HYMENOPTERA

Schifani, E. & Massa, B., 2020, First record of Lasius illyricus Zimmermann, 1935 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Armenia, Far Eastern Entomologist 398, pp. 24-28 : 24

( HYMENOPTERA , FORMICIDAE ) FROM ARMENIA

E. Schifani 1, 2,*), B. Massa 3)

1) Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability (SCVSA),

University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, I-43124, Parma, Italy. * Corresponding author. E-mail: [e-mail]

2) Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies

(STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Via Archirafi 18, I-90123, Palermo, Italy.

3) Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences (SAAF), University of Palermo,

Viale delle Scienze Ed. 5A, I-90128, Palermo, Italy.

Summary. The ant Lasius illyricus Zimmermann, 1935 , a West-Palearctic member of the Lasius emarginatus -complex, was initially described as a subspecies of L. alienus (Foerster, 1850) . Twenty years later, it became a junior synonym of L. alienus and then as junior synonym of its sibling species L. emarginatus (Olivier, 1792) . Only recently its status as bona species was proposed. As a consequence, the knowledge over the distribution of this taxon is still very fragmented. Here we report its occurrence in Armenia for the first time,

suggesting that it may be widespread around the Black Sea and Transcaucasia.