Temnothorax nikoklesi, Salata & Demetriou & Georgiadis & Borowiec, 2024

Salata, Sebastian, Demetriou, Jakovos, Georgiadis, Christos & Borowiec, Lech, 2024, The genus Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Cyprus, Zootaxa 5434 (1), pp. 1-69 : 23-26

Temnothorax nikoklesi n. sp. ( Figs 16–18 , 62 )

Etymology. Named after Nikokles (Greek: Νικοκλῆς), King of Paphos who at the end of the 4th century B.C.E. moved the capital of his state from Palaipaphos to the newly founded Nea Paphos. The locus typicus of Temnothorax nikoklesi is located in recent Kato Paphos, a quarter of Paphos municipality.

Material examined. Holotype: worker (pin) “ CYPRUS, Paphos, Kato | Paphos, ruins, 34 m | 34.75368 / 32.43391 | 17 IV 2022, S. Salata ” ( MNHW); Paratypes (21 workers, pin): 5w, the same data as for holotype; 6w “ CYPRUS, Paphos, Kato | Paphos, 32 m | 34.75368 / 32.43391 | 17 IV 2022, L. Borowiec ” ( MNHW); 9w “ CYPRUS, Paphos, 6 m | Lempa-Kisonegra | 34.816 / 32.3931 | 20 III 2022, J. Demetriou ” ( MNHW); 1w “ CYPRUS, Paphos, 387 m | rd F612 loc. 2 | 34.74385 / 32.6722 | 28 IV 2022, S. Salata ” ( MNHW).

Comparative note. Temnothorax nikoklesi is a member of the T. exilis species group and belongs to the complex of species characterized by the dark (brown to black) body, predominantly brown antennal scapus and femora, dark antennal club, head with the partly smooth and shiny area but strongly sculptured sides of mesosoma, petiole with well-marked peduncle and subangulate or angulate petiolar node. This complex of species is poorly known and requires a revision, especially fauna of the Balkans and Greek islands appear to be diverse and severely understudied.

Temnothorax nikoklesi well differs from all studied populations from the Eastern part of the Mediterranean Basin in very long, needle-shaped propodeal spines. Only some populations from Karpathos ( Dodecanese, Greece) have similarly long propodeal spines but the spines are not needle-shaped, have distinctly widened bases, and are often slightly curved; while in T. nikoklesi spines have base not or only slightly widened and tops are not or very slightly curved. The propodeal spines in populations from Karpathos run more obliquely posterad while in T. nikoklesi they run almost perpendicular to the surface of the propodeum. Sculpture of mesosoma in T. nikoklesi is stronger and more rugose than in most studied populations from Balkans and Greek islands. No Cypriot species of Temnothorax is similar to T. nikoklesi , species from T. angustulus group differ in shorter petiole lacking distinct peduncle, mesosoma with shallow metanotal groove and shorter erect setae on mesosoma and first gastral tergite.

Description. Worker (n = 10): HL: 0.619 –0.698 (0.661); HW: 0.478 –0.603 (0.550); SL: 0.447 –0.538 (0.494); EL: 0.158 –0.182 (0.171); EW: 0.114 –0.143 (0.126); PNW: 0.348 –0.405 (0.381); WL: 0.659 –0.787 (0.739); PEL: 0.246 –0.324 (0.286); PEH: 0.179 –0.216 (0.200); PPL: 0.135 –0.175 (0.155); PPW: 0.177 –0.206 (0.189); PSL: 0.154 –0.216 (0.187); CI: 1.134 –1.295 (1.206); EI1: 1.238 –1.439 (1.362); EI2: 0.244 –0.266 (0.258); SI1: 0.855 – 0.935 (0.899); SI2: 0.722 –0.771 (0.747); MI: 1.894 –2.000 (1.940); PI: 1.345 –1.573 (1.430); PPI: 1.132 –1.321 (1.223); PSLI: 0.318 –0.373 (0.341).

