Cataglyphis aurata

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Cataglyphis aurata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Formicini
Genus: Cataglyphis
Species group: albicans
Species complex: livida
Species: C. aurata
Binomial name
Cataglyphis aurata
Menozzi, 1932

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Specimen Labels

Identification

Salata et al. (2021) - Whole body yellow, only gaster sometimes with indistinctly infuscated apex; mesosoma, posterior head and coxa covered with a layer of silvery hair.

Cataglyphis aurata was separated from Cataglyphis livida based on the presence of a thick layer of silvery hair on its body. Probably, Karavaiev, during his work on C. aurata, was unaware of the existence of ''Cataglyphis arenaria, another species described from the North African region characterized by the same feature. Study on type specimens and descriptions of both C. arenaria and C. aurata did not provide any characters useful separating these two species. Thus, we conclude that they could be conspecific. However, this hypothesis requires verification based on larger material collected from the whole area of their distribution, supported with studies on male genitalia, and genetic analyses. See also note in Cataglyphis argentata.

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia, Sudan (type locality), United Arab Emirates.
Palaearctic Region: Iran, Oman.

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

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • aurata. Cataglyphis albicans var. aurata Menozzi, 1932c: 95.
    • [First available use of Myrmecocystus albicans subsp. lividus var. auratus Karavaiev, 1911: 10 (w.) SUDAN; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name (Agosti, 1990b: 1491).]
    • As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Emery, 1925b: 262; Menozzi, 1927g: 380; Santschi, 1929b: 62 (in key); Stitz, 1932b: 737; Menozzi, 1934: 166; Finzi, 1936: 192; Bernard, 1953a: 201.
    • Subspecies of albicans: Menozzi, 1934: 157; Agosti, 1990b: 1491; Bolton, 1995b: 134.
    • Status as species: Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 378; Collingwood, et al. 2011: 454; Borowiec, L. 2014: 52.

Description

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Agosti D. 1990. Review and reclassification of Cataglyphis (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Journal of Natural History 24: 1457-1505.
  • Bernard F. 1953. Les fourmis du Tassili des Ajjer. Pp. 121-250 in: Bernard, F. (ed.) 1953. Mission scientifique au Tassili des Ajjer (1949). Volume I. Recherches zoologiques et médicales. Paris: P. Lechevalier, 302 pp.
  • Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
  • Collingwood C. A., D. Agosti, M. R. Sharaf, A. Van Harten, 2011. Order Hymenoptera, family Formicidae. Arthropod Fauna of the UAE 4: 405-474
  • Collingwood C.A., D.Agosti, M.R. Sharaf, and A. van Harten. 2011. Order Hymenoptera, family Formicidae. Arthropod fauna of the UAE, 4: 405–474
  • Collingwood, C. A. and D. Agosti. 1996. Formicidae (Insects: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2) Fauna of Saudi Arabia 15: 300-385.
  • Karavaiev V. 1911. Ameisen aus Aegypten und dem Sudan. Rus. Entomol. Obozr. 11: 1-12.
  • Menozzi C. 1927. Risultati zoologici della Missione inviata dalla R. Società Geografica Italiana per l'esplorazione dell'Oasi di Giarabub (1926-1927). Formicidae (Hymenoptera).. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria. 52: 379-382.
  • Menozzi C. 1932. Spedizione scientifica all'Oasi di Cufra (marzo-luglio 1931). Formiche.. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria. 55: 451-456.
  • Menozzi C. 1934. Reperti mirmecofaunistici raccolti dal Prof. L di Caporiacco nelle oasi di Cufra e in altre localita del deserto Libico. Atti della Societa dei Naturalisti e Matematici di Modena (6)13(65): 153-166
  • Stitz H. 1932. Formicidae der Deutschen Limnologischen Sunda-Expedition. Arch. Hydrobiol. Suppl.-Bd. 9(Tropische Binnengewässer 2 2: 733-737