Cardiocondyla fajumensis

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Cardiocondyla fajumensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Cardiocondyla
Species: C. fajumensis
Binomial name
Cardiocondyla fajumensis
Forel, 1913

Cardiocondyla fajumensis casent0249884 p 1 high.jpg

Cardiocondyla fajumensis casent0249884 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Synonyms

Nothing is known about the biology of Cardiocondyla fajumensis.

At a Glance • Limited invasive  

Identification

A member of the Cardiocondyla shuckardi group.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 31.198056° to 14°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Sudan, Yemen, Zimbabwe.
Palaearctic Region: Egypt (type locality), Iran.

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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.
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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.
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Biology

Explore-icon.png Explore Overview of Cardiocondyla biology 
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Castes

Images from AntWeb

Cardiocondyla fajumensis casent0249884 d 2 high.jpg
Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0249884. Photographer Shannon Hartman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Nomenclature

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

  • fajumensis. Cardiocondyla nuda var. fajumensis Forel, 1913d: 429 (q.) EGYPT.
    • Type-material: syntype queens (number not stated).
    • Type-locality: Egypt: Fayum (U. Sahlberg).
    • Type-depository: MHNG.
    • [Misspelled as fayumensis by Finzi, 1936: 171.]
    • Subspecies of nuda: Emery, 1922e: 126; Finzi, 1936: 171; Bolton, 1995b: 132.
    • Status as species: Seifert, 2003a: 260 (redescription); Paknia, et al. 2008: 153; Borowiec, L. 2014: 46.
    • Senior synonym of nilotica: Seifert, 2003a: 260.
    • Senior synonym of schatzmayri: Seifert, 2003a: 260.
    • Distribution: Cape Verde, Egypt, Iran, Sudan, Yemen.
  • nilotica. Cardiocondyla nilotica Weber, 1952a: 8, fig. 13 (w.) SUDAN.
    • Type-material: holotype worker.
    • Type-locality: Sudan (“Anglo-Egyptian Sudan”): White Nile R., Ed Dueim, 14°00’N, 2.vii.1939, no. 1234 (N.A. Weber).
    • Type-depository: MCZC.
    • Status as species: Bolton, 1982: 315; Bolton, 1995b: 132; Rigato, 2002: 172 (in key).
    • Junior synonym of fajumensis: Seifert, 2003a: 260.
  • schatzmayri. Cardiocondyla emeryi subsp. schatzmayri Finzi, 1936: 170, fig. 5 (w.q.) EGYPT, SUDAN.
    • Type-material: syntype workers, syntype queens (numbers not stated).
    • Type-localities: Egypt: Helwan, 2.iii.1933 (K. Koch), Egypt: Alexandria, 13.i.191933 (Schatzmayr & Koch), Egypt: Barrage, 3.ix.1933 (no collector’s name), Egypt: Kirdassah, 7.ix.1933 (W. Wittmer), Egypt: Atar El Nabi, 6.viii.1933 (W. Wittmer), Sudan: Wadi Halfa, 12.ii.1933 (A. Schatzmayr).
    • Type-depository: MCZC.
    • Subspecies of emeryi: Hamann & Klemm, 1967: 413; Bolton, 1995b: 133.
    • Junior synonym of fajumensis: Seifert, 2003a: 260.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Seifert (2003) - Large species, CS 594 ± 28. Head much elongated, CL/CW 1.205. Postocular distance large, PoOc/CL 0.445. Scape very long, SUCS 0.862. Eyes very small (EYE 0.211) and with fine setae of 7 - 13 mm length. Occipital margin straight. Paramedian area of vertex strongly reticulate, meshes with bicoronate foveolae of 19 - 21 mm diameter. Median area of vertex, frontal laminae, and clypeus longitudinally carinulate. Frontal carinae slightly converging immediately posterior of FRS level. Dorsal area of promesonotum moderately shining and weakly carinulate-reticulate. Propodeum and lateral area of mesosoma finely reticulate. Metanotal impression very deep. Spines reduced to blunt rectangular corners. Petiole with long peduncle and a massive node, dorsal profile evenly rounded in lateral view, as long as wide and circular in dorsal view. Postpetiole narrow and ventrally with 2 suggested paramedian, longitudinal carinae, PPW/CS 0.430. Head yellowish to dirty yellowish brown, mesosoma and waist yellowish, gaster dark to blackish brown. 1 worker from Yemen: Al Mahrah 1997.02.13-3376 with much darker colour, petiole node more produced caudad, much longer tergite pubescence, and stronger mesosomal sculpture than in Palaearctic conspecifics.

