Losing a non-native, gaining an endemic: Description of Camponotus (Myrmentoma) limbouros sp. nov. (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Cyprus.

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) limbourossp. nov., showing morphological and genetic affinities with the subgenus Myrmentoma Forel, 1912 in our COI barcode tree.