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Messor foreli
| Messor foreli | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Stenammini |
| Genus: | Messor |
| Species: | M. foreli |
| Binomial name | |
| Messor foreli Santschi, 1923
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| Subspecies | |
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| Synonyms | |
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This is a true desert species common in the northern Sahara (Collingwood and Agosti 1996).
Identification
Collingwood and Agosti (1996) - HW 1.35-1.39; SI 94; EL/HW 0.30. This is a small species characterised by its large eyes, dentate propodeum and hairless propodeum, nodes and first gastral tergite. The colour is evenly reddish brown to brownish black and the sculpture is dilute with the whole body shining. The postpetiole is rather low and slightly truncate.
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 36.182222° to 21.358333°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates.
Palaearctic Region: Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Oman, Tunisia (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
Worker
Images from AntWeb
   
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| Worker. Specimen code casent0249825. Photographer Ryan Perry, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by NHMB, Basel, Switzerland. |
     
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| Worker. Specimen code casent0249826. Photographer Ryan Perry, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by NHMB, Basel, Switzerland. |
  
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| Worker. Specimen code casent0217872. Photographer Estella Ortega, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA. |
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- foreli. Messor aegyptiacus var. foreli Santschi, 1923f: 322, fig. 1a,b (w.) TUNISIA, ALGERIA.
- Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
- Type-locality: Tunisia: Tozeur, 1909 (Aumont).
- Type-depository: NHMB.
- Subspecies of aegyptiacus: Santschi, 1928f: 203; Menozzi, 1929e: 125; Santschi, 1932f: 519; Menozzi, 1932c: 94; Finzi, 1936: 158; Santschi, 1936e: 81; Santschi, 1938a: 31; Finzi, 1940: 159; Bernard, 1948: 138; Bernard, 1953a: 142 (in key); Délye, 1960: 262; Cagniant, 1970a: 416.
- Status as species: Bernard, 1981b: 143; Bolton, 1995b: 254; Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 317; Cagniant & Espadaler, 1998: 428; Mohamed, Zalat, et al. 2001: 51; Cagniant, 2006a: 197; Collingwood, et al. 2011: 426; Borowiec, L. 2014: 105 (see note in bibliography); Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2020: 11; Barech, et al. 2020: 15.
- Senior synonym of fossulatus: Cagniant & Espadaler, 1998: 428.
- Distribution: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates.
- Current subspecies: nominal plus fossulatus.
Description
References
- Al-Qurashi, A.S., Mashaly, A.M., Alajmi, R., Al-Khalifa, M.S., Mansour, L., Al-Omar, S.Y., Sharaf, M.R., Aldawood, A.S., Al-Dhafer, H.M., Hunter, T., Almutawa, M.Y., Ahmed, A.M. 2023. A preliminary investigation of rabbit carcass decomposition and attracted ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on the seaward coastal beach of Al-Jubail City, Saudi Arabia. Journal of Medical Entomology (doi:10.1093/jme/tjad162).
- Barech, G., Khaldi, M., Espadaler, X., Cagniant, H. 2020. Révision taxonomique du genre Messor (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) au Maghreb et description de Messor hodnii sp. n., une nouvelle espèce de fourmi trouvée en Algérie. Revue suisse de Zoologie 127(1) : 9-19 (doi:10.35929/RSZ.0002).
- Bernard, F. 1981b. Revision of the genus Messor (harvesting ants) on a biometrical basis. Pp. 141-145 in: Howse, P. E., Clement, J.-L. (eds.) Biosystematics of social insects. Systematics Association Special Volume No. 19. London: Academic Press, 346 pp. (page 143, Raised to species)
- Borowiec, L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
