Messor ceresis

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Messor ceresis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Stenammini
Genus: Messor
Species: M. ceresis
Binomial name
Messor ceresis
Santschi, 1934

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Specimen Labels

The species was described from Lebanon and is evidently rather local (Collingwood and Agosti 1996). Pashaei Rad et al. (2018) found this species in Iran on parkland ground in a moderate rainfall area.

Identification

Collingwood and Agosti (1996) - HW 1.3-1.5; EL/HW 0.20-0.223. This is a small apparently monomorphic red species resembling some forms of Messor minor, differing in the coarser sculpture of the head and alitrunk, slightly larger eyes, stronger development of the psammophore, distinctly angulate propodeum and less variable size. There are 0-2 projecting hairs at each side on the occiput, two pairs each on the pronotum, petiole and postpetiole with a few hairs at the distal margin of the first gastral tergite. Head, alitrunk and nodes are entirely reddish.

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 36.53388889° to 25.716667°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia.
Palaearctic Region: Iran, Lebanon (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

Nomenclature

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

  • ceresis. Messor ceresis Santschi, 1934d: 274 (w.) LEBANON.
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
    • Type-locality: Lebanon: Beirut, 5.viii.1933 (F. Santschi).
    • Type-depository: NHMB.
    • Status as species: Bolton, 1995b: 253; Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 316; Nezhad, et al. 2012: 68; Borowiec, L. 2014: 104.
    • Distribution: Iran, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia.

Description

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.
  • Pashaei Rad S., B. Taylor, R. Torabi, E. Aram, G. Abolfathi, R. Afshari, F. Borjali, M. Ghatei, F. Hediary, F. Jazini, V. Heidary Kiah, Z. Mahmoudi, F. Safariyan, and M. Seiri. 2018. Further records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Iran. Zoology in the Middle East 64(2): 145-159.