Cardiocondyla melana

Cardiocondyla melana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Cardiocondyla
Species:	C. melana
Binomial name
Cardiocondyla melana Seifert, 2003 Specimen Labels

Workers were collected from the soil in an isolated date farm (Saudi Arabia).

Identification

Seifert (2003) - A member of the Cardiocondyla shuckardi group. Cardiocondyla melana differs from the closely related SE African Cardiocondyla shuckardi by non-overlapping CL/CW data and a much more slender postpetiole.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Holartic Cardiocondyla

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia, Yemen (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.

• melana. Cardiocondyla melana Seifert, 2003a: 259, fig. 41 (w.) YEMEN.
  • Type-material: holotype worker, 10 paratype workers.
  • Type-locality: holotype Yemen: Sana’a, 1991 (no collector’s name); paratypes: 1 worker with same data, 9 workers Yemen: Sana’a, 21.ix.1991, Sana’a, x.1991, Yemen: Al Mahwit, vi.1991, Al Mahwit, ix.1991, Al Mahwit, 1991, Al Mahwit, 1993, Yemen: Wadi Surdad, 1993, Yemen: Hasta, x.1992.
  • Type-depository: SMNG.
  • Status as species: Borowiec, L. 2014: 47; Sharaf, Salman & Aldawood, 2023: 202.
  • Distribution: Saudi Arabia, Yemen.

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

Description

Worker

Head much elongated, CL/CW 1.250. Anteromedian clypeal margin and median occipital margin straight or slightly concave. Postocular distance very large, PoOc/CL 0.462. Scape of medium length, SL/CS 0.816. Eye small, EYE 0.221. Lateral area of clypeus with few longitudinal curved carinulae and semierect pubescence. Frontal carinae immediately caudal of FRS level parallel. Sculpture on dorsal area of head variable in strength, but overall impression of vertex even in specimens with stronger sculpture still shining. Frontal laminae and vertex caudally of them strongly to weakly longitudinally carinulate. Foveolae on lateral vertex always flat and, in more strongly-sculptured specimens, embedded within longitudinal rugulae. Promesonotum and waist smooth and shining, with fragmentaric rugulae. Dorsal area of propodeum shining but rugulose-microreticulate. Meso- and metapleuron and propodeum laterally reticulate. Petiole node slightly wider than long. Ventral postpetiole with 2 very shallow paramedian, longitudinal carinae or elongated bulbs, in dorsal view with straight anterior margin and convex sides. Metanotal depression with shallow slopes and less deep than in Cardiocondyla fajumensis. Spines reduced to blunt angles. Whole body dark to blackish brown.

Type Material

Holotype worker and 1 paratype worker, labelled “YEMEN: Sana'a 1991”; further 9 paratype workers labelled “YEMEN: Sana'a 1991.09.21”, “YEMEN: Sana'a 1991.10”, “YEMEN: Al Mahwit 1991.06”, “YEMEN: Al Mahwit 1991.09”, “YEMEN: Al Mahwit 1991”, “YEMEN: Al Mahwit 1993”, “YEMEN: Wadi Surdad 1993”, “YEMEN: Hasta 1992.10” (all stored in Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz).

References

• 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 Serie B Botanik und Zoologie. 104:203-338. (page 259, fig. 41 worker described)
• Borowiec, L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
• Seifert, B. 2022. The ant genus Cardiocondyla (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): The species groups with Oriental and Australasian origin. Diversity 15, 25 (doi:10.3390/d15010025).
• Sharaf, M.R., Al Dhafer, H.M., Abdel-Dayem, M.S., Aldawood, A.S. 2024. Cardiocondyla hashemi sp. n., a new species of the C. batesii species-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Saudi Arabia, with a key to the Saudi species. Zoology in the Middle East]] (doi:10.1080/09397140.2024.2321640).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• 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.