Plagiolepis taurica SANTSCHI 1920

Kiran, K. & Aktaç, N., 2006, The Vertical Distribution of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Samanlı Mountains, Turkey, Linzer biologische Beiträge 38 (2), pp. 1105-1122 : 1105-1122

Plagiolepis taurica SANTSCHI 1920

M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: 1, ♀, ºº; 2,11 ºº; 3, ºº; 4, ♀♀, 33, ºº; 5, ♀♀, 1233, ºº; 14, 11ºº; 15, º; 19, 15ºº; 21, ºº; 28, 2ºº; 30, ºº; 31, 2ºº; 42, 2ºº; 48, 22ºº; 49, º; 51, 42ºº; 54, º; 57, 24ºº.

R e m a r k s: According to some biometric measurements this species is known as P. vindobonensis in an old literature. BERNARD 1968 determined P. vindobonensis as a synonym of P. pygmaea . KUTTER 1977, ARNOL' DI & DLUSSKY 1978 and AGOSTI & COLLINGWOOD 1987a-b have accepted P. vindobonensis as species level because of the II. funiculus segment is shorter than the III. segment in the workers of this species and

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vertex is concave which are different than those are in P. pygmaea . Later, RADCHENKO 1989, 1996 synonymies P. vindobonensis with P. taurica . Our specimens belonging to P. taurica also exhibit comparable similarities. This species has been recorded from the Balkans and Europe, but it was first time reported from Turkey.

Nests are found under the stones and bottom of the trees.