Messor mcarthuri Steiner et al., 2018

Lapeva-Gjonova, Albena & Borowiec, Lech, 2022, New and little-known ant species (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Bulgaria, Biodiversity Data Journal 10, pp. 83658-83658 : 83658

Messor mcarthuri Steiner et al., 2018

Distribution

New records: Southern Black Sea coast, Rezovo vill., 09.05.2009, 1 w., leg. ALG (Fig. 3 ); Strandzha Mt., Malko Tarnovo, Propada loc., 27.05.2009, 1 w., leg. ALG; East Rhodopes: Zornitsa vill., 19.04.2012, 5 w., leg. ALG; Meden buk vill., 09.04.2013, 8 w., leg. ALG; Gorni Glavanak vill., 01.05.2016, 6 w., leg. ALG; Sakar Mt., Matochina vill., 03.05.2019, 2 w., leg. ALG; Dervent Heights, Golyam Dervent vill., 06.06.2021, 12 w., leg. ALG (Fig. 4 ). Detailed occurrence data: Lapeva-Gjonova and Borowiec (2022).

Notes

First record for Bulgaria. This is a recently described member of the Messor structor species group ( Steiner et al. 2018), distributed in Greece and Turkey ( Kiran and Karaman 2020, Borowiec et al. 2021). Specimens from the vicinity of the Meden buk and Golyam Dervent villages have intermediate characteristics between M. mcarthuri and M. hellenius , which may indicate a possible hybridisation between these species (Fig. 4 ).

Figures

Figure 3. Messor mcarthuri, major lateral: specimen from Rezovo vill.; scale bar 1 mm.

Figure 4. Messor mcarthuri, major lateral: specimen from Golyam Dervent vill. with intermediate characters between M. mcarthuri and M. hellenius; scale bar 1 mm.