© Norwegian Journal of Entomology. 25 June 2015 Towards a new era for the knowledge of ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in Norway? Nine species new to the country FRODE ØDEGAARD, KJELL MAGNE OLSEN, ARNSTEIN STAVERLØKK & JAN OVE GJERSHAUG Ødegaard, F., Olsen, K.M., Staverløkk, A. & Gjershaug, J.O. 2015. Towards a new era for the knowledge of ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in Norway? Nine species new to the country. Norwegian Journal of Entomology 62, 80–99. A total of nine species of ants are reported new to the Norwegian fauna. The first verified Norwegian records of Myrmica rugulosa Nylander, 1846, and Temnothorax interruptus (Schenck, 1852) are reported. In addition, Leptothorax goesswaldi Kutter, 1967, Leptothorax kutteri Buschinger, 1965, Anergates atratulus (Schenck, 1852), Lasius sabularum (Bondroit, 1918), Lasius bicornis (Forster, 1850), Lasius citrinus Emery, 1922, and Formica foreli Emery, 1909 are reported for the first time from Norway. In addition, notes and new records of the rarely collected species Temnothorax nylanderi (Förster, 1850), Dolichoderus quadripunctatus (Linnaeus, 1771), Formica pressilabris Nylander, 1846, and Polyergus rufescens (Latreille 1798) are given. With this report, a total of 65 species of outdoor living ants are recorded from Norway. Key words: Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Anergates, Coptoformica, Chthonolasius, Dolichoderus, Formica, Lasius, Leptothorax, Myrmica, Polyergus, Temnothorax, parasitic ants, Norway. Frode Ødegaard, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA). P.O. Box 5685 Sluppen, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway. E-mail: [email protected] Kjell Magne Olsen, BioFokus, Gaustadalléen 21, NO-0349 Oslo, Norway. E-mail: [email protected] Arnstein Staverløkk, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA). P.O. Box 5685 Sluppen, NO- 7485 Trondheim, Norway. E-mail: [email protected] Jan Ove Gjershaug, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA). P.O. Box 5685 Sluppen, NO- 7485 Trondheim, Norway. E-mail: [email protected] Introduction Several small papers published during the last 30 years (e.g. Kvamme 1999) still added new The knowledge of ants in Norway has steadily species, and the latest update (Ødegaard 2013) increased from the 1880s until now. Important included 57 species of outdoor living ant species milestones summarizing the knowledge of (i.e. 56 species when excluding the misidentified the Norwegian ant fauna was made by Siebke Myrmica rugulosa). The present paper represents (1880), who included 19 species (of which 16 a major step towards a more complete mapping of or 17 were represented with valid records at that the Norwegian ant fauna. time), Holgersen (1944), who reported 35 species The current paper is a part of a national from Norway, and Collingwood (1974, 1979), strategy for increasing knowledge of biodiversity who reported 44 and 46 species, respectively. in Norway (Artsdatabanken 2015a), where 80 Norwegian Journal of Entomology 62, 80–99 (2015) the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research public data base (BOLDSystems 2015). All (NINA) leads two large scale mapping projects specimens are identified by the authors and some for insects (INVENT-ART and ACUNOR). More critical identifications are verified by prof. B. information about both these projects are available Seifert at Senckenberg Museum. All species in the online (Artsdatabanken 2015a). The main aims of current report have been assessed for red listing these projects are to find new species to Norway according to the IUCN categories. Results from and to collect new data on poorly known species. this assessment will be available at the Norwegian As many ant species have a very specialized way Biodiversity Information Centre in 2015. of living, it was necessary to target potential species and make directed search for each of them in their natural habitats. The projects have The species particular focus on dry and warm habitat types, such as sandy areas and southern faced screes as * Myrmica rugulosa Nylander, 1846 well as dry dead wood, which typically have a rich HES, Kongsvinger: Granli, Posteringen fauna of ants. This paper summarizes the most N60.1241° E12.1041°, MT 3 August–12 Sept- interesting records from this effort. ember 2011, 1 alate queen, leg. FØ; Eidskog: Åbogen N60.11572° E12.11407°, 5 September 2014, 8 colonies, leg. FØ; 28 September 2014, Material and methods 3 additional colonies, leg. KMO. At this locality a total of eleven colonies where found in a dry, Abbreviations and codes: MT = malaise trap; * disturbed meadow along the roadside (Figure new to Norway; AE = Anders Endrestøl; AF = 1–2). The colonies were placed in rather packed, Arne Fjellberg; AS = Arnstein Staverløkk; CO = sandy soil mixed with gravel, 0–50 cm below the Caroline Olsen; FØ = Frode Ødegaard; KMO = ground. The colonies were very large compared Kjell Magne Olsen; MSL = Mikkel Strøm-Larsen; to other Myrmica Latreille, 1804 species and NHM = Natural History Museum, Oslo; SOL = consisted of several thousand individuals. A few Sondre Olsen; STO = Stefan Olberg; ØG = Øivind alate males and queens were found together with Gammelmo; JOG = Jan Ove Gjershaug. the workers in six of the colonies. Two workers As these mapping projects have a broad were DNA-barcoded and they clustered together taxonomic insect focus, several traps of different with M. rugulosa from Finland and Canada. types were used at the collecting sites. Particularly In fact, Myrmica rugulosa is reported from malaise traps are efficient for collecting alate ants. Norway three times earlier (Siebke 1880, Strand However, hand collecting is the most important 1903, Olsen 1999). Specimens associated method for ants in general. This included sweep with the two first reports were revealed as netting, search in dead wood, in mosses, and in the misidentifications by Holgersen (1944), and the soil, e.g. under stones. queen from Ø, Sarpsborg associated with the The material collected by FØ and AS is latest report was checked by us, and proved to preserved in the dry insect collections at NINA. be M. rubra (Linnaeus, 1758). The records from Material collected by KMO is preserved in 70 Hedmark, in 2011 and 2014, therefore represent % ethanol in the private collection of KMO or the first verified records of M. rugulosa form deposited at the NHM. All records are available at Norway. The proposed Norwegian common name the interoperable biodiversity database services for M. rugulosa is “dvergeitermaur”. Species Map Service (run by the Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre) (Artsdatabanken *Leptothorax goesswaldi Kutter, 1967 2015b), and at the Global Biodiversity Information AK, Aurskog-Høland: Bråten, N59.94201° Facility (GBIF 2015). Several specimens of E11.7412°, yellow pan trap, 7 August 2013, 1 all species have been DNA-barcoded, and data dealate queen, leg. KMO/SOL (Figure 3). The trap (project NOFOR) can be accessed in BOLD was situated in a small sand pit. The occurrence 81 Ødegaard et al.: Towards a new era for the knowledge of ants in Norway? A B FIGURE 1. Myrmica rugulosa Nylander, 1846, A. queen B. male. Photo: A. Staverløkk. FIGURE 2. The locality at Åbogen in Eidskog, Hedmark, where several colonies of Myrmica rugulosa Nylander, 1846 were found. Photo: F. Ødegaard. 82 Norwegian Journal of Entomology 62, 80–99 (2015) A B FIGURE 3. Leptothorax goesswaldi Kutter, 1967, A. queen, lateral view B. queen, head, dorsal view. Photo: A. Staverløkk. of this species in Norway is quite surprising, as this is considered one of the rarest ant species in Europe. For unknown reasons, DNA-barcoding did not give sequences for this individual. Elsewhere, Leptothorax goesswaldi is only known from one place in southern Sweden, a few places in the Alps, and from Kazakhstan. The species is a parasite of Leptothorax acervorum (Fabricius, 1793). After mating outside the nest, A the new queen of L. goesswaldi invades a colony of the host and kills the host queen by cutting off her antennae (Buschinger & Klump 1988). New fieldwork in 2014 revealed several colonies of L. acervorum in the local area, but no specimens of L. goesswaldi were found. The proposed Norwegian common name for L. goesswaldi is “parasittsmalmaur”. * Leptothorax kutteri Buschinger, 1965 STI, Midtre Gauldal: Soknedal, Rønningen, N62.9592° E10.2663°, 6 July 2014, 1 dealate B queen and 3 alate males, in a colony of Leptothorax acervorum established in a rotten pine log, leg. AS (Figure 4). The site was located in a boreal forest dominated by Scots pine Pinus sylvestris Linnaeus, 1753 and Norway spruce Picea abies (Linnaeus, 1753) Karsten, 1881. Relatively large amounts of dead wood in proper state for establishment of L. acervorum was present in the surroundings. The occurrence of this species in Norway is not surprising, as it has a wide C distribution in both Sweden and Finland. FIGURE 4. Leptothorax kutteri Buschinger, 1965, A. The species lives in an inquiline relationship queen, lateral view B. queen, head, dorsal view with Leptothorax acervorum. One or a few queens C. male, lateral view. Photo: A. Staverløkk. 83 Ødegaard et al.: Towards a new era for the knowledge of ants in Norway? A B FIGURE 5. Temnothorax interruptus (Schenck, 1852), A. queen B. worker. Photo: A. Staverløkk. are normally found in the host colony and their leg. FØ; 16 July 2014, several colonies, including presence do not seem to affect brood productions 2 queens (Figure 5), leg. FØ; 16 August 2014, 22 by the host appreciably (Douwes et al. 2012). workers, leg. KMO. The colonies were found on Both Leptothorax kutteri and Leptothorax a south-western faced, naked rock under scattered goesswaldi (queen and male) can be separated patches of mosses. The locality is extremely from Leptothorax acervorum by the presence of hot during summer afternoons. Two specimens a pronounced ventral process of the postpetiole were DNA-barcoded, and the CO1-sequences (Figure 3a and 4a). The queen of L. kutteri can were identical to Temnothorax interruptus from be distinguished from L. goesswaldi by the lack Finland. of a prominent inward curved frontal edge of the This is the first confirmed records of clypeus, different sculpture of the head, shorter Temnothorax interruptus from Norway.