Tetramorium schneideri Emery, 1898

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 : 232-236

Tetramorium schneideri Emery, 1898

Tetramorium schneideri Emery, 1898: 145 , worker, Uzbekistan; Ruzsky, 1902: 2; 1905 a: 517.

Tetramorium striativentre subsp. schneideri: Ruzsky, 1905 a: 767 ; 1905 b: 518; Emery, 1909: 706; Karawajew, 1911: 55; Emery, 1924: 278; Pisarski, 1967: 403; Tarbinsky, 1976: 115, workers, ♀. Revived status as species: Dlussky, Zabelin, 1985: 232; Dlussky et al., 1990: 207; Radchenko, 1992 a: 45; 1992 b: 52; Paknia et al., 2010: 35. Tetramorium striativentre Mayr, 1877: 16 (part., only worker from Kisil-Kumy).

M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d. About 100 workers, 1 ♀, 1 Ơ from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and Iran.

Measurements of workers (in mm; n = 30), ordered as: min-max [mean ± SD] (see also fig. 10 , a–d): HL 0.66 – 0.90 [0.83 ± 0.055], HW 0.65–0.90 [0.81 ± 0.065], FW 0.26–0.34 [0.31 ± 0.022], FLW 0.30–0.39 [0.36 ± 0.025], OL 0.14–0.23 [0.20 ± 0.018], GnL 0.13–0.24 [0.19 ± 0.028], SL 0.52–0.72 [0.65 ± 0.056], ML 0.86–1.16 [1.05 ± 0.075], PNW 0.40–0.57 [0.52 ± 0.040], PL 0.32–0.46 [0.38 ± 0.041], PW 0.19–0.27 [0.24 ± 0.023], PH 0.22–0.32 [0.28 ± 0.023], PndL 0.18–0.27 [0.23 ± 0.020], PPL 0.20–0.26 [0.23 ± 0.017], PPW 0.23–0.32 [0.28 ± 0.023], PPH 0.23–0.31 [0.29 ± 0.015], ESL 0.11–0.19 [0.15 ± 0.018], ESD 0.17–0.26 [0.22 ± 0.022], HTL 0.49–0.70 [0.64 ± 0.020], rug-frons 17–33 [23 ± 4.484].

Indices: CI 0.99–1.09 [1.02 ± 0.028], SI 1 0.71–0.83 [0.78 ± 0.035], SI 2 0.71–0.85 [0.80 ± 0.035], FI 0.36–0.43 [0.38 ± 0.017], FLI 1.09–1.23 [1.17 ± 0.037], OI 1 0.22–0.27 [0.24 ± 0.005], OI 2 0.91–1.23 [1.03 ± 0.085], PI 1 1.19–1.56 [1.36 ± 0.090], PI 2 0.25–0.31 [0.29 ± 0.013], PndI 0.89–1.11 [1.02 ± 0.065], PPI 1 0.75–0.90 [0.81 ± 0.039], PPI 2 0.31–0.39 [0.35 ± 0.021], ESLI 0.15–0.25 [0.19 ± 0.026].

Measurements of queen (in mm) (see also fig. 11 , a–e): HL 0.91, HW 0.96, FW 0.37, FLW 0.43, OL 0.25, GnL 0.19, SL 0.75, PL 0.53, PW 0.35, PH 0.49, PndL 0.25, PPL 0.25, PPW 0.43, PPH 0.37, ESL 0.11, ESD 0.35, HTL 0.72, ML 1.49, MH 0.74, SCL 1.03, SCW 0.85, rug-frons 27.

Indices: CI 0.95, SI 1 0.82, SI 2 0.78, FI 0.39, FLI 1.15, OI 1 0.26, OI 2 1.32, PI 1 1.37, PI 2 0.37, PndI 1.39, PPI 1 0.59, PPI 2 0.45, ESLI 0.11, MI 2.46, SCI 1.22.

First description of male ( fig. 12 , a–e; 13 , a–d).

M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d. 1 Ơ, Uzbekistan, Kuldzhuktau , 9.05.1961 ( ZMMU) .

Head somewhat wider than length, broadly rounded above eyes, occipital margin convex. Anterior clypeal margin slightly prominent medially. Eyes big, situated distinctly below midlength of sides of head, so that genae very short. Scape length about half of head width. Mandibles with five sharp teeth, apical one much longer than others. Sculpture of head dorsum quite coarse: frons and clypeus with longitudinal rugosity, surface between and behind lateral ocelli with transversal rugae, remaining part of head dorsum coarsely and densely punctated. Occipital margin and temples with not abundant, relatively short erect to suberect hairs.

