Cardiocondyla elegans var. ulianini Emery 1889

Seifert, Bernhard, 2023, A revision of the Palaearctic species of the ant genus Cardiocondyla Emery 1869 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Zootaxa 5274 (1), pp. 1-64 : 32-33

Cardiocondyla elegans var. ulianini Emery 1889 [type investigation]

This taxon has been described from material of the Fedchenko Expedition to “Turkestan”. The geographic position of the type locality is unknown and should be somewhere in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan or Tajikistan. Investigated were lectotype and paralectotype worker from MCSN Genova, labelled “Turkestan Fedtschenko, mus. Moscou” and “ Cardiocondyla elegans var. ulianini Em. ” and one worker from MHN Genève, designated by Forel as “Cotype” and labelled “ Cardiocondyla elegans var. ulianini Em., Turkestan ” .

All material examined. Numeric phenotypical data were available in 23 samples with 44 workers. For details see supplementary information SI1, SI2. This material originated from Afghanistan (3 samples) , Caucasus (3), China (1), Kazakhstan (8) , Kyrghistan (3), allegedly Saudi Arabia (1) and the Ukraine (3).

Geographic range. Continuously distributed across the steppe and semidesert zone from the S Ukraine (32°E) eastwards to N Xinjang (88°E). The northern range border is demarcated by 46.5°N in the Ukraine and 46.7°N in E Kazakhstan and the southern border by 34°N in Afghanistan. The altitudinal range extends from 25 m below zero in the Caspian region to 1800 m in Afghanistan. A morphologically typical sample, centrally placed in the C. ulianini cluster by PCA considering the 16 standard characters, allegedly from Hofuf / Saudi Arabia (25.4°N, 49.6°E), appears extremely isolated. The most likely explanation is confusion of labels after side-by-side stereomicroscopic comparison of unmounted specimens belonging to different samples as it was a frequent investigation practice by Cedric Collingwood—the donor of several samples in the SMN Görlitz collection.This putting of specimens in wrong tubes repeatedly lead to dramatic zoogeographic confusion: a male of the exclusively Himalayan Lasius crinitus was “transferred” by Collingwood to Spain, a worker of the exclusively Australasian Cardiocondyla paranuda Seifert 2003 to the Sahara desert (see Seifert et al. 2017) or a worker of Cardiocondyla bulgarica , restricted to the Balkans and Asia Minor, to inner Tunisia (see p. 37).

Diagnosis: --Worker ( Tab. 2 , Figs. 22–25 , key). Medium-sized, CS 522 µm. Head moderately elongated, CL/CW 1.149. Postocular distance rather low, PoOc/CL 0.411. Scape moderately long, SL/CS 0.810. Eye rather large, EYE/CS 0.251. Occipital margin suggestively concave. Frons rather broad (FRS/CS 0.257), frontal carinae slightly converging immediately caudal of FRS level (FL/FR 1.060). Dorsal profile of promesonotum and of propodeum convex with a well-developed metanotal depression (MGr/CS 3.44 %). Propodeal spines rather short, more triangular than spiny, SP/CS 0.120), their axis in profile deviating by about 45° from longitudinal axis of mesosoma, their bases approached (SPBA/CS 0.236). Petiole rather narrower and much higher than wide (PeW/CS 0.290, PeH/ CS 0.336), its node in dorsal aspect slightly longer than wide; in profile with a moderately long peduncle that is about 1.25fold as long as high and with a moderately steep anterior slope of the node (about 60° relative to ventral profile). Postpetiole twice as wide as high (PpW/CS 0.564, PpH/CS 0.279), in dorsal view heard-shaped, with a concave anterior margin and convex sides; postpetiolar sternite with the anteromedian portion significantly more bulging than its anteroparamedian portion; in lateral view this anteromedian bulge forms a small, obtusely-angled, rounded corner and changes into the helcium with a distinct angle. Clypeus smooth and shiny, with only suggested of microrugulae. Vertex in overall impression shiny, completely without carinulae or microrugae, very weak and fine rugulae are restricted to frontal laminae and frontolateral head (genae). Vertex with numerous foveolae the diameter of which is smaller than the width of the brilliantly shining interspaces (dFOV 13.8), the interspaces with scattered very fine stickman-like fragments of a microreticulum; outer margin of foveolae shallow, not very clearly demarcated and internal foveolar surface often with longitudinal carinulae ( Fig. 25 ). Dorsal promesonotum and propodeum glabrous. Promesonotum with scattered and shallow foveolae of 10–12 µm diameter. Lateral meso- and metapleurae rather shiny and delicately longitudinally striate-reticulate, contrasting the glabrous parts of mesonotum and pronotum. Dorsum of waist glabrous except for a very delicate microreticulum. First gaster tergite glabrous. Pubescence on whole body rather short and dilute, PLG/CS 5.89 %, sqPDG 4.89. Color of head, mesosoma, and gaster varying from pale yellowish brown to blackish brown.

Taxonomic comments and clustering results. Cardiocondyla ulianini is a characteristic species that differs from members of the four species of the C. elegans group as well as from C. bulgarica , C. persiana , and C. sahlbergi by the structure of vertex foveolae and several morphometric differences ( Tabs. 1 and 2 ). For differences to C. littoralis , C. caspiense n. sp., C. gallilaeica and C. israelica see these species.

Biology. Habitats observed in E Dagestan, Kyrghistan and Kazakhstan were in three cases sandy river terraces with very sparse dry steppe vegetation and once a flat, salty and periodically inundated loess soil at a lake margin. Nests had one or two simple entrance holes. Two excavated nests contained two and four fully sclerotized ergatoid males with shear-shaped mandibles. The presence of more than one adult male in these nests and the fact that only one of these six males showed an injury (an amputated tibia) indicates that males of Cardiocondyla ulianini tend to coexist and avoid fighting at least in adult stage. Alate gynes were observed in SE Kazakhstan 7 August 2001. Marikovsky & Yakushkin (1974) described the biology of supposedly Cardiocondyla ulianini from SE Kazakhstan. However, a possible confusion with sympatric C. littoralis or C. caspiense n. sp. makes the interpretation of their findings difficult.

Figures

FIGURES 22–25. Cardiocondyla ulianini; Fig. 22: head in dorsal view; Fig. 23: lateral view; Fig. 24: dorsal view; Fig. 25: head surface between inner eye margin and paramedian vertex. Kyrgistan: 42.44.41N, 75.49.50E, 2000.07.30-91.