4 NEW SPECIES OF THE GENUS LEPTANILLA (HYMENOPTERA, FORMICIDAE) FROM SPAIN - RELATIONSHIPS TO OTHER SPECIES AND ECOLOGICAL ISSUES

Four new Leptanilla species from the Iberian Peninsula and North of Af rica are described in this paper: L. zaballosi, L. charonea, L. pluton ia, and L. ortunoi. Within the Mediterranean species, L. nana and L re velierei are related to L. zaballosi and L. charonea, whilst L. theryi is the closer species to L plutonia, and L. ortunoi. Some new morphol ogical traits have been successfully used in the comparison of these s pecies: tentorium, madibular setae, last antennal segment, katepistemu m, basitarsus of fore legs, shape of femora, and sting. They are propo sed as useful traits for the taxonomy of the genus. Other controversia l traits (such as head spots and tibial spurs) are studied, and their taxonomical relevance is analyzed. A morphometrical Cluster Analysis p erformed with measurements from most of the known worker-based Leptani lla species showed 3 groups of species. These groups include small, me dium and large sized species. There is no kind of geographical groupin g in this ordination. Finally, the large quantity of specimens found a nd the high frequency of these findings is extensively discussed in th e context of the collection methods employed and the biotopes surveyed , which are not common in entomological surveys.