First Description of the Sexual Forms of Seven Himalayan Myrmica Species (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

В статье приведены первоописания самок семи и самцов четырех видов Myrmica. Эти виды были описаны по рабочим в период между 1865 и 1947 г. Все они составляют часть фауны мирмик, населяющих юго-западный макросклон Гималаев. Приведены рисунки, промеры и индексы описываемых форм, а также дано их сравнение с близкими видами.First descriptions of queens of seven of Myrmica ant species and males of four of these species are given. The species were first described between 1865 and 1947 from workers. They form part of the distinctive Himalayan Myrmica fauna that inhabit the south-western slopes of the Himalaya. Drawings, measurements and indices of the specimens are provided and the key characters that distinguish them from the other related Himalayan Myrmica species are noted

Conservation of co-evolved interactions: understanding the Maculinea–Myrmica complex

1. The six papers in this Special Issue of Insect Conservation and Diversity are presented as a gedenkschrift honouring ground‐breaking contributions made by the late Graham Elmes towards understanding the biology of Myrmica ants and their social parasites. 2. A common theme is that each research paper contributes new knowledge applicable to the future survival of Maculinea (= Phengaris) species of butterflies, which have become flagships for insect conservation across Europe. All Maculinea species are highly specialised, with larvae that feed briefly on a specific foodplant before living underground for 11–23 months as social parasites of Myrmica colonies. 3. This introductory overview provides a brief history of the research that has led to the current collection, with emphasis on Graham Elmes' life and work. It is followed by three research papers that illustrate the diversity, socio‐biology and ecology of Myrmica ants. A fourth describes an extreme adaptation that increases the efficiency with which some populations of Maculinea larvae exploit the resources within Myrmica nests. A fifth, more theoretical, paper models the constraints that typically lead to host specificity among social parasites and explores why host switches are rare and quick

Multiple host use and the dynamics of host switching in host–parasite systems

1. The link between multi-host use and host switching in host–parasite interactions is a continuing area of debate. Lycaenid butterflies in the genus Maculinea, for example, exploit societies of different Myrmica ant species across their ranges, but there is only rare evidence that they simultaneously utilise multiple hosts at a local site, even where alternative hosts are present. 2. We present a simple population-genetic model accounting for the proportion of two alternative hosts and the fitness of parasite genotypes on each host. In agreement with standard models, we conclude that simultaneous host use is possible whenever fitness of heterozygotes on alternative hosts is not too low. 3. We specifically focus on host-shifting dynamics when the frequency of hosts changes. We find that (i) host shifting may proceed so rapidly that multiple host use is unlikely to be observed, (ii) back and forth transition in host use can exhibit a hysteresis loop, (iii) the parasites’ host use may not be proportional to local host frequencies and be restricted to the rarer host under some conditions, and (iv) that a substantial decline in parasite abundance may typically precede a shift in host use. 4. We conclude that focusing not just on possible equilibrium conditions but also considering the dynamics of host shifting in non-equilibrium situations may provide added insights into host–parasite systems

First Description of the Female of Myrmica ritae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), With Some Notes on the ritae Group

The first known female of Myrmica ritae Emery is described and compared with the other known females of the ritae complex (M. serica Wheeler, M. indica Weber and M. gigantea (Collingwood). It differs from all three species bystraight (not sinuous) longitudinal ragae on the head dorsum, a shorter head and by relatively longer propodeal spines. M. rigatoi Radchenko et Elmes is proposed to be excluded from ritae group. Some new localities are added to the distribution of M. gigantea and M. urbanii Radchenko et Elmes.Впервые описана самка Myrmica ritae Emeryи проведено ее сравнение с другими известными самками видов из комплекса ritae (Она отличается от самок выше указанных видов прямыми, не волнистыми продольными морщинками на голове, более короткой головой и сравнительно более длинными шипами проподеума

Ten New Species of Myrmica (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from the Himalaya

Ten new species discovered among collections examined in the course of a taxonomic revision of the Myrmica species of the Himalaya and the adjacent mountain regions of India and Pakistan are described: Myrmica brancuccii, M. villosa, M. vittata, M. williamsi, M. nitida, M. wittmeri, M. wardi, M. ordinaria, M. rhytida and M. petita. They belong to several quite different complexes of species of the genus Myrmica, but clearly differ from each other and all previously described forms. Distinctions of each species and data on their ecology are given.В статье приведено описание 10 новых для науки видов Myrmica, собранных в Гималаях и прилежащих горных системах Индии и Пакистана. Описаны: Myrmica brancuccii, M. villosa, M. vittata, M. williamsi, M. nitida, M. wittmeri, M. wardi, M. ordinaria, M. rhytida and M. petita. Они относятся к нескольким довольно различным комплексам видов рода Myrmica, и четко отличаются как друг от друга, так и от всех ранее описанных форм. Приведены отличия нового вила от близких видов и все имеющиеся данные об их экологии