Hymenoptera, Formicidae)
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Miscel·limia Zoológica 19.1 (1996) 67 Myrmica cagnianfi, a new ant from North Africa (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) X. Espadaler Espadaler, X., 1996. Myrmica cagnianti, a new ant from North Africa (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Misc. Zool., 19.1: 67-74. Myrmica cagnianti, a new ant from North Africa (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).- Myrmica cagnianti, a Moroccan ant, is proposed as a new species. It is characterized by its scape without lobulated extension, fine pilosity, absence of tibial spurs 11 and I1I and the shape of the petiole node. Differences from M. aloba Forel, M. specioides Bondroit and M. scabrinodis Nylander are described. The males of this new species are very similar to M. scabrinodis males. Cephalic indices provide a good way to discriminate between M. cagnianti and related species. The social parasite Myrmica kabylica (Cagniant) has been found in a nest of this new species, constituting the second record for this rare ant. Key words: Myrmica, New species, Formicidae, Maghreb. (Rebut: 77 XI 95,' Acceptacio definitiva: 2 l 96) Xavier Espadaler, Dept. de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Univ. Autónoma de Barcelona, 08793 Bellaterra, Espanya (Spain). Introduction ruginodis Nylander from Tebessa (SANTSCHI, 1910); M. scabrinodis Nylander from Several Myrmica species from North Af• Tebessa (FOREL, 1890) and from Tonga rica have been recorded. These include Lake, Algeria (CAGNIANT,1969); M. sabuleti M. aloba Forel from Morocco (SANTSCHI, Meinert was referred to as a tramp spe• 1931a, 1936, 1939; COLLlNGWOOD,1963) and des in North Africa (EMERY, 1921); M. Tunis (SANTSCHI,1931 b); M. rubra' L. from rolandi Bondroit (a synonym of 1',,1. the Higher Atlas (CAGNIANT, 1962); M. scabrinodis; SElFERT, 1988) from Tunis © 1996 Museu de Zoologia 68 Espadaler (SANTSCHI,1925, 1929). However, SANTSCHIyear or less: head, thorax, legs and (1936) himself doubted the iden-tification pedicels reddish brown; gaster dark of M. a/oba in the absence of males and brown. Older workers: head, thorax and there is also doubt about the correct gaster dark brown; legs and pedicels identification of some of the older records reddish brown. Pilosity finer and longer of this and other spedes, some of which than in M. aloba and other European at least should probably be referred to Myrmica (15 species compared), specially the new spedes proposed here. on the gaster. True M. aloba is a common Iberian spe• Scape sharply bent near the base, with• des. Recent capture of sexuals with asso• out any lobar extension; scape thinner ciated workers have made a fuller descrip• than in M. aloba. External border of scape tion possible (TINAUT& ESPADALER,1987). with preponderantly subdecumbent hairs. Abundant Iberian material compared with Head indices, see table 2. Frontal trian• samples taken at Oukaimeden, Higher At• gle smooth and shining in the first 2/3, las, Morocco, appear to differ at specific with 1-4 short striae at the apex. Dorsal level. The new species, with the scape median surface of the head [ongitudinally having no lobar extension at the bend is striate, becoming reticulate laterally; sp~':. so reminiscent of that of M. a/oba that it ci'É!sbetween frontal striae smooth and may be advisable to check all previous shining; spaces between lateral reticle, African material. Citations of M. aloba superficially sculptured. from Algeria (CAGNIANT,1968, 1973) cor• Thorax longitudinally striate, the spaces respond to this new species. between striae smooth and shining; pro• podeal spines long, fine and slightly curved downwards when viewed from side and Material and Methods diverging from above. Mesopropodeal furrow shallow. Tibial spurs from middle Measurements were made with a Nikon and hind legs very poorly developed, nearly binocular microscope and scaled eyepiece, absent; in a few examples from Algeria accurate to 0.025 mm (table 1). the spurs may be near normally developed. Indices used are those of ARNOLDI(1934): Petiole in profile with distinctly concave - Head Index: width of the head at the anterior face, similar to M. specioides Bon• anterior margin of the eyes x 100 /Iength droit; the node sloping backwards from of the head; the dorsal crest, without a distinct step; - Frontal Index: width of the forehead x viewed from above its sides converge 100 / width of the head; anteriorly. Postpetiole globose to sub• - Frontal laminae Index: width of the eliptical from above, distinctly wid-er than forehead x 100 / width of the frontal the petiole; postero-dorsal face of petiole laminae. finely reticulate rugose; post-petiole rugose - Buschinger's Index: distance from pro po• with striae converging posteriorly. Gaster deal spiracle to the tip of the spines / smooth and shining. distance from propodeal spiracle to the descent face of propodeum in profile. Female (fig. 3) Lg 5.8-6.0 mm; colour similar