Color. Head dark brown to black, postocular part often slightly paler colored than frontal part, mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole brown to dark brown, gaster dark brown to black except yellowish posterior margin of tergites. Antennal scapus brown except yellowish base and extreme apex, funicle basally yellowish-brown to pale brown. Coxa brown, trochanters yellowish, femora predominantly brown except yellowish base and knee, tibiae brown except yellow extreme apex, tarsi yellow ( Figs 16, 17 ). Head. Slightly elongate, approximately 1.2 × as long as wide, sides almost parallel, occipital corners regularly rounded, occipital margin of head straight ( Fig. 18 ). Anterior margin of clypeus softly convex, without central angulation or emargination, with 4–6 short setae. Eyes moderate, oval, 1.3–1.4 × as long as wide, 0.26 × as long as head length.Antennal scape long, in lateral view slightly curved, approximately 0.9 × as long as the width of the head, in apex gradually widened with very shallow preapical constriction, its base with obtuse dorsal and ventral angle. Funiculus distinctly longer than scape, first segment 2.2 × as long as wide at apex, 3.6 × longer than second segment, segments 2–7 transverse, club large, 1.3 × as long as segments 1–8 combined, last segment of club elongate, 1.25 × as long as segments 8 and 9 combined ( Figs 17 , 18 ). Surface of scape with fine microreticulation, shiny, covered with thin, moderate dense, basally appressed then to apex gradually decumbent or subdecumbent hairs. Mandibles with thick sparse, longitudinal striae and microreticulate interstriae but shiny, covered with moderately long decumbent to subdecumbent hairs. Clypeus with median keel and 2–3 short keels on each side, interspaces smooth and shiny. Frons narrow, approximately 0.35 × as wide as head width. Frontal carinae short, slightly extending beyond frontal lobes. Antennal fossa deep, margined with sharp circular striae with smooth interspaces. Frontal lobes narrow, placed only slightly upwards, area between lobes with deeply impressed smooth and shiny frontal triangle ( Fig. 18 ). Gena, malar area and frons laterally with sharp longitudinal rugae or striae, disappearing in the postocular area, vertex and occipital corners, central part of frons often with smooth and shiny stripe but sometimes whole frons with regular striae, frons centrally without or with extremely small setose punctation. Interspaces between rugae and striae in anterior half of head with fine microreticulation, in posterior half of head predominantly smooth, thus head appears shiny. Sides of head, vertex and occipitum with short, very sparse decumbent pubescence, frons, vertex and occipital area with erect, pale, short, and thin setae, the longest on occipitum 0.36 × as long as eye diameter ( Fig. 18 ). Mesosoma. Elongate, approximately 1.9 × as long as wide, slightly arched in anterior third, flat in posterior ⅔ length, without metanotal groove or impression. Pronotum convex on sides. Anterior slope of pronotum microreticulate with rudiments of rugae, dorsum on sides with few longitudinal rugae, central part smooth and shiny. Sides of pronotum with sharp longitudinal rugae, in dorsal half interspaces smooth and shiny, in ventral part microreticulate. Dorsum of mesonotum irregular and diffusely microreticulate, on sides microgranulate with few several short rugae, whole surface appears strongly irregular to rugose ( Fig. 17 ). Dorsum of propodeum with rugose sculpture and microreticulate interspaces, along dorsal margin with irregular rugae, between spines smooth and shiny, behind spines with transverse rugae and smooth interspaces, sides of propodeum predominantly with microgranulate sculpture and short more or less regular rugae, only metapleural lobe with regular longitudinal rugae, surface appears irregular but shiny. Propodeal spines very long and thin, mean PSL/HW 0.34, running strongly upwards, in form of elongate spines with only slightly widened base, straight or with only slightly curved apex, sharply acute apically ( Fig. 17 ). Entire mesosoma bearing erect, yellow, long setae, the longest on pronotum 0.56 × as long as eye diameter. Petiole. Elongate, mean PEL/PEH 1.43 with well-marked peduncle, anterior face deeply concave, ventral margin anteriorly with sharp spine, node in lateral view angulate with sharp anterior and lateral carinae, lateral surface predominantly microreticulate with short rugae, dorsum with sharp irregular rugae, whole surface appears slightly dull ( Fig. 17 ). Postpetiole. In dorsal view 1.2 × as wide as long, approximately 1.18 × as wide as petiole, surface microreticulate with short striae, appears irregular but shiny. Dorsal surface of petiole and postpetiole with long erect setae,as long as or slightly longer than setae on pronotum ( Figs 16,17 ). Gaster. Smooth and shiny, bearing erect, thin, pale setae, the longest as long as setae on mesosoma ( Figs 16, 17 ). Legs. Moderately elongate, femora swollen in the middle, tibiae widened from base to ¾ length, surface of legs covered with sparse, decumbent to subdecumbent hairs, surface appears smooth and shiny.

Biological note. Thermophilous species. Most workers were collected from limestone rocks in the open, sunny ruderal area near the citrus orchard and stones near the beach. A few workers were shaken off into the entomological umbrella from juniper bushes growing on the limestone rock. Also, one specimen was shaken off into the entomological umbrella from bushes inside a pine forest. Nests could not be found, probably as in the Greek representatives of the Temnothorax exilis group, they nest inside the rock crevices.

Figures

FIGURE 18. Holotype worker head of Temnothorax nikoklesi n. sp. (scale bar = 0.5 mm).

FIGURE 62. Distribution in Cyprus Temnothorax nikoklesi n. sp. (upper map) and T. cypridis (Santschi) (bottom map)

FIGURES 16, 17. Holotype worker of Temnothorax nikoklesi n. sp. 16 dorsal 17 lateral (scale bar = 1 mm).