Lech Borowiec

The ever-growing movement of people and goods across the world has resulted in the translocation of tens of thousands of species outside their native ranges, including more than 500 species of ants. However, the native ranges of some non-native species are still unclear and further research using molecular tools is needed. Situated in the Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus hosts a high percentage of both endemic and non-native ant taxa, with the latter species posing a threat to this native biodiversity, society, and the economy. The lack of up-to-date taxonomic revisions for many genera and knowledge gaps regarding the myrmecofauna of Western Asia and the Middle East pose challenges for the identification of some taxa, including a previously reported morphospecies labelled Camponotus cf. vitiosus from Cyprus and flagged as a potential non-native species. Here, we morphologically and molecularly (using COI barcoding) examine specimens of C. cf. vitiosus , comparing them with specimens of the nominal species from its native range as well as other Camponotus spp. Our re-examination reveals a new endemic species Camponotus (Myrmentoma) limbouros sp. nov ., showing morphological and genetic affinities with the subgenus Myrmentoma Forel, 1912 in our COI barcode tree.

The myrmecological inventory of ten nature reserves (Buczyna Storczykowa na Białych Skałach, Buki Sudeckie, Góra Miłek, Mszana i Obłoga, Nad Groblą, Ostrzyca Proboszczowicka, Wąwóz Lipa, Wąwóz Myśliborski koło Jawora, Wąwóz Siedmicki, and Wilcza Góra) located in the Kaczawskie Mountains and Foothills revealed 31 ant species. Four species have been recorded in the Western Sudetes for the first time: Formicoxenus nitidulus (Nylander, 1846), Lasius emarginatus (Olivier, 1792), Ponera coartata (Latreille, 1802), and Temnothorax parvulus (Schenck, 1852).

A taxonomic revision of the Temnothorax bulgaricus species-group from the Aegean Region revealed that it consists of five species. Temnothorax mersinensis sp. nov., from Mersin Province of Türkiye, is described based on the morphological and morphometrical evidence. Temnothorax caucasicus (Arnoldi, 1977) bona species is restored from synonymy of Temnothorax nadigi (Kutter, 1925). Redescriptions of Temnothorax bulgaricus (Forel, 1892), T. caucasicus, and T. nadigi are provided. The lectotype of Temnothorax cypridis (Santschi, 1930) is designated. We also provide a key to the T. bulgaricus species-group, and each species is supplemented with photographic documentation. Temnothorax nadigi is recorded from Greece for the first time.

The genus Messor Forel, 1890 currently comprises 171 valid species and subspecies, with highest diversity in the Mediterranean and Central Asia. Greece hosts at least 16 species, although the taxonomic status of some needs to be further investigated. Amongst these, six species are island endemics, either restricted to a single Aegean island or distributed across several islands in the archipelago. Despite recent studies on the harvester ants of Greece, the case of Messor antennatus fodorii Röszler, 1942, remained unresolved amongst Greek representatives. This enigmatic harvester ant was first collected almost a century ago, in 1935, from Chios Island, situated in the northeastern part of the Aegean Sea. The lack of both a type and additional material has led to its exclusion from checklists and identification keys, leaving its status as uncertain. From April 24th to May 5th 2025, we conducted field surveys in Chios, Oinousses and Psara islands to investigate the presence and taxonomic status of M. antennatus fodorii. Upon investigation, the harvester ant is raised to the species level Messor fodorii Röszler, 1942 stat. nov., designating a neotype, providing a re-description, a morphometric comparison of species in the M. hellenius complex, ecological notes and an updated identification key to Greek representatives of the Messor hellenius species complex.

DNA barcode reference libraries provide useful tools for specimen identification, highlighting potential new species and detecting introduced ones. Here, we present a comprehensive DNA barcode library for European ants and, in order to tackle the Linnean, Wallacean and Darwinian shortfalls of this group, we provide an updated checklist, distribution data, mitochondrial genetic diversity maps and mitochondrial gene trees. The European ant fauna is here established to include 55 genera and 650 species (587 of which are native), including one species newly recorded for Europe and novel citations for 26 species from 11 countries. Our genetic dataset includes 6530 georeferenced COI sequences (62.1% d e novo ) for 506 species (77.8%) across all genera. On average, 12.9 sequences were obtained per species, and 209 species were sequenced for the first time. We generated intra‐ and interspecific genetic distance estimates, 52 genus‐level trees, mitochondrial genetic diversity and specimen maps for 384 species, as well as haplotype networks for 289 species, available in the Atlas V1.0 ‘The Mitochondrial Genetic Diversity Maps of European Ants’. We estimate that 56.3% of European ants are monophyletic with respect to the COI gene and can be unambiguously identified by DNA barcoding, though performance varies widely among genera. We observed moderate levels of barcode sharing (19.3%) and of barcode gap presence (47.6%), as well as high levels of intraspecific divergences (up to 17.9%). These findings likely reflect both biological and operational factors and highlight the existence of potential cryptic taxa and the need for taxonomic revisions. The framework presented here aims to facilitate future research, species discovery and conservation of European ants.

