Messor structor
This species is considered here in a wide conception, including all “cryptic” species of Steiner and co-authors (2018). In addition to very unclear features of the species separated by the authors, the applicability of this work to the south-east of European Russia is questionable: the material studied by the authors included material from Russia that originated from a single location in the Krasnodar region (Fig. 2 (a), p. 389) (and refers to Messor muticus (Nylander, 1849) in their concept). Moreover, the results from ecological niche modelling presented by the authors (Fig. 4, p. 395) show that only Messor ponticus Steiner et al., 2018 is likely to inhabit the Lower Volga region with low probability. Since, in reality, M. structor sensu lato - a common species in the region - either models constructed by the authors are not correct due to insufficient population sampling, or the region is inhabited by a “cryptic” species not included in the article. Thus, for the time being, it seems most reasonable to follow the concept of M. structor proposed by G.M. Dlussky (Dlussky et al., 1990). Within the Lower Volga Region, this species is characterized by high variability of morphological features, however, as well as G.M. Dlussky, I could not find any clear borders within the variability of any particular feature. In the concept accepted here, M. structor is one of the most common and abundant species of ants in all arid (steppe and desert) biotopes of the region.
Steiner, F. M.; Csősz, S.; Markó, B.; Gamisch, A.; Rinnhofer, C. F.; Hammerle, S.; Stauffer, C.; Arthofer, W.; Schlick-Steiner, B. C. 2018. Turning one into five: Integrative taxonomy uncovers complex evolution of cryptic species in the harvester ant Messor “structor”. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 127:387-404.
Dlussky, G. M.; Soyunov, O. S.; Zabelin, S. I. 1990. Ants of Turkmenistan. [In Russian.]. Ashkabad: Ylym Press, 273 pp.
Some additional data and images of Messor structor in the alternate database are available (new window)