to the worker but the head darker, specially the c1ypeus Results and front, and two dark parapsidal strips and a middle anterior zone of scutum, Myrmica cagnianti n. sp. posterior border of scutum and a dark spot at the posterior zone of the anpis• Worker (figs. 1, 2, 5, 6) ternum. Pilosity very fine, as in workers. Lg 3.7-4.7 mm; general habitus of most Scape, clypeus and head sculpture as in European Myrmica. Colour of workers one workers; head indices, see table 2. Thorax Miscel·limia Zoológica 19.1 (1996) 69 70 Espadaler longitudinally rough, brilliant between infuscated basal half and brownish veins. ruga e; spines somewhat shorter than in the Closed discoidal cell and half partitioned worker (see Buschinger's index, table 2). cubital cell. Petiole and postpetiole simi• Tibial spurs comparatively less devel• lar to the worker but the dorsal face of oped than in Myrmica queens. Wings with the node with a small step in side view. Miscel·lfmia Zoologica 19.1 (1996) 71 Male (figs. 4, 6, 7, 9-12) antennae, mandibles and tarsi brownish Lg 4.2-4.6 mm; head and thorax brown• yellow. Abundant long hairs on al! ap• ish; coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia, peti• pendages, longer than their maximum ole, postpetiole and gaster slightly lighter; width; hind tarsal hairs subequal on al! 0.5 ml'll 72 Espadaler Type material Holotype: worker, Morocco, Oukaime• den, Higher Atlas, from a colony col• lected under stone at 2450 m, near a small stream, 12 V 1983, Espadaler leg. in author's collection. Paratypes: 46 workers, 18 females, four males, Mo• rocco, Oukaimeden, Higher Atlas, from a colony collected under stone at 2450 m, near a small stream, 12 V 1983, Espadaler leg. Other material One worker, two females from Ou• kaimeden, at 2600 m, near artificial res• ervoir, 12 V 1983; one female from Higher Atlas, V 1981, Cagniant leg; many workers nesting in soil on a prairie near an artificial reservoir at Ifrane, M idd1e Atlas, 20 V 1985; many workers under stone in acedar wood at 1950 surfaces. m in the Michliffen crater, near Azrou, Scape short, gently curved at the base, Middle Atlas, 20 V 1985; 20 workers as long as the first three funicular seg• under a stone in a clearing in acedar ments; mandibles with 4-5 teeth; palpal wood at 1650 m near Ktama, Rif zone, formula 6:4. Head finely reticulate, 27 V 1986; many workers and females submat. Mesoscutum smooth and shin• from a nest under stone in a pasture ing between Mayrian furrows and with at 2100 m in the Bou Iblane, Middle some median very fine longitudinal Atlas, 18 V 1987; 25 workers, one fe• striae; scutellum smooth and shining in male collected under a stone at 2050 the middle, with some lateral rugae. m near a mountain stream at the Erdouz Pronotum and episternum smooth and massif, Higher Atlas, 2 V 1990; many shining with some small striae at the workers and several winged females upper part of the katerpisternum; sides under a stone at 2400 m in the Toubkal of propodeum with some longitudinal massif, Higher Atlas, 4 V 1990; many striae; propodeum bluntly indented, with workers and females from a nest partly space between angles smooth and shin• under a big rock near a mountain ing. Wings as in females. stream at 2600 m in the Sirwa massif, Petiole in side view with anterior face Higher Atlas, 4 V 1990. forming a right -but rounded- angle with Two worker paratypes and one female posterior face; petiole and post-petiole at the following institutions: Museum smooth and shining; post-petiole higher of Comparative Zoology, Harvard; than wide. Gaster smooth and shining. Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, Geneve; Genitalia. Without any distinctive fea• Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris; ture. Subgenital plate with 90-100 hairs named after Prof. H. Cagniant, who has at the distal border; external paramera patiently helped the author in so many with 60-80 short hairs; ventral border of ways from his very beginnings as ant the volsell a with 15-19 short seta e; ser• taxonomist and introduced him to the rated edge of aedeagus with 17-21 teeth. rich myrmecofauna of Morocco. Miscel·lania Zoológica 19.1 (1996) 73 Discussion Biological notes Taxonomic position M. cagnianti nests in humid spots, ap• parently in all mountain chains of Mo• Workers have scapes similar to those rocco and Algeria as could be expected of M. aloba. In M. cagnianti body size for this genus in a dry region, except is smaller, the sculpture is longitudinal Anti Atlas. In May, nests have always been with the interspaces very shiny, the found in biotopes near permanent wa• pilosity is finer and the meso-propodeal ter streams. furrow less developed. The best way Societies are polygynous (up to 34 to discriminate the two species, besides queens in a nest from Oukaimeden). cephalic indices, is by the near absence The nest from Bou Iblane was heavily of tibial spurs and the shape of the parasitized by Myrmica kabylica (Cagni• petiole which is not truncated above ant, 1970).