Integrative description of Temnothorax siciliensis sp. n.: a new ant species endemic to Sicily, Italy (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

The mostly Holarctic genus Temnothorax (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) is the most diverse ant genus in temperate regions. The Mediterranean, a biodiversity hotspot of rare ant species, hosts over 150 Temnothorax taxa, including several short-range endemics. Over the last few years, phylogenomic reconstructions and integrative taxonomy have sig-nificantly improved the understanding of global Temnothorax diversity but much work taxonomic work is still needed in the Mediterranean region. Here we present the inte-grative description of a new species of the genus, apparently endemic to the central Mediterranean island of Sicily: Temnothorax siciliensis sp. n. is defined and compared to congeneric species integrating morphometrics and phylogenomics. It is a ground-nesting, lowland species, whose workers were regularly observed foraging on bushes and small trees. In the global phylogeny, it belongs to the Palearctic clade and is related to T. nigriceps. Morphological separation from other Sicilian Temnothorax species can generally be achieved on qualitative characters, but we also provide morphometric discriminant functions to separate it from T. apenninicus and especially T. unifasciatus. Temnothorax siciliensis has been rarely collected but appears to be widespread in Sicily.