Rank elevation in two European ant species: Myrmica lobulicornis Nylander, 1857, stat.n. and Myrmica spinosior Santschi, 1931, stat.n. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

Elevation to species level is performed for Myrmica lobicornis var. lobulicornis NYLANDER, 1857 and Myrmica sabuleti var. spinosior SANTSCHI, 1931. Myrmica lobulicornis is established as senior synonym of M. arduennae var. pyrenaea BONDROIT, 1918, M. lobicornis ssp. alpina STÄRCKE, 1927, and M. lobicornis ssp. apennina STÄRCKE, 1927; and M. lobicornis NYLANDER, 1846, as senior synonym of M. lobicornis ssp. arduennae BONDROIT, 1911, M. lobicornis lobicornis var. lissahorensis STÄRCKE, 1927, M. lobicornis ssp. angustifrons STÄRCKE, 1927, and M. lobicornis st. foreli SANTSCHI, 1931. The use of standardized morphometrics and discriminant functions enabled a safe allocation of any nest sample including the type samples to M. lobulicornis, M. lobicornis and M. wesmaeli BONDROIT, 1918 with an error probability of p < 0.0007. The discrimination between M. sabuleti and M. spinosior was possible in 99 % of 133 nest samples with p < 0.007. The type sample of M. spinosior was allocated with an error probability of p = 0.006. Comparative morphometric and zoogeographical data of the six European species of the M. lobicornis and M. sabuleti complex are given.