Taxonomic history
[First available use of Myrmica rubra scabrinodis schencki Emery, 1895; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name.].[Misspelled as schenkei by Arnol'di, 1933a: 600; misspelled as schrencki by Ruzsky, 1936 PDF: 94.].Wheeler & Wheeler, 1953a PDF: 120 (l.).As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Wheeler, 1900c PDF: 48; Ruzsky, 1905b: 699; Wheeler, 1905j PDF: 384; Wheeler, 1906g PDF: 7; Wheeler, 1910a PDF: 566; Gösswald, 1932 PDF: 79.Subspecies of Myrmica rugulosa: Kulmatycki, 1922 PDF: 78.Subspecies of Myrmica lobicornis: Ruzsky, 1936 PDF: 94; Ruzsky, 1946 PDF: 70.Subspecies of Myrmica scabrinodis: Emery, 1908a PDF: 178; Bondroit, 1910 PDF: 495; Karavaiev, 1912b PDF: 583; Wheeler, 1913d PDF: 113; Stitz, 1914 PDF: 72; Forel, 1914c PDF: 617; Forel, 1915d: 29 (in key); Emery, 1916a PDF: 120; Wheeler, 1916r: 587; Stitz, 1917 PDF: 347; Wheeler, 1917a PDF: 504; Escherich, 1917: 326 (in key); Emery, 1921c PDF: 41; Soudek, 1922b PDF: 44; Soudek, 1923b PDF: 115; Wheeler, 1927g PDF: 103; Stitz, 1934: 2; Chapman & Capco, 1951 PDF: 129.Status as species: Bondroit, 1911a PDF: 11; Bondroit, 1912 PDF: 351; Donisthorpe, 1915e PDF: 265 (redescription); Bondroit, 1918 PDF: 103; Müller, 1923b PDF: 44; Betrem, 1926 PDF: 216; Finzi, 1926 PDF: 109; Karavaiev, 1926b PDF: 95; Stärcke, 1926a PDF: 90 (in key); Stärcke, 1927 PDF: 84; Donisthorpe, 1927c: 150; Karavaiev, 1927d: 259 (in key); Lomnicki, 1928 PDF: 6; Karavaiev, 1929d PDF: 208; Karavaiev, 1930b PDF: 145; Santschi, 1931c PDF: 351; Karavaiev, 1931e PDF: 210; Soudek, 1931 PDF: 9; Arnol'di, 1933a: 600 (in key); Karavaiev, 1934: 93 (redescription); Arnol'di, 1934 PDF: 171 (redescription); Grandi, 1935 PDF: 99; Holgersen, 1940 PDF: 184; Novák & Sadil, 1941 PDF: 80 (in key); Stärcke, 1942a PDF: 22; Holgersen, 1943c PDF: 170 (in key); Holgersen, 1944a PDF: 175; Van Boven, 1947b PDF: 176 (in key); Weber, 1948a PDF: 296; Sadil, 1952 PDF: 260; Wellenius, 1955 PDF: 4; Collingwood, 1958d PDF: 74; Bernard, 1967a PDF: 118 (redescription); Kutter, 1968b: 59; Collingwood & Yarrow, 1969 PDF: 58; Arnol'di, 1970b PDF: 1838 (in key); Baroni Urbani, 1971c PDF: 35; Collingwood, 1971 PDF: 158; Bolton & Collingwood, 1975: 5 (in key); Pisarski, 1975: 15; Arnol'di, 1976a PDF: 557 (in key); Tarbinsky, 1976 PDF: 42 (redescription); Van Boven, 1977 PDF: 118; Kutter, 1977c: 70; Arnol'di & Dlussky, 1978: 535 (in key); Báez & Ortega, 1978: 190; Collingwood, 1978 PDF: 78 (in key); Collingwood, 1979 PDF: 56; Barquín, 1981: 62; Dlussky, 1981b PDF: 17; Kupyanskaya, 1986a PDF: 87; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a PDF: 53; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b PDF: 268 (in key); Seifert, 1988b: 35 (redescription); Kupyanskaya, 1990a: 109; Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 99; Radchenko, 1994b: 107 (in key); Radchenko, 1994d PDF: 140 (in key); Radchenko, 1994h PDF: 77; Bolton, 1995b: 283; Douwes, 1995: 87; Poldi et al., 1995: 2; Espadaler, 1997g PDF: 31; Radchenko et al., 1997: 492; Gallé et al., 1998: 214; Czechowski et al., 2002 PDF: 32; Markó & Csosz, 2002 PDF: 113; Seifert, 2003b PDF: 145 (redescription) ; Bolton, 2005 PDF: 13 (in key); Karaman & Karaman, 2005 PDF: 54; Bračko, 2006 PDF: 139; Markó et al., 2006 PDF: 70; Petrov, 2006 PDF: 88 (in key); Radchenko et al., 2006 PDF: 513; Schultz et al., 2006 PDF: 203; Bračko, 2007 PDF: 18; Seifert, 2007: 210; Werner & Wiezik, 2007 PDF: 140; Zryanin & Zryanina, 2007 PDF: 231; Gratiashvili & Barjadze, 2008 PDF: 141; Casevitz-Weulersse & Galkowski, 2009 PDF: 491; Lapeva-Gjonova et al., 2010 PDF: 10; Boer, 2010: 