Temnothorax aeolius ( Forel, 1911 )

Salata, Sebastian, Demetriou, Jakovos, Georgiadis, Christos & Borowiec, Lech, 2024, The genus Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Cyprus, Zootaxa 5434 (1), pp. 1-69 : 32-35

Temnothorax aeolius ( Forel, 1911) ( Figs 26–28 , 63 )

Leptothorax bulgaricus subsp. aeolius Forel, 1911 : ( Türkiye, Coccarinali and Cordelio near Smyrna [now Izmir]).

Material examined. Akrotiri UK SBA, Akrotiri Marsh , 34.63282 / 32.934037, - 1 m, 20 IV 2022, 3w (pin), leg. L. Borowiec, J. Demetriou, C. Georgiadis & S. Salata ( MNHW) ; Larnaka , Larnaka Salt Lake, 34.91047 / 33.60489, 4 m, 22 IV 2022, 1w (pin), leg. J. Demetriou & C. Georgiadis ( MNHW) ; Nicosia , Athalassa Park (west), 35.1258 / 33.38463, 140 m, 21 IV 2022, 8w (pin), leg. J. Demetriou & C. Georgiadis ( MNHW) .

Comparative note. Temnothorax aeolius is a member of the recently revised T. graecus group (Salata et al. 2023), which is speciose in the Balkan area and is represented in Cyprus by four species. Temnothorax aeolius differs from other Cypriot members of this group in darkened antennal club (partly brown to black), and in globular petiolar node without lateral carinae. Other species have usually not darkened antennal clubs in the same color as the funiculus or only slightly darker yellow than the basal segments of the funiculus. Among Cypriot species of Temnothorax only T. cypridis has a similarly darkened antennal club, but differs in reduced to a very small, triangular tubercle propodeal spine with mean PSLI 0.225 (in T. aeolius propodeal spine is short but well-marked with mean PSLI 0.266). Temnothorax akrotiriensis has a similarly narrow dark band on the first gastral tergite but differs in a uniformly yellow antennal club, not or only indistinctly darkened gena, and not as regularly globular as in T. aeolius petiolar node. Similarly colored T. bulgaricus , a common species of T. bulgaricus group widely distributed in the Balkans and western Türkiye has longer setae on mesosoma, predominantly longer than the eye diameter (in T. aeolius only 0.7 × as long as eye diameter), slightly longer petiole with mean PI 1.505 (in T. aeolius only 1.481), shorter propodeal spines with mean PSL/HW 0.225 (in T. aeolius only 0.266), and less globular petiolar node with usually well-marked lateral carinae.

Description. Worker (n = 10): HL: 0.563 –0.683 (0.624); HW: 0.446 –0.552 (0.512); SL: 0.389 –0.476 (0.446); EL: 0.132 –0.151 (0.142); EW: 0.093 –0.111 (0.103); PNW: 0.314 –0.407 (0.366); WL: 0.635 –0.798 (0.738); PEL: 0.254 –0.317 (0.289); PEH: 0.175 –0.213 (0.195); PPL: 0.182 –0.206 (0.193); PPW: 0.190 –0.246 (0.222); PSL: 0.111 –0.165 (0.136); CI: 1.176 –1.262 (1.221); EI1: 1.282 –1.464 (1.381); EI2: 0.213 –0.242 (0.229); SI1: 0.845 – 0.888 (0.872); SI2: 0.691 –0.742 (0.714); MI: 1.960 –2.089 (2.020); PI: 1.386 –1.601 (1.481); PPI: 1.016 –1.291 (1.154); PSLI: 0.243 –0.302 (0.266).

