The subterranean ant Strumigenys argiola (Insecta, Formicidae) newly reported from South Tyrol, Italy

Strumigenys argiola (Emery, 1869) is reported for the first time from South Tyrol. Several gynes were captured using pitfall traps and workers were collected with the Berlese method from soil core samples. The records originated from five different sites and we consider the species as likely occurring in a wider area of low altitudes in the Adige/Etsch valley. It is possible that the species has extended its distribution northwards colonizing the region more recently. The fact that the sites of record were all human-made (one river dam, one recently abandoned and one managed vineyard) underlines the potential of this cryptic and subterranean species to colonize also anthropogenically influenced sites.