Lasius creticus, Seifert, 2020

Seifert, Bernhard, 2020, A taxonomic revision of the Palaearctic members of the subgenus Lasius s. str. (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), Soil Organisms 92 (1), pp. 15-86 : 57

4.4.15 Lasius creticus sp. nov.

Etymology. The name refers to the island of Crete.

Type material. Holotype plus 5 paratype workers on two pins labelled ” GREECE: 24.04— 04.05.1992 Kreta, 1 km NW Melambos , 600–700 mH 626 leg. Schulz “; 6 paratype workers on two pins labelled ”GR- Kreta 1 km NW Ano Meros 1000 m 658 Platanen an Fluss 90% Leg: Schulz 24.-04.05.92“; depository SMN Görlitz.

All material examined. A total of 7 nest samples with 26 workers from Greece (3 samples), Turkey (2) and Iran (1) were subject to NUMOBAT investigation. For details see supplementary information SI1.

Geographic range. The islands of Crete and Rhodes, Anatolia east to north Iran (35.83°N, 50.94°E). All seven localities are situated at latitudes of 35 to 41°N and altitudes of 25 to 1900 m.

Biology. One sample was collected from a Platanus stand of 90% canopy cover near a river at 1000 m and another one from an Abies stand of 70% canopy cover at 1900 m.

Diagnosis ( Tab. 3 , Figs. 29 –30; key):

The allocation to the L. obscuratus complex is given by rather small absolute size (CS 859 µm), moderate scape and head length indices (CL/CW 900 1.083, SL/CS 900 0.965), medium number of mandibular dents (MaDe 900 8.2), relatively large length of frontal pubescence hairs (PLF 900 33.9), dilute clypeal pubescence(sqPDCL 900 5.19) and reduced pilosity on dorsal plane of scape and extensor profile of hind tibia (nSc 900 0.7, nHT 900 2.6). It is outstanding within this complex by long maxillary palps (MP6/CS 900 0.196), short postocular index (PoOc/ CL 900 0.229) and very long setae on hind margin of head and gula (GuHL/CS 900 0.125). Coloration: varying from concolorous light reddish-brown to concolorous medium brown with reddish tinge.

Comments. All explorative data analyses clearly clustered L. creticus sp. nov. separate from any similar species.

Figures

Figs. 29 and 30: Lasius creticus sp. nov.; holotype