First record of ergatandromorphous Temnothorax turcicus (Santschi, 1934) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Slovakia

Abstract

Various morphological malformations have always attracted the attention of naturalists. One of the iconic ones is gynandromorphy, in which an individual shows both male and female traits. Although this phenomenon is considered common across the insect kingdom, the level of scientific knowledge is still poor in ants – one of the most studied groups of arthropods. In this study, we present the discovery of a worker ant [of the rare thermophilic species Temnothorax turcicus (Santschi, 1934)] from the territory of Slovakia, part of whose head bears the characteristics of a male. Observations of a live individual affected in this way were also made. Additionally, the location where this specimen was found is currently the northernmost known distribution point of this species in Europe.