A new species for the Italian fauna: Aphaenogaster strioloides, not A. crocea, inhabits Pantelleria Island (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Abstract

Species of the recently recognized Aphaenogaster crocea group, which spreads across Canary Islands, Maghreb region and Southern Italy, have frequently been confused with one another and even with species belonging to other groups. We revised the identity of the population previously attributed to A. crocea from the island of Pantelleria (Sicilian Channel) by comparing voucher specimens of the older records as well as newly collected specimens with type specimens and descriptions of the other members of the group. As a result, we re-identify the population from Pantelleria as A. strioloides, a species so far known to occur exclusively in Algeria and Tunisia. Fi- nally, we discuss the key diagnostic features of this species.

Keywords

• ant distribution
• Maghreb
• Mediterranean basin
• Sicilian Channel
• North Africa