Mesosoma very long and low, scutum and scutellum very feebly convex, forming with propodeum more or less regular arch, notauli well developed. Petiole very long and low, twice longer than height, with almost straight anterior face and very widely rounded node dorsum. Petiole quite narrow, its node subcircle (seen from above), postpetiole> 1.6 times wider than petiole. Scutum and scutellum finely and densely longitudinal ruguloso-striated, surface between rugulae finely, but densely punctated, lateral parts of dorsum of scutum smooth and shiny. Sides of mesosoma finely, but densely longitudinally striato-punctated. Petiolar node laterally with short longitudinal rugulae, its dorsum finely punctated, postpetole dorsally quite coarsely longitudinally rugose.

Stipites of genitalia very smoothly curved inward apically (seen dorsally or ventrally), their apices convex, not excavated (seen from behind).

Mesosoma and waist with sparse and quite short erect hairs. In contrast to known males of other species from striativentre -group, surface of first gastral tergite finely, but densely longitudinally striato-punctated (this sculpture is similar to that in workers and queens, but is much finer), remainder tergites with fine, but very obvious superficial microreticulation. Body colour dark reddish-brown, clypeus, mandibles and appendages brownish-yellow.

Measurements of male (in mm): HL 0.61, HW 0.63, OL 0.26, GnL 0.04, SL 0.31, PL 0.443, PW 0.22, PH 0.22, PPL 0.24, PPW 0.36, PPH 0.32, HTL 0.83, ML 1.69, MH 0.94, SCL 1.20, SCW 0.94.

Indices: CI 0.96, SI 1 0.51, SI 2 0.49, OI 1 0.42, OI 2 6.00, PI 1 2.00, PI 2 0.35, PPI 1 0.67, PPI 2 0.58, MI 1.81, SCI 1.28.

T a x o n o m i c n o t e s. Emery (1898) described T. schneideri based on the single worker from Bukhara ( Uzbekistan), collected by Prof. Oskar Schneider. As this species by the many diagnostic features (especially by the sculpture of the fist gastral tergite) is similar to T. striativentre , later on Emery had some objections to the taxonomic status of this species and requested Ruzsky to compare T. schneideri with the type specimens of T. striativentre . As a result, Ruzsky (1905 a: 766 – 767; 1905 b) confirmed heterospecificity of these taxa and proposed to consider T. schneideri as a subspecies of T. striativentre . The status of T. schneideri as a species was revived by Dlussky and Zabelin (1985).

Karawajew (1912) described T. striativentre subsp. schneideri var. longispina from Turkmenistan (Repetek). Despite this name is unavailable (quadrinomen), we examined 2 “ syntype ” workers of this form with the labels: “Transkaspien, Repetek. Nr. 1741 W. Karawajew”, “ Tetramorium striativentre Em. schneideri Em. v. longispina Kar. Typus”, “ Syntypus Tetramorium striativentre schneideri v. longispina Kar. ” (SIZK). Here we may only confirm the opinion of Dlussky et al. (1990) that these specimens are T. schneideri with the very long propodeal spines.

For the differences of T. schneideri and T. striativentre see Taxonomic notes to the latter species, above. T. schneideri well differs from two other species with the completely sculptured first gastral tergite ( T. saudicum and T. sabatinellii ) first of all by the subcircle petiolar node (it is distinctly transversal in the latter species), and by the finer longitudinal rugosity on the head dorsum (number of rugae between the frontal carinae level with the eyes> 15, mean 23, same in the latter species <15, means 12 … 13).

D i s t r i b u t i o n. Central Asia, southern Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Iran.

E c o l o g y. In contrast to the previous species, distributed mainly on plains and foothills, it prefers desert and semi-desert biotopes and is one of the commonest ant species in many places. Nests build in a soil, sometimes under stones. Consumes mainly plant seeds, but also collects living and dead small invertebrates. Nuptial flight is in May — early June (for more details see Zakharov, 1976; Dlussky, 1981; Dlussky et al., 1990).

Figures

Fig. 10. Details of structure of Tetramorium schneideri, worker: a — body in profile; b — mesosoma and waist, dorsal view; c — head, dorsal view; d — gaster, dorsal view.

Fig.11. Details of structure of Tetramorium schneideri, queen:a — body in profile; b — mesosoma, dorsal view; c — waist, dorsal view; d — head, dorsal view; e — gaster, dorsal view.

Fig. 12. Details of structure of Tetramorium schneideri, male: a — body in profile; b — mesosoma, dorsal view; c — waist, lateral view; d — head, dorsal view; e — gaster, dorsal view. Рис. 12. Детали строения Tetramorium schneideri, самец; a – тело в профиль: b — грудь, вид сверху; c — стебелек, вид сбоку; d — голова, вид сверху; e — брюшко, вид сверху.

Fig. 13. Genitalia of Tetramorium schneideri, male: a — dorsal view; b — ventral view; c — lateral view; d — caudal view.