Messor arenarius

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Messor arenarius
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Stenammini
Genus: Messor
Species: M. arenarius
Binomial name
Messor arenarius
(Fabricius, 1787)

Messor arenarius casent0217866 p 1 high.jpg

Messor arenarius casent0217866 d 1 high.jpg

Subspecies
Synonyms

Identification

Collingwood and Agosti (1996) - HW 3.4-4.5; EL/HW 0.165. This is by far the largest Messor species in the Middle East. The subcephalic hairs are numerous but do not form a distinct psammophore. All body surfaces are covered with erect hairs. The propodeum is armed with short strong spines. The general body colour is brownish black but the alitrunk is occasionally somewhat reddish and such examples appear little different from Messor regalis of sub-Saharan Africa, sharing the same features: short first funiculus segment, pectinate tibial spurs, thick body pilosity, spined propodeum and rugose body sculpture extending to the first gastral tergite.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 35.85° to 24.633333°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia.
Palaearctic Region: Algeria, Israel, Kuwait, Tunisia (type locality).

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

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Messor beduinus casent0904137 h 1 high.jpgMessor beduinus casent0904137 p 1 high.jpgMessor beduinus casent0904137 d 1 high.jpgMessor beduinus casent0904137 l 1 high.jpg
Type of unavailable quadrinomial: Messor barbarus striativentris beduinusWorker. Specimen code casent0904137. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.