- Borowiec, L., Salata, S. 2020. Review of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Jordan. Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom, Entomology 29 (online 2): 1-26 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.3733156).
- Cagniant, H.; Espadaler, X. 1998 [1997]. Le genre Messor au Maroc (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Ann. Soc. Entomol. Fr. (n.s.) 33: 419-434 (page 427, Senior synonym of fossulatus)
- Collingwood, C. A. and D. Agosti. 1996. Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (part 2). Fauna Saudi Arabia. 15:300-385.
- Collingwood, C.A., Agosti, D., Sharaf, M.R., van Harten, A. 2011. Order Hymenoptera, family Formicidae. Arthropod fauna of the UAE 4: 405-474.
- Santschi, F. 1923f. Messor et autres fourmis paléarctiques. Rev. Suisse Zool. 30: 317-336 (page 322, Fig. 1 worker described)
- Taheri, A., Reyes-Lopez, J.L. 2023. New and additional records for the ant fauna (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Morocco. Journal of the Entomological Research Society 25(1): 1-10 (doi:10.51963/jers.v25i1.1995).
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Ahmad G. M. M., and M. I. Basuony. 2003. Taxonomy and biodiversity of ant fauna of the Mediterranean coastal desert (Western desert-Egypt). J. Egypt. Ger. Soc. Zool. 42E: 69-83.
- 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.
- Bernard, F.. "Les insectes sociaux du Fezzân. Comportement et biogéographie." En: Bernard, F., Peyerimhoff, P. de Mission sc (1948): 87-200.
- Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
- Cagniant, H., and X. Espadaler. "Le genre Messor au Maroc." Annales de la Société Entomologique de France (N.S.) 33 (4) (1998): 419-434.
- Cagniant, H.. "Liste actualisee des fourmis du Maroc (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8 (2006): 193-200.
- Chemala A., M. Benhamacha, D. M. Ould el Hadj, F. Marniche, and S. Daoudi. 2017. A preliminary list of the ant fauna in Northeastern Sahara of Algeria (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Sociobiology 64(2): 146-154.
- 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: 405474
- Collingwood, C. A., and Donat Agosti. "Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2)." Fauna of Saudi Arabia 15 (1996): 300-385.
- Delye, G., and J. L. Bonaric. "Fourmis du sud Marocain." Etude de certains milieux du Maroc et de leux evolution recente RCP 249 (1973).
- Finzi B. 1940. Formiche della Libia. Memorie della Societa Entomologica Italiana 18: 155-166.
- Finzi, B.. "Risultati scientifici della spedizione di S. A. S. il Principe Alessandro della Torre e Tasso nell'Egitto e peninsola del Sinai. XI. Formiche." Bulletin de la Société Entomologique d'Egypte 20 (1936): 155-210.
- Menozzi C. 1932. Missione scientifica del Prof. E. Zavattari nel Fezzan (1931). Hymenoptera-Formicidae.. Bollettino della Società Entomologica Italiana. 64: 93-95.
- 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
- Mohamed, S., S. Zalat, H. Fadl, S.Gadalla and M. Sharaf. 2001. Taxonomy of ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) collected by pitfall traps from Sinai and Delta region, Egypt. Egyptian Journal of Natural History 3:40-61
- Orabi G. M., F. M. Semida, M. S. Abdel-Dayem, M. R. Sharaf, and S. M. Zalat. 2011. Diversity patterns of ants along an elevation gradient at St. Catherine Protectorate, South Sinai, Egypt (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zoology in the Middle East 54(1): 101-112.
- Santschi, F. 1923. Messor et autres fourmis paléarctiques. Revue Suisse de Zoologie 30: 317-336
- Santschi, F. 1938. Quelques nouvelles fourmis d'Egypte. Bulletin de la Société Entomologique d'Egypte 21: 28-44.
- Santschi, F.. "Messor et autres fourmis paléarctiques." Revue Suisse de Zoologie 30 (1923): 317-336.
- Santschi, F.. "Notes sur les fourmis du Sahara." Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (2) 4 (1932): 516-520.
- Sharaf M. R., B. L. Fisher, H. M. Al Dhafer, A. Polaszek, and A. S. Aldawood. 2018. Additions to the ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Oman: an updated list, new records and a description of two new species. Asian Myrmecology 10: e010004