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Cataglyphis agostii
| Cataglyphis agostii | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Formicinae |
| Tribe: | Formicini |
| Genus: | Cataglyphis |
| Species: | C. agostii |
| Binomial name | |
| Cataglyphis agostii Sharaf, 2007
| |
Known from a single individual. It was found under a rock in an elevated and semi-isolated site on Gebel Sebaal, over 1500 m.
Identification
Fadl et al. (2007) - This species belongs to the albicans group and it appears taxonomically closest to Cataglyphis minima Collingwood, 1985 which was described from Saudi Arabia. Both of them are shining black, appendages yellow, body smooth and shining almost without sculpture but C. agostii is consistently larger, TL 10.79 versus 4.4 mm; and has a larger scape index, SI 130.4 versus SI 106.5. Moreover, both species are different in pilosity, C. agostii has one pair of short hairs on pronotum, mesonotum bare, propodeum with 9 long yellow hairs.
Distribution
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Egypt (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. |
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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
Castes
Known only from the worker caste.
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- agostii. Cataglyphis agostii Sharaf, in Fadl et al. 2007: 238, figs. 3, 4 (w.) EGYPT.
- Status as species: Borowiec, L. 2014: 51.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
Worker
Holotype: TL:10.79; HL:3.32; HW:2.73; SL:3.56; SI:130.4; CI: 82.2
Diagnosis: Color dark brown, anterior part of the head and the distal part of the femur yellowish; antennae, mandibles and tarsi clear yellow; femur brown or pale brown. Head longer than broad; the area between the short frontal carinae finely longitudinally striated; the whole head with fine sculptures; mandibles smooth and shining, longitudinally striated, armed with five strong brown teeth and having many long yellow hairs; posterior part of clypeus having a pair of long yellow hairs; occiput straight with four pairs of hairs. Pronotum with one pair of short hairs, mesonotum bare, propodeum moderately low with 9 long yellow hairs. Petiole is a truncated node with a flat dorsal surface slopping forward and having relatively dense whitish pubescence in the dorsal and lateral sides and 2 pairs of hairs.
Gaster globular and shining; the first gastral tergite bare while the second with one pair of hairs at the posterior margin; the end of the gaster with few long scattered yellow hairs.
Type Material
Holotype: 1 worker, Egypt, Gebel Ras Abuhebeig, Gebel Serbaal, S.Sinai 23.V.1997; M. R. Sharaf (SHC).
Etymology
This species is named after the Swiss ant taxonomist, Dr. Donat Agosti, the specialist of the genus Cataglyphis, research associate, American Museum of Natural History, New York.
References
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.
- Fadl H., R. F. Bakr, and R. M. Badawy. 2007. Six new species of ants (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Egypt. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference of the Entomological Society of Egypt 2: 235-249.
- Fadl, H., R. F. Bakr, M. Bawady, and M. R. Sharaf. "Six new species of ants (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Egypt." In Proceedings of the Second International Conference of Economic Entomology, 235-249. Vol. 1. Cairo: Entomological Society of Egypt, 2007.