BIODIVERSITY AND VARIATION IN SPECIES OF THE GENUS MESSOR FOREL, 1890 (HYMENOPTERA, FORMICIDAE) IN THE MEDITERRANEAN PART OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Abstract

UDK: 595.796:591.134(497.6) Faunistic analysis of the ants in the Mediterranean part of Bosnia and Herzegovina has identified three species of the genus Messor Forel, 1890: M. capitatus (Latreille, 1798), M. structor (Latreille, 1798) and M. wasmanni Krausse, 1910. Morphometric analysis of the variability of the worker caste belonging to species of the genus Messor Forel, 1890 in the area of Bosnia and Herzegovina was carried out based on 15 morphometric characters. The analysis of characters provided the description of the local population species: Messor capitatus (Latreille, 1798), M. wasmanni Krausse, 1910 and M. structor (Latreille, 1798). The multivariate method, discriminant function analysis established that postpetiole width provides the greatest contribution to interspecies variation. Classification matrices indicate that percentage of correctly classified individuals between three analysed species is 97,3%.