi (Menozzi, 1936) and Temnothorax cf. luteus . In Prof. Ilias the following ant species were found: Aphaenogaster sporadis Santschi, 1933 , Camponotus aegaeus Emery, 1915 , Camponotus boghossiani Forel, 1911 , Camponotus kiesenwetteri Roger, 1859 , Camponotus lateralis (Olivier 1792) , Crematogster ionia Forel, 1911 , Lasius cf. alienus , Pheidole cf. pallidula , Plagiolepis taurica Santschi, 1920 , Temnothorax cf. exilis, Temnothorax cf. luteus and Tetramorium cf. semilaeve . All these new localities confirm that this species prefers shady and moist habitats.