Nomenclature

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

  • arenarius. Formica arenaria Fabricius, 1787: 310 (w.) (no state data, “Habitat in Ba(r)bariae”).
    • Type-material: 3 syntype workers.
    • Type-locality: “Barbaria” (= North African coast from Morocco to Libya).
    • Type-depositories: ZMUC, ZMUK.
    • [Note: Zimsen, 1964: 426, reports 2 specimens in ZMUC, 1 in ZMUK.]
    • André, 1883b: 366 (q.); Emery, 1891b: 12 (q.m.); Forel, 1902a: 148 (m.).
    • Combination in Aphaenogaster: Roger, 1863b: 29;
    • combination in Atta: Mayr, 1863: 395;
    • combination in Aphaenogaster (Messor): Forel, 1890a: lxx; Forel, 1894d: 28;
    • combination in Stenamma (Messor): Emery, 1898c: 125;
    • combination in Cratomyrmex: Cagniant, 1970a: 414;
    • combination in Messor: Emery, 1908e: 439; Bolton, 1995b: 252.
    • Status as species: Gmelin, 1790: 2802; Olivier, 1792: 499; Latreille, 1802c: 288; Fabricius, 1804: 411; Roger, 1862c: 292; Roger, 1863b: 29; Mayr, 1863: 395; Emery, 1880: 392; Emery, 1881b: 534; André, 1881b: 74; André, 1883b: 353 (in key); Emery, 1884a: 382; Forel, 1890a: lxx; Emery, 1891b: 12; Dalla Torre, 1893: 98; Forel, 1894d: 28; Forel, 1895d: 233; Emery, 1898c: 125; Forel, 1902a: 148; Forel, 1904c: 5; Forel, 1907e: 15; Forel, 1908a: 14; Emery, 1908e: 439 (redescription); Forel, 1909e: 379; Karavaiev, 1911: 3; Karavaiev, 1912a: 5; Forel, 1913d: 428; Stitz, 1917: 342; Crawley, 1920a: 163; Emery, 1921f: 69; Emery, 1924a: 7; Menozzi, 1927g: 379; Kutter, 1928: 66; Finzi, 1930b: 15; Santschi, 1931a: 4; Menozzi, 1932e: 452; Menozzi, 1933b: 51; Menozzi, 1934: 158; Finzi, 1936: 158; Santschi, 1938a: 32 (redescription); Menozzi, 1940: 267; Finzi, 1940: 158; Cagniant, 1964: 87; Cagniant, 1968a: 143; Cagniant, 1970a: 414; Bernard, 1971: 6; Collingwood, 1985: 249; Kugler, J. 1988: 257; Bolton, 1995b: 252; Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 316; Cagniant & Espadaler, 1998: 423; Cagniant, 2006a: 197; Vonshak, et al. 2009: 42; Borowiec, L. 2014: 102 (see note in bibliography); Tohmé, G. & Tohmé, 2014: 134; Barech, et al. 2020: 14.
    • Senior synonym of amaurocyclia: Roger, 1862c: 292; Mayr, 1863: 395; Roger, 1863b: 29; Dalla Torre, 1893: 98; Emery, 1921f: 69; Bolton, 1995b: 252.
    • Senior synonym of beduinus: Cagniant, 2006a: 197; Barech, et al. 2020: 14.
    • Senior synonym of bugnioni: Forel, 1904f: 424; Emery, 1908e: 439; Emery, 1921f: 69; Bolton, 1995b: 252.
    • Senior synonym of scalpturata: Roger, 1862c: 292; Mayr, 1863: 395; Roger, 1863b: 29; Dalla Torre, 1893: 98; Emery, 1921f: 69; Bolton, 1995b: 252.
    • Distribution: Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia.
    • Current subspecies: nominal plus alfierii, diabolus, ratus, thebaicus.
  • amaurocyclia. Myrmica amaurocyclia Foerster, 1850b: 486 (w.) ALGERIA.
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
    • Type-locality: Algeria: Algiers (no collector’s name).
    • Type-depository: MNHU (Horn & Kahle, 1935: 78).
    • [Note: perhaps type-material is also in MNHN as Foerster (p. 486) thanks “Leon Fairmaire in Paris” for the specimens.]
    • Combination in Aphaenogaster: Roger, 1863b: 29.
    • Junior synonym of arenarius: Roger, 1862c: 292; Mayr, 1863: 395; Roger, 1863b: 29; Dalla Torre, 1893: 98; Emery, 1921f: 69; Bolton, 1995b: 252.
  • beduinus. Messor barbarus st. beduinus Emery, 1922c: 93.
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
    • Type-locality: Tunisia: Kairouan (F. Santschi).
    • Type-depository: MSNG.
    • [First available use of Messor barbarus subsp. striativentris var. beduina Emery, 1908e: 453 (w.) TUNISIA; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name.]
    • Santschi, 1910a: 45 (q.); Santschi, 1926e: 234 (m.).
    • As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Santschi, 1910a: 45; Emery, 1921f: 72.
    • Subspecies of barbarus: Emery, 1924a: 7; Kutter, 1928: 66.
    • Status as species: Santschi, 1923a: 134; Santschi, 1923f: 320 (in text); Menozzi, 1934: 158; Finzi, 1940: 156; Bolton, 1995b: 252; Borowiec, L. 2014: 102 (error).
    • Junior synonym of arenarius: Cagniant, 2006a: 197; Barech, et al. 2020: 14.
  • bugnioni. Stenamma (Messor) bugnioni Forel, 1904c: 13 (w.) ALGERIA.
    • Type-material: holotype worker.
    • Type-locality: Algeria: Biskra (Bugnion).
    • Type-depository: MHNG.
    • Junior synonym of arenarius: Forel, 1904f: 424; Emery, 1908e: 439; Emery, 1921f: 69; Bolton, 1995b: 253.
  • scalpturata. Myrmica scalpturata Nylander, 1856b: 83 (w.) ALGERIA, EGYPT.
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated), 1 syntype queen.
    • Type-localities: Algeria, Egypt (no further data).
    • Type-depository: ZMHF.
    • [Note: Nylander mentions that the specimens originated in the collections of Sichel and Fairmaire, both of which are in MNHN.]
    • Combination in Atta: Smith, F. 1858b: 165; Roger, 1859: 252;
    • combination in Aphaenogaster: Roger, 1863b: 29.
    • Status as species: Smith, F. 1858b: 165; Roger, 1859: 252.
    • Junior synonym of arenarius: Roger, 1862c: 292; Mayr, 1863: 395; Roger, 1863b: 29; Dalla Torre, 1893: 98; Emery, 1921f: 69; Bolton, 1995b: 257.

Description

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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