Aphaenogaster mauritanica

Aphaenogaster mauritanica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Aphaenogaster
Species group:	gibbosa
Species:	A. mauritanica
Binomial name
Aphaenogaster mauritanica Dalla Torre, 1893 Specimen Labels
Synonyms
Aphaenogaster foreli Cagniant, 1995 Aphaenogaster gibbosa homonyma Emery, 1921

Identification

A member of the Aphaenogaster gibbosa-group.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Aphaenogaster gibbosa group workers

Distribution

Schifani & Alicata (2023) - The Maghrebian populations of the pallida group hitherto considered to represent Aphaenogaster foreli should be attributed to Aphaenogaster dulcineae.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 35.789167° to 31.216667°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Algeria, Morocco (type locality), Tunisia (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.

Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

• mauritanica. Aphaenogaster striola var. mauritanica Dalla Torre, 1893: 105.
  • [First available use of Aphaenogaster subterraneus r. striola var. mauritanicus Emery, 1891b: 8 (w.) TUNISIA; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name.]
  • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
  • Type-localities: Algeria: Souk Ahras. (A. Forel), Algeria: Duvivier, 1600 m. (A. Forel).
  • Type-depository: MSNG (perhaps also MHNG).
  • Santschi, 1911i: 284 (m.); Santschi, 1932d: 342 (q.).
  • Combination in Aphaenogaster (Attomyrma): Emery, 1921f: 58.
  • As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Emery, 1908c: 334.
  • Subspecies of striola: Forel, 1894d: 28; Dalla Torre, 1893: 105.
  • Subspecies of gibbosa: Forel, 1907e: 15; Forel, 1909e: 377; Santschi, 1911i: 284; Karavaiev, 1912a: 5; Emery, 1921f: 58; Santschi, 1932d: 341; Santschi, 1936c: 200; Bernard, 1945: 131; Bolton, 1995b: 71.
  • Status as species: Cagniant, 1996a: 75; Cagniant, 2006a: 196; Borowiec, L. 2014: 14; Salata & Borowiec, 2018a: 14 (in key); Schifani & Alicata, 2023: 60.
  • Senior synonym of foreli: Schifani & Alicata, 2023: 60.
  • Senior synonym of homonyma: Schifani & Alicata, 2023: 60.
  • Distribution: Algeria, France, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia.
• foreli. Aphaenogaster foreli Cagniant, 1996a: 68, 74 (w.) ALGERIA.
  • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
  • Type-locality: Algeria: Souk Ahras, and Duvivier (= Bouchegouf), iii.-iv.1889 (A. Forel).
  • [Note: Cagniant, 1996a: 74, nominated this taxon for specimens of striola subterraneoides Emery, sensu Forel, 1890: lxxi, misidentification. They are the same specimens that Emery, 1921f: 58, used for his name homonyma, which has priority; therefore foreli is automatically a junior synonym of homonyma.]
  • Type-depository: MHNG.
  • Status as species: Cagniant, 2006a: 196; Borowiec, L. 2014: 12.
  • Junior synonym of mauritanica: Schifani & Alicata, 2023: 60.
• homonyma. Aphaenogaster (Attomyrma) gibbosa var. homonyma Emery, 1921f: 58 (w.) TUNISIA.
  • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
  • Type-localities: Algeria: Souk Ahras, iii.-iv.1889 (A. Forel), Algeria: Duvivier (= Bouchegouf), iii.-iv.1889 (A. Forel).
  • [Note: the taxon homonyma is based on specimens of striola subterraneoides Emery, sensu Forel, 1890: lxxi, misidentification. They are the same specimens that Cagniant, 1996a: 74, used for his name foreli; therefore homonyma has priority and is automatically the senior synonym of foreli.]
  • Type-depository: MHNG.
  • Subspecies of gibbosa: Bolton, 1995b: 70; Salata & Borowiec, 2018a: 14 (in key).
  • Status as species (as foreli): Cagniant, 2006a: 196; Borowiec, L. 2014: 12.
  • Junior synonym of mauritanica: Schifani & Alicata, 2023: 60.