A new ant species, Messor odrysarum sp. nov ., of the Messor structor species group, is described based on worker, gyne and male castes collected in Eastern Rhodopes, Bulgaria. The description is supported by the morphology of all castes and COI barcoding. Both the morphological traits and COI sequence data indicate that the new species is closely related to Messor oertzeni Forel, 1910, a species restricted to the eastern Balkans and Anatolia. Furthermore, the little-known gyne of M. oertzeni was redescribed based on a specimen collected in Bulgaria. The new data increases the number of Messor species known from Bulgaria to nine, for which an updated key is provided.

The Akrotiri UK Sovereign Base Area (UK SBA) is located at the southernmost point of the island of Cyprus and is considered a biodiversity hotspot for migrating birds. It includes the largest complex of wetlands and designated RAMSAR sites of the island. In the framework of Darwin Plus project DPLUS200 we surveyed the ant biodiversity of Akrotiri SBA. Results of this study include the collection and identification of more than 6,000 specimens belonging to a total of 52 taxa, amounting to 59% of the 88 species of ants currently known from the island. Amongst these, Tetramorium anatolicum, is recorded for the first time from the island of Cyprus, while the morphospecies Lepisiota cf. melas, Solenopsis cf. santschii and Tetramorium cf. staerckei are also reported for the first time despite some uncertainty over their identification. Despite its small size (123 km2), the Akrotiri SBA is shown as a diverse area, hosting a large number of both “rare” and endemic ant taxa. Nevertheless, the collection of eight non-native species, including the first report of established populations of Wasmannia auropunctata, is concerning given the conservation status of the region. The biodiversity and distribution of species is further discussed alongside notes on the management of selected invasive species, i.e. Wasmannia auropunctata, and conservation of endemic species e.g. Oxyopomyrmex pygmalioni.

Despite ongoing efforts to catalogue European ant species, studies focusing on the genetic diversity of Balkan ants remain limited. An integrative approach combining morphology, genetics, ecology and biogeography is preferable for accurately identifying species and resolving taxonomic uncertainties, particularly amongst challenging insect taxa, such as the ants in the genus Messor (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). In this study, we analyse ants of the genus Messor using DNA barcode sequences, with a particular focus on the Bulgarian fauna. A total of 85 COI sequences were examined, including 84 from Messor specimens and one from Aphaenogaster , which was used as an outgroup. Of these, 81 sequences were newly generated, while four were retrieved from GenBank. The majority of specimens were collected in Bulgaria (61), with additional samples from Greece (13), Türkiye (4), Albania (1) and North Macedonia (2), providing broader genetic and geographic representation. Althogether, 11 Messor morphospecies were identified, based on specimens used for molecular analysis. To assess the degree of congruence between morphological and molecular data, six species delimitation analyses were conducted: RESL, GMYC, ASAP, ABGD, bPTP and mPTP. In addition, haplotype network analysis of all sequences identified 35 distinct and coherently clustered haplotypes, providing insights into genetic diversity. The COI barcode region successfully distinguished Messor wasmanni Krausse, 1910, M. oertzeni Forel, 1910 and M. ibericus Santschi, 1931. In contrast, species pairs, such as M. atanassovii Atanassov, 1982 and M. creticus Salata & Borowiec, 2019, as well as M. ponticus Steiner et al., 2018 and M. hellenius Agosti & Collingwood, 1987, could not be reliably differentiated using COI data. Furthermore, Messor structor (Latreille, 1798) showed high intraspecific genetic diversity. Finally, the structor and instabilis species groups were recovered with moderate to high support in both Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference analyses, confirming that M. oertzeni and M. hellenius belong to the structor group. Our results provide a reference for future research and underscore the value of integrative taxonomic approaches in ant biodiversity studies.

A review of the members of the Temnothorax kemali species-group revealed that it consists of two species: T. kemali (Santschi, 1934) widespread in the lowlands and highlands of the Aegean Region and western Anatolia, and T. guzel sp. nov. known from alpine habitats of Kütahya in Türkiye. A detailed description of both species, supplemented with rich photographic documentation and comments on their ecology, as well as a key to the T. kemali species-group are given.

Citizen science has become more popular over the past few decades, aided by advancements in smartphone technologies and web platforms to build a community. Nevertheless, taxa that are difficult to identify and/or minute in size are often neglected. In this study, students of the rural Asomatos primary school (Limassol, Cyprus) were given ant collection kits and asked to collect specimens inside their houses within one or two weeks from the 3rd to the 16th of November 2023. Upon inspection, the native Lepisiota cf. nigra and Tetramorium schmidti Forel, 1904 are recorded for the first time from the island. A single peculiar specimen of Pheidole Westwood, 1839, was recorded indoors next to a plant nursery. As such, the plant nursery was surveyed, providing additional samples identified as Pheidole parva Mayr, 1865. Specimens from Cyprus previously identified as Pheidole fadli Sharaf, 2007, were re-examined, assigning them to P. parva. Additionally, a single specimen of Monomorium exiguum Forel, 1894 was also collected. Both alien species were most probably introduced through the horticultural pathway. This article presents the first records of the alien M. exiguum and P. parva from the island, correcting previous records and highlighting the importance of citizen science in detecting and mapping the distribution of alien and native species.