Temnothorax alinae (RADCHENKO, 1994)

Radchenko, A., 2004, A Review Of The Ant Genera Leptothorax Mayr And Temnothorax Mayr (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) Of The Eastern Palaearctic, Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 50 (2), pp. 109-137 : 120

Temnothorax alinae (RADCHENKO, 1994)

( Figs 22, 23 )

Leptothorax alinae RADCHENKO, 1994 a: 31 , workers, Russia, Primorsky Region, Ussuriysky Distr.,

Shufanskoye plateau; 1994 b: 153; 1995 b: 21; BOLTON, 1995: 235. Temnothorax alinae : BOLTON, 2003: 271. Myrmoxenus gordiagini RUZSKY : KUPYANSKAYA, 1990: 145 (misidentification), nec RUZSKY,

1902 et auct.

Material examined: 6 workers (holotype and paratypes), “ Primorsky Region, Ussuriysky

Distr., Shufanskoye plateau, Larix forest, 8.vi.1973, leg. A. KUPYANSKAYA ” ( ZMMU, BPI, IZK) .

Distribution. Known from the type locality only.

Ecology. T. alinae was found in a nest of L. acervorum in a Larix forest. It may be a social parasite of the latter species, but this question needs additional investigations.

Notes. Superficially T. alinae is similar to the species of the genus Leptothorax , particularly to L. muscorum (NYLANDER) and L. scamni RUZSKY, 1905 , but well differs from them by its 12-segmented antennae. A comparison of T. alinae with T. cuneinodis is given above.

This species was dedicated to Alina KUPYANSKAYA, a well-known Russian myrmecologist.

Figures

Figs 16–23. Details of structure of Temnothorax michali (holotype, worker, 16–18; paratype queen, 19–21) and T. alinae (paratype, worker, 22, 23). (16, 19, 22) Head, dorsal view; (17, 20, 23) alitrunk