Temnothorax eburneipes

Temnothorax eburneipes (WHEELER, 1927) (Figs 28, 29) Leptothorax congruus var. eburneipes WHEELER, 1927, workers, China, Kuliang near Kiu-Kiang (Gee). Leptothorax eburneipes: WHEELER, 1929: 8 [raised to species rank]; BOLTON, 1995: 238; RADCHENKO, 1996: 17. Temnothorax eburneipes: BOLTON, 2003: 271. Material examined: 3 workers, syntypes, “Kuliang near Kiu-Kiang, China, N. Gist Gee ”, “ M.C.Z. Type 1–9 22618”, “ Syntypes Leptothorax congruus var. eburneipes Wheeler ” (MCZ); non-type material: more than one hundred workers and 9 queens from North Korea. Distribution. China, North Korea. Ecology. Semixerophilous species. In North Korea it lives mostly in a lower altitude, up to 500 m a.s.l., where it inhabits mainly open, relatively dry grasslands with sandy or stony soil, shrubs, rarely found in young, sparse forests (pine, oak, maple). In Myohyang Mts it inhabits also mountain meadows up to 900 m a.s.l. Notes. T. eburneipes is most similar to T. taivanensis (WHEELER) and differs from it by the shape of the petiole, which is shorter, with relatively short anterior peduncle (PI <1.40), and with a very weakly concave anterior face (in T. taivanensis the petiole is much longer, with very long anterior peduncle, PI> 1.60, and a strongly concave anterior face; Figs 29 and 37); distinctly longer propodeal spines (ESLI = 0.49–0.52 vs. ESLI = 0.40), and by the sculpture of head and alitrunk. In T. eburneipes the frons is finely longitudinally striated laterally and smooth in the middle; the lateral parts of the head dorsum reticulate, but surface appears shiny; the sides of alitrunk finely striated and partially punctate, appears shiny. In T. taivanensis the sides of the alitrunk and the head dorsum are quite coarsely longitudinally rugose, surface between the rugae very finely superficially punctate, but on the alitrunk smooth and shiny (Figs 28, 29, 36 and 37). T. eburneipes differs from T. spinosior FOREL by relatively longer propodeal spines (ESLI = 0.49–0.52 vs. 0.36–0.41) and by the higher petiole with a narrowly rounded, less massive petiolar node dorsum (PI <1.40 vs. > 1.50) (Figs 29 and 35). The possible relation of this species with some newly described Japanese ants (T. anira, T. antera and T. macora; TERAYAMA & ONOYAMA, 1999) needs investigations of the type material.