References

• Abdi-Hamecha, L., Barech, G., Khaldi, M., Sadoudi, D. A.-A., Salem, S., Zazgad, I., Cagniant, H. 2021. Diversité des fourmis (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) dans la forêt de Yakouren (Algérie) : Estimation de la richesse, biogéographie et taxonomie. Revue Suisse de Zoologie, 128(1), 61-72 (doi:10.35929/rsz.0035).
• Bolton, B. 1995b. A new general catalogue of the ants of the world. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 504 pp. (page 71, catalogue)
• Borowiec, L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
• Cagniant, H. 1996a. Les Aphaenogaster du Maroc (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): clé et catalogue des espèces. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Fr. (N.S.) 32: 67-85 (page 75, Raised to species)
• Dalla Torre, K. W. von. 1893. Catalogus Hymenopterorum hucusque descriptorum systematicus et synonymicus. Vol. 7. Formicidae (Heterogyna). Leipzig: W. Engelmann, 289 pp. (page 105, worker described)
• Emery, C. 1891c. Exploration scientifique de la Tunisie. Zoologie. - Hyménoptères. Révision critique des fourmis de la Tunisie. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, iii + 21 pp. (page 8, First available use of Aphaenogaster subterraneus r. striola var. mauritanicus; unavailable name.)
• Emery, C. 1908d. Beiträge zur Monographie der Formiciden des paläarktischen Faunengebietes. (Hym.) (Fortsetzung.) III. Die mit Aphaenogaster verwandte Gattungengruppe. Dtsch. Entomol. Z. 1908: 305-338 (page 334, Variety/stirps of gibbosa)
• Salata, S., Borowiec, L. 2018. Redescription of Aphaenogaster muschtaidica Emery, 1908 with a key to gibbosa species group. Asian Myrmecology 10, e010002, pp. 1-15 (DOI 10.20362/am.010002).
• Santschi, F. 1911i. Formicides de diverses provenances. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 55: 278-287 (page 284, male described)
• Santschi, F. 1932f. Études sur quelques Attomyrma paléarctiques. Mitt. Schweiz. Entomol. Ges. 15: 338-346 (page 341, Variety/stirps of gibbosa)
• Santschi, F. 1932f. Études sur quelques Attomyrma paléarctiques. Mitt. Schweiz. Entomol. Ges. 15: 338-346 (page 342, queen described)
• Schifani, E., Alicata, A. 2023. Nomenclatural changes on some Mediterranean Aphaenogaster Mayr, 1853 taxa (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Zootaxa, 5277(1), 59–70 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5277.1.2).
• Schifani, E., Alicata, A., Menchetti, M., Borowiec, L., Fisher, B.L., Karaman, C., Kiran, K., Oueslati, W., Salata, S., Blatrix, R. 2022. Revisiting the morphological species groups of West-Palearctic Aphaenogaster ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) under a phylogenetic perspective: toward an evolutionary classification. Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny 80, 627–648 (doi:10.3897/asp.80.e84428).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
• Cagniant H. 1996. Les Aphaenogaster du Maroc (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): clé et catalogue des espèces. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Fr. (N.S.) 32: 67-85.
• Cagniant, H. "Liste actualisee des fourmis du Maroc (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8 (2006): 193-200.
• Forel A. 1907. Formiciden aus dem Naturhistorischen Museum in Hamburg. II. Teil. Neueingänge seit 1900. Mitt. Naturhist. Mus. Hambg. 24: 1-20.
• Forel A. 1909. Études myrmécologiques en 1909. Fourmis de Barbarie et de Ceylan. Nidification des Polyrhachis. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 45: 369-407.
• Forel, A. "Les Formicides de la Province d'Oran (Algérie)." Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles 30 (1894): 1-45.
• IZIKO South Africa Museum Collection
• Karavaiev V. 1912. Ameisen aus Tunesien und Algerien, nebst einigen unterwegs in Italien gesammelten Arten. Rus. Entomol. Obozr. 12: 1-22.
• Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2018. Redescription of Aphaenogaster muschtaidica Emery, 1908 with a key to gibbosa species group. Asian Myrmecology 10: e010002
• Santschi, F. 1911. Formicides de diverses provenances. Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 55: 278-287
• Santschi, F. 1932. Etudes sur quelques Attomyrma paléarctiques. Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft 15: 338-346.
• Santschi, F. "Liste et descriptions de fourmis du Maroc." Bulletin de la Société des Sciences Naturalles du Maroc 16 (1936): 198-210.
• Taheri A., J. Reyes-Lopez, and N. Bennas. 2014. Contribution a l'etude de la fauna myrmecologique du parc national de Talassemtane (nord du Maroc): biodiversite, biogeographie et especes indicatrices. Boletín de la Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa (S.E.A.), 54: 225–236.