Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 97. (Budapest 2005)

Csősz, S. ; Markó, B.: European ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the ant collection of the Natural History Museum of Sibiu (HermannstadtNagyszeben), Romania II. Subfamily Formicinae

(FÖRSTER 1850). A single queen was collected from Sibiu city in 1925. It is a Western Palaearctic species, reported from several Central and Eastern European countries, and also from Southern Sweden. Generally little is known about its distribution, the data are very sporadic. Consequently, there is little information on its biology. It is an oligotopic species of deciduous forests, nesting in rotting logs and dead parts of living trees, and it has a hypogaeic life style tending root aphids. The colonies are founded by temporary parasitism of Lasius s. str. colonies, but the exact host is not known (CZECHOWSKI et al. 2002, SCHLICKSTEINER et al. 2003). Some other interesting or rare species were also identified. Thus Myrmica hellenica FOREL, 1913 is mentioned for the second time for Romania. The presence of Prenolepis nitens (MAYR 1852) around Sibiu city is also worth mentioning. These are the first reliable records on the presence of this species in Transylvania. Formica nigricans EMERY, 1909 is one of the disputed Formica s. str. species, which is the sister species of F. pratenis RETZIUS, 1783. Though currently it is not handled as separate species, the gynes and males have such eloquent differential characters (KUTTER 1977, COLLINGWOOD 1979) that its state should be elucidated or reconsidered. PARASCHIVESCU (1978) 1 + + 1 as Formica truncicola + + as Cataglyphis bicolor + oo Other European countries 1 1 Bulgaria 1 1 Hungary Serbia, Hungary Bulgaria, Hungary Hungary O m Ro + + + + + + + 1 + oo VO ii H + + + + + + + 1 in NO tJ3 + + + 1 + + ! 1 m Species 78. Formica polyctena FÖRSTER, 1850 79. Formica rufa LINNAEUS, 1758 80. Formica pratensis RETZIUS, 1783 81. Formica nigricans EMERY, 1909 82. Formica truncorum FABRICIUS, 1804 83. Formica sanguinea LATREILLE, 1798 84. Polyergus rufescens (LATREILLE, 1798) 85. Cataglyphis nodus (BRULLÉ, 1832) 86. Cataglyphis aenescens (NYLANDER, 1849) Total Table 1 (continued)