Color. Body predominantly yellow, only gena darkened, yellowish-brown to brown, first gastral tergite apically with narrow yellowish-brown to brown occupying less than ⅕ of length of the tergite, antennal club partly brown to black with segments 10 and 11 usually yellow basally and brown apically and last segment predominantly or completely brown to black band except yellow basal spot and posterior margin. In some specimens frontal part of head partly ochraceous yellow, slightly darker than pale yellow mesosoma. Legs uniformly yellow, femora never infuscate in the middle ( Figs 26, 27 ). Head. Slightly elongate, 1.18–1.26 × as long as wide, sides almost parallel or softly converging behind eyes, occipital corners regularly rounded, occipital margin of head straight ( Fig. 28 ). Anterior margin of clypeus softly convex, without central angulation, with 4–6 short setae, medial notch absent. Eyes moderate, short oval, 1.3–1.4 × as long as wide, 0.23 × as long as head length. Antennal scape long, in lateral view slightly curved, approximately 0.9 × as long as width of the head, in apex gradually widened with well-marked preapical constriction, its base with angulate dorsal and softly marked ventral angle. Funiculus distinctly longer than scape, first segment 2.3 × as long as wide at apex, 3.9 × longer than second segment, segments 2–7 transverse, club large, 1.26 × as long as segments 1–8 combined, last segment of club elongate, 1.4 × as long as segments 8 and 9 combined ( Fig. 28 ). Surface of scape with distinct microreticulation, shiny, covered with thin, moderate dense, predominantly appressed and inly apically decumbent hairs. Mandibles with thick sparse, longitudinal striae, shiny, covered with moderately long appressed to subdecumbent hairs. Clypeus with median keel and one to two keels on each side, interspaces smooth and shiny. Frons moderately broad, approximately 0.38 × as wide as head width. Frontal carinae short, slightly extending beyond frontal lobes. Antennal fossa deep, margined with sharp circular striae with distinctly microreticulate interspaces. Frontal lobes narrow, placed only slightly upwards ( Fig. 28 ). Gena with sharp irregular rugae, malar area and frons laterally with sharp longitudinal rugae, postocular area and occipital corners with strong microreticulation, without or with fine striation, central part of frons, vertex and occipitum with strong microreticulation and variable, more or less visible fine longitudinal striation, frons centrally without or with very narrow smooth and shiny line, without setose punctation. Surface of head without appressed pubescence, frons, vertex and occipital area with erect, pale, moderately long and thick setae, the longest on occipitum 0.61 × as long as eye width ( Fig. 28 ). Mesosoma. Elongate, approximately twice as long as wide, slightly arched in anterior third, flat in posterior ⅔ length, without metanotal groove or impression. Pronotum convex on sides. Anterior slope of pronotum microgranulate, dorsum with fine longitudinal rugae, in anterolateral corners also with oblique to transverse rugae with microreticulate interspaces, appears slightly irregular. Sides of pronotum and dorsum and sides of mesonotum with sharp longitudinal rugae and strongly microreticulate interspaces, surface appears irregular. Dorsum of propodeum centrally microreticulate with irregular to longitudinal rugae, posterior face microreticulate with transverse rugae, sides with sharp longitudinal rugae, especially on metapleural lobe, surface strongly microreticulate appears irregular. Propodeal spines very short, mean PSL/HW 0.27, in form of triangular to slightly elongate spine with broad base, running obliquely upwards, sharply acute apically ( Fig. 27 ). Entire mesosoma bearing erect, yellow, moderately long setae, the longest on pronotum 0.7 × as long as eye diameter ( Fig. 27 ). Petiole. Moderately elongate, mean PEL/PEH 1.485, anterior face straight or very shallowly concave, ventral margin anteriorly with sharp spine, node in lateral view regularly rounded, appears globular, without lateral carinae but dorsum and sides with short irregular rugae, whole surface microreticulate, appears slightly dull. Postpetiole. In dorsal view 1.1–1.2 × as long as wide, approximately 1.35 × as wide as petiole, surface microreticulate with short longitudinal striae, appears slightly dull. Dorsal surface of petiole and postpetiole with long erect setae, as long as the longest setae on pronotum ( Fig. 27 ). Gaster. Smooth and shiny, bearing erect, thin, pale setae, with short erect setae, 0.8 × as long as the longest setae on pronotum ( Fig. 27 ). Legs. Moderately elongate, femora swollen in the middle, tibiae widened from base to ¾ length, surface of legs diffusely microreticulate, covered with extremely sparse, appressed hairs, appears smooth and shiny.

Biological note. Few workers were shaken off into the entomological umbrella from Mediterranean bush growing on pasture at the marsh and from reeds close to a dirt road. A short series of specimens were collected in an urban area, on the trunk of an Eucalyptus tree next to a parking lot. Nests could not be found.

Figures

FIGURE 28. Worker head of Temnothorax aeolius (Forel) (scale bar = 0.5 mm).

FIGURE 63. Distribution in Cyprus Temnothorax hippomenesi n. sp. (upper map) and T. aeolius (Forel) (bottom map)

FIGURES 26, 27. Worker of Temnothorax aeolius (Forel) (specimen from Akrotiri Marsh) 26 dorsal 27 lateral (scale bar = 1 mm).