Tetramorium pisarskii, Radchenko & Scupola, 2015

Radchenko, A. G. & Scupola, A., 2015, Taxonomic Revision Of The Striativentre Species Group Of The Genus Tetramorium (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), Vestnik Zoologii 49 (3), pp. 219-244 : 226-227

Tetramorium pisarskii sp. n.

= Tetramorium striativentre kabulistanicum Pisarski, 1967: 403 , part., only workers from Hassan Guilan, nec. material from Cheikhabad.

M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d. Holotype, worker, “ Afghanistan, Hassan Guilan entre Guerechk et Dilaram , A 314 , 7.9.1957, leg. K. Lindberg ”, “ T. kabulistanica sp. n. det. B. Pisarski ”, “Inst. Zool. PAN Warszawa 43/61” ( MIZ) . Paratype, worker with the same label ( MIZ) (see also Taxonomic notes, below) .

E t y m o l o g y. The species is dedicated to the memory of outstanding Polish myrmecologist Prof. Bohdan Pisarski.

W o r k e r s ( fig. 5 , a–d). Head very little longer than wide, with somewhat convex sides, widely rounded occipital corners and very feebly concave or almost straight occipital margin. Eyes situated about midlength of sides of head, length of gena subequal to maximal diameter of eye. Scape quite strongly curved at base, without any additional structures on bent, reaching occipital margin. Frontal carinae distinctly curved and frontal lobes extended. Frons with relatively fine longitudinal rugosity, number of rugae between frontal carinae level with the eyes ca. 20. Mandibles with 5 teeth, coarsely longitudinally rugose. Surface of head between rugae densely punctated, same on mandibles smooth and shiny. Occipital margin with a few quite long suberect hairs, temples and genae without hairs.

Рис. 5. Детали строения Tetramorium pisarskii sp. n., рабочий, holotype: a — тело в профиль; b — грудь и стебелек, вид сверху; c — голова, вид сверху; d — брюшко, вид сверху.

Mesosoma with very shallow metanotal groove, propodeum with relatively long teeth widened at base, but not with thin spines. Whole mesosoma with quite coarse longitudinal, almost straight rugae. Petiole longer than high, its node transversal; postpetiole distinctly higher than long and distinctly wider than length. Petiolar node dorsum and postpetiolar dorsum with regular longitudinally-concentric rugae. Mesosomal dorsum and waist with not abundant, quite long erect hairs. Only basal half of first gastral tergite densely longitudinally striato-punctated, remainder part of tergite smooth and shiny or with fine superficial microreticulation. Head, mesosoma and waist brownish-red, appendages somewhat lighter, gaster blackish-brown.

Measurements of workers (in mm; n = 2), ordered as: holotype-paratype: HL 0.83– 0.85, HW 0.81–0.83, FW 0.34–0.33, FLW 0.37–0.36, OL 0.21–0.20, GnL 0.21–0.21, SL 0.67– 0.65, ML 1.06–1.07, PNW 0.54–0.52, PL 0.33–0.35, PW 0.25–0.25, PH 0.26–0.29, PndL 0.21–0.20, PPL 0.21–0.20, PPW 0.29–0.29, PPH 0.28–0.30, ESL 0.22–0.09, ESD 0.21–0.21, HTL 0.63–0.62, rug-frons 20–14.

Indices: CI 1.02–1.02, SI 1 0.81–0.76, SI 2 0.83–0.78, FI 0.42–0.40, FLI 1.09–1.09, OI 1 0.26–0.24, OI 2 1.00–0.95, PI 1 1.27–1.21, PI 2 0.31–0.30, PndI 1.19–1.25, PPI 1 0.72–0.69, PPI 2 0.36–0.35, ESLI 0.27–0.11.

Queens, males and ecology unknown.

T a x o n o m i c n o t e s. T. pisarskii the most resembles T. kabulistanicum , sharing with the latter the character of sculpture on the first gastral tergite. Moreover, holotype and paratype specimens of T. pisarskii were originally included by Pisarski (1967) to the paratype series of T. kabulistanicum . Nevertheless, Pisarski (loc. cit., p. 405) noted that “Workers from Hassan Guilan have somewhat coarser, but more regular sculpture than those from Cheikhabad” (out translation from French). T. pisarskii distinctly differs from T. kabulistanicum by the sculpture of mesosoma and waist: the mesosomal dorsum is with more regular, almost straight longitudinal rugae, the waist dorsum is with regular longitudinally-concentric rugae vs. the mesosomal and waist dorsum are with sinuous longitudinal rugae in the latter species. Additionally, longitudinal rugosity on the head dorsum in T. pisarskii is less coarse, number of rugae between frontal carinae level with the eyes ≥ 20 (≤ 15 in T. kabulistanicum ).

Figures

Fig.5. Details of structure of Tetramorium pisarskii sp.n., worker, holotype: a — body in profile;b — mesosoma and waist, dorsal view; c — head, dorsal view; d — gaster, dorsal view.