58; Radchenko & Elmes, 2010 PDF: 266; Csosz et al., 2011 PDF: 56; Karaman, 2011b PDF: 47; Borowiec & Salata, 2012 PDF: 523; Czechowski et al., 2012: 107; Czekes et al., 2012 PDF: 41 (in key); Guénard & Dunn, 2012 PDF: 48; Kiran & Karaman, 2012 PDF: 23; Borowiec, 2014 PDF: 134; Bračko et al., 2014 PDF: 15; Chen et al., 2016 10.3897/zookeys.551.6005 PDF: 117 (in key); Lebas et al., 2016: 322; Radchenko, 2016: 127; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c 10.5281/zenodo.2199191 PDF: 47; Seifert, 2018: 173.Senior synonym of Myrmica betuliana: Radchenko, 1994h PDF: 77; Radchenko et al., 2006 PDF: 513; Radchenko & Elmes, 2010 PDF: 266; Radchenko, 2016: 127.Senior synonym of Myrmica schencki kutteri: Bernard, 1967a PDF: 118; Radchenko, 1994h PDF: 77; Bolton, 1995b: 283; Seifert, 2003b PDF: 145; Radchenko et al., 2006 PDF: 513; Radchenko & Elmes, 2010 PDF: 266; Radchenko, 2016: 127.Senior synonym of Myrmica schenckioides: Radchenko & Elmes, 2010 PDF: 266; Radchenko, 2016: 127.Senior synonym of Myrmica schencki subopaca: Arnol'di, 1970b PDF: 1843; Radchenko, 1994h PDF: 77; Bolton, 1995b: 283; Seifert, 2003b PDF: 145; Radchenko et al., 2006 PDF: 513; Radchenko & Elmes, 2010 PDF: 266; Radchenko, 2016: 127.Records
(Map 12): Bulgaria ( Agosti and Collingwood 1987a , Seifert 1988a ); Stara Planina Mts ( Atanassov and Dlusskij 1992 ); Sofia Basin: Sofia ( Lapeva-Gjonova and Atanasova 2004 , Antonova 2005 , Antonova and Penev 2006 , 2008 ); surroundings of Sofia near Vladaya vill. ( Antonova and Penev 2006 , 2008 ); Vitosha Mt. ( Atanassov 1952 , Atanassov and Dlusskij 1992 ); Plana Mt.: Tsiganka peak (Pasarel vill.), Bukov dol loc. (Pasarel vill.), Pasarel vill., Alino vill., Turmachka neighbourhood (Plana vill.) ( Vagalinski and Lapeva-Gjonova in press ); Lozenska Planina Mt. near German monastery ( Antonova and Penev 2008 ); Krupnik-Sandanski-Petrich Valley: west of Petrich, around Mitino vill. ( Atanassov 1964 , Hubenov et al. 1998 ); Rila Mt. ( Atanassov and Dlusskij 1992 ); Pirin Mt. ( Atanassov and Dlusskij 1992 ): Rozhen vill. ( Seifert 2003a ); Rhodopi Mts ( Atanassov and Dlusskij 1992 ); Western Rhodopi Mts: Chepelare, Smolyan, Rakitovo ( Lapeva-Gjonova in press (a) ).
Myrmica schencki is a species of ant in the genus Myrmica.
Myrmica schencki is distributed across Europe (from Great Britain, Sweden, Finland in the North to Spain, Italy and the Balkans in the South), the Caucasus, Turkey, also in West Siberia, Kazakhstan, the Tien-Shan and Altai Mountains, and near Krasnoyarsk in East Siberia. It inhabits dry habitats in open areas and forests. Nests are found in the ground, occasionally in tussocks of grass or moss. Colonies are polygynous with up to 1000 workers. Recent research has shown that this species may partially feed on pollen – a phenomenon rarely documented in ants.
M. schencki is parasitized by Phengaris rebeli larvae, which release chemicals that trick the ants into believing that the butterfly larvae are ant larvae and should be brought back to the ant brood.[1] In the ant nest, the P. rebeli larvae and pupa are able to mimic the sound that the queen of the ant colony makes, causing the ants to preferentially feed the P. rebeli larvae over their own larvae.[2] While the workers are unable to distinguish the queen from the P. rebeli larvae and pupa, the queen begins to treat the P. rebeli larvae and pupa as rivals.[3] Less commonly, M. schecncki may also be parasitized by Phengaris arion.[4] Unlike P. rebeli, P. arion adopts more of a predatory relationship with the ants which is generally viewed as a less successful strategy.[5]
