The extreme, workerless inquilines.

[Teleutotje]

A new page:

Two notes about the T. inquilinum species-group.

“AntWiki.org”, for the taxonomic placement of the species-group.

   “Palaearctic:

Tetramorium caespitum species-group.

Tetramorium ferox species-complex.
Tetramorium caespitum species-complex.
Tetramorium chefketi species-complex.
Tetramorium semilaeve species-complex.

Tetramoriumi inquilinum species-group.”

“AntWiki.org”, for a diagnosis of the species-group.

   “Tetramorium inquilinum species-group.

All five of these species are parasites of other Tetramorium ants. Once assigned to their own genus (Teleutomyrmex), Salata et al. (2023) described a fifth species in this group and assigned them to this newly created Tetramorium inquilinum species-group.

Diagnosis:

The species formerly classified as Teleutomyrmex were characterized by Bolton (1976) and serves as the current diagnosis for this species-group: females with blade-like mandibles that are edentate, except for the acute apical tooth; 10- or 11-segmented antennae with the second to fourth funicular segments showing a variable degree of fusion; shallowly transversely concave clypeus; present ocelli; compressed from side to side alitrunk with flight sclerites; absent metapleural glands; sessile petiole; postpetiole very broadly attached to first gastral segment; very strongly dorsoventrally flattened gaster with concave ventral surface; very reduced and non-functional sting. On the other hand, males have mandibles as females but much smaller; 10-segmented antennae with the second funicular antennomere being an elongate fusion-segment; ocelli and wings are present; gaster is downcurved and somewhat reflexed anteriorly; the remainder of the body appears pupoidal.

Notes:

All five members of the Tetramorium inquilinum species-group are degenerate workerless social parasites of several Tetramorium species. Their females are found riding upon the queen of the host colony where they are efficiently tended and fed by the host workers. The males are pupoidal but possess wings (Bolton 1976, Kiran et al. 2017). In contrast to another Tetramorium parasite native to almost the entire Palearctic and introduced to North America (Tetramorium atratulum) species of the Tetramorium inquilinum species-group have a rather narrow distribution range (Kiran et al. 2017).

Distribution:

All but T. albenae inhabit montane and alpine zones. Tetramorium kutteri and T. inquilinum are found in the western-Mediterranean and parasitize species of the Tetramorium caespitum species-complex. Two eastern-Mediterranean species, T. seiferti and T. buschingeri, parasitize members of the Tetramorium chefketi species-complex (Kiran et al. 2017). The fifth species, T. albenae is known from a lowland site, in an olive grove, from a nest of Tetramorium kephalosi (Tetramorium semilaeve species-complex).”

[Teleutotje]

Did include 2 references about Teleutomyrmex that I know already a very long time, from before this forum exsisted. Got them back in my mind through a research-querry on the internet-site from the library of the K.U.L....

One from Brown, the other from Yek.... About metapleural glands

[Teleutotje]

Yek, S. H., Mueller, U. G., 2011 (“2010”), “The metapleural gland of ants.” Biological Reviews (of the Cambridge Philosophical Society.), vol. 86, no. 4, p. 774-791 (+ 1 supporting file.). (Article first published online: 24 December 2010).

[Teleutotje]

Brown, W. L., Jr., 1968, “An hypothesis concerning the function of the metapleural glands in ants.” (The) American Naturalist, vol. 102, no. 924, March-April 1968, p. 188–191.

[Teleutotje]

I'm going to put in here the new version of The Extreme, Workerless Inquilines of Europe, not as a pdf but as photographs of the pages (something wrong with my pdf-maker.), so, if you want it as a pdf, wait till all the pages are put in here and put them then in a word-document, then make a pdf of it.....

Total pages is 118!

[Teleutotje]

Part 001 of the file:

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Part 002 of the file:

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Part 003 of the file:

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Part 004 of the file:

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Part 005 of the file:

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Part 006 of the file:

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Part 007 of the file:

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Part 008 of the file:

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Part 009 of the file:

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Part 010 of the file:

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Part 011 of the file:

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Part 012 of the file:

[Teleutotje]

Just one more thing about Yek , mentioned just before this update. Title page and an extract of the article:

[Teleutotje]

Just a little make-up, p. 2, 73 anx 74.

[Teleutotje]

More make-up: p. 2 (again!), 3, 23, 59, 67, 108 (2 ×).