Queen

Seifert (2003) - Large species, CS 63 1 ± 1 7 . Head much elongated, CL/CW 1.185. Postocular index large, PoOc/CL 0.432. Occipital margin straight. Scape long, SUCS 0.815. Frontal carinae immediately caudal of FRS level parallel or slightly converging. Eyes with conspicuous hairs, longest hairs measuring 12 - 18 mm. Head sculpture comparable to worker, but foveolae (or meshes) with larger mean diameter, dFov 21 - 26 mm. Mesonotum and scutellum strongly longitudinally rugulose, with weak anastomosae. Propodeum reticulate; mesopleurae finely and metapleurae strongly longitudinally rugulose; pronotum and anepisternit rugulose with scattered foveolae. Spines reduced to obtusely angled corners. Petiole node as long as wide and circular in dorsal view. Postpetiole narrow, PPW/CS 0 .496, ventrally with 2 suggested paramedian, longitudinal carinae. Dorsal area of head posterior of level of antennal insertions dark brown, anterior of this light-orange brown. Mesosoma laterally, propodeum and waist light-orange brown to medium brown; mesonotum and scutellum often slightly darker. Gaster dark brown. Gynes from Yemen: Al Mahrah 1997.02.12-3366 in morphometry and most structural characters equal to type gynes and other Palaearctic conspecifics, but differing by darker colour, petiole node produced more caudad in lateral view, and dorsal mesosoma sculpture with the transverse component not weaker than the longitudinal one (i.e., clearly reticulate-foveolate).

Type Material

Seifert (2003) - Fajum /Egypt [types investigated]. 4 syntype gynes labelled “Cardiocondyla nuda var. fajumensis For., 9 type, Fajum (U.Sahlberg)”, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Bolton B. 1982. Afrotropical species of the myrmicine ant genera Cardiocondyla, Leptothorax, Melissotarsus, Messor and Cataulacus (Formicidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 45: 307-370.
  • Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
  • Finzi, B.. "Risultati scientifici della spedizione di S. A. S. il Principe Alessandro della Torre e Tasso nell'Egitto e peninsola del Sinai. XI. Formiche." Bulletin de la Société Entomologique d'Egypte 20 (1936): 155-210.
  • Forel, A.. "Fourmis de la faune méditerranéenne récoltées par MM. U. et J. Sahlberg." Revue Suisse de Zoologie 21 (1913): 427-438.
  • Hamann H. H. F., and W. Klemm W. 1967. Ergebnisse der zoologischen Nubien-Expedition 1962. Teil XXXIV. Hymenoptera - Formicidae. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien 70: 411-421.
  • Paknia O., A. Radchenko, H. Alipanah, and M. Pfeiffer. 2008. A preliminary checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Iran. Myrmecological News 11: 151-159.
  • Rigato F. 2002. Three new Afrotropical Cardiocondyla Emery, with a revised key to the workers (Hymenoptera Formicidae). Bollettino della Società Entomologica Italiana 134: 167-173.
  • Seifert B. 2003. The ant genus Cardiocondyla (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) - a taxonomic revision of the C. elegans, C. bulgarica, C. batesii, C. nuda, C. shuckardi, C. stambuloffii, C. wroughtonii, C. emeryi, and C. minutior species groups. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien. B, Botanik, Zoologie 104: 203-338.
  • Seifert, B.. "The ant genus Cardiocondyla (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) - a taxonomic revision of the C. elegans, C. bulgarica. C. batesii, C. nuda, C. shuckardi, C. stambuloffii, C. wroughtonii, C. emeryi, and C. minutior species groups." Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien 104B (2003): 203-338.