Crematogaster striaticeps

Crematogaster striaticeps
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Crematogaster
Species:	C. striaticeps
Binomial name
Crematogaster striaticeps Forel, 1909

Identification

Keys including this Species

• Key to Arabian Crematogaster

Distribution

Sharaf et al. (2019): This species was described from Algeria and is also found in the neighboring countries of Tunisia and Lybia (Borowiec 2014; Guénard et al. 2017; Janicki et al. 2017). In the Arabian Peninsula, it has been recorded from the KSA (Collingwood 1985).

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 36.763056° to 32.172222°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia.
Palaearctic Region: Algeria (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.

• striaticeps. Crematogaster laestrygon var. striaticeps Forel, 1909c: 104.
  • [First available use of Crematogaster auberti r. laestrygon var. striaticeps Forel, 1902g: 462 (w.) ALGERIA; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name.]
  • Type-material: holotype (?) worker.
  • [Note: no indication of number of specimens is given.]
  • Type-locality: Algeria: Tlemcen (K. Escherich).
  • Type-depository: MHNG.
  • Santschi, 1937e: 308 (q.m.).
  • Combination in C. (Acrocoelia): Emery, 1922e: 142.
  • As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Stitz, 1917: 341; Ruzsky, 1905b: 497; Emery, 1912e: 659; Emery, 1922e: 142; Emery, 1926: 2; Karavaiev, 1927b: 105; Santschi, 1929c: 100; Santschi, 1934f: 167; Weber, 1943c: 345 (in list).
  • Subspecies of laestrygon: Santschi, 1937e: 308; Menozzi, 1940: 268; Bolton, 1995b: 163.
  • Status as species: Sharaf, Aldawood & Hita Garcia, 2019: 71.
  • Distribution: Algeria, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia.

Taxonomic Notes

Sharaf et al. (2019): Crematogaster striaticeps was originally described as a subspecies of Crematogaster laestrygon but herein we treat this taxon as a good species. The main difference responsible for the decision to raise C. striaticeps to the specific rank is the presence of dense longitudinal striations on the entire cephalic surface whereas C. laestrygon has a smooth cephalic surface and longitudinal striations are feebly developed and restricted to the area in front of eyes.

We have been hesitant with this decision since both taxa are similar to other Afrotropical or Mediterranean Crematogaster taxa and it is not clear which taxonomic status they may assume after a thorough revision of the genus. However, since we established that C. laestrygon and C. striaticeps are not the same taxon, we propose to separate them by raising the latter to species rank to achieve clarity of their status for the Arabian region and future studies of its fauna.

References

• Emery, C. 1922c. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Myrmicinae. [part]. Genera Insectorum 174B: 95-206 (page 142, Combination in C. (Acrocoelia))
• Forel, A. 1909c. Fourmis d'Espagne récoltées par M. O. Vogt et Mme Cécile Vogt, Docteurs en médecine. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 53: 103-106 (page 104, worker described)
• Santschi, F. 1937e. Contribution à l'étude des Crematogaster paléarctiques. Mém. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 5: 295-317 (page 308, queen, male described)
• Sharaf, M.R., Aldawood, A.S., Hita Garcia, F. 2019. Review of the Arabian Crematogaster Lund (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), synoptic list, distribution, and description of two new species from Oman and Saudi Arabia. ZooKeys 898: 27–81 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.898.37531).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Karavaiev V. 1927. Myrmekologische Miszellen. Ezheg. Zool. Muz. 27: 104-112.
• Menozzi, C.. "Contributo alla fauna della Tripolitania." Bollettino del Laboratorio di Zoologia Generale ed Agraria, Portici 31 (1940): 244-273.
• Santschi, F. 1937. Contribution à l'étude des Crematogaster paléarctiques. Memoires de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles 5: 295-317.
• Santschi, F.. "Contribution à l'étude des Crematogaster paléarctiques." Mém. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 5 (1937): 295-317.