Temnothorax elmenshawyi

Temnothorax elmenshawyi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Temnothorax
Species:	T. elmenshawyi
Binomial name
	Temnothorax elmenshawyi; Sharaf, Wachkoo & Hita Garcia, 2019

The type locality (Raydah) is located in the Asir Mountains, 10 km west of the city of Abha and with an estimated area of 9 km². This area includes one of the last remnants of dense juniper forests (African pencil cedar, Juniperus procera (Cupressaceae) remaining on the Arabian Peninsula. Nothing is known of the biology and ecology of this species.

Identification

Sharaf et al. (2019) - Temnothorax elmenshawyi can be distinguished from other members of the Temnothorax exilis species group (characters: colour usually dark brown or black; promesonotal suture distinct; propodeal spines short and acute; petiolar node in profile triangular; body sculpture feeble) by the impressed metanotal groove, the short, acute and broadly based propodeal spines, the finely punctate posterior half of cephalic surface, and the absence of median clypeal carina.

Temnothorax elmenshawyi cannot be confused with any other Arabian Temnothorax species. It can be immediately separated by the uniformly very dark brown to blackish colour (vs. yellowish in the other three species), moderately large eyes (vs. extremely large eyes in Temnothorax liviae), and the mostly unsculptured posterior half of the head behind the level of the eyes (vs. conspicuously rugulose/rugose in the other three Arabian species).

Keys including this Species

Key to Temnothorax of the Arabian Peninsula

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 18.201583° to 18.201583°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia (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.

Biology

Sharaf et al. (2019) - Figure 3. Type locality, Raydah, the Asir Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, (photographer: Ahmed Shams Al ‘Ola).

More than 220 pitfall traps were placed in the Asir Mountains during two years of sampling and only two specimens of the new species were trapped. Undoubtedly, this may reflect the scarcity of this species and indicate a high probability of it being a regional endemic. Due to the extension of the Asir Mountains into Yemen, Temnothorax elmenshawyi may also occur in that country. It is hoped that future surveys of ants of this region will confirm this distribution, and result in the discovery of additional specimens, especially the male and queen castes.

Castes

Queens and males unknown.

Worker

Temnothorax X-ray micro-CT scan 3D model of Temnothorax elmenshawyi (worker) prepared by the Economo lab at OIST.

Known from the Asir Mountains of southwestern Saudi Arabia. See on Sketchfab. See list of 3D images.

Nomenclature

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

elmenshawyi. Temnothorax elmenshawyi Sharaf, Wachkoo, Hita Garcia, in Sharaf et al., 2019: 2, figs. 1, 2, 4B,F (w.) SAUDI ARABIA.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Holotype measurements (paratype in brackets). EL 0.20 (0.17); FRS 0.15 (0.12); HL 0.75 (0.75); HW 0.62 (0.57); IOD 0.52 (0.52); MD 0.25 (0.20); PPH 0.20 (0.17); PPL 0.15 (0.17); PPW 0.20 (0.22); PTH 0.22 (0.22); PTL 0.27 (0.22); PTW; 0.15 (0.12) PW 0.45 (0.40); SL 0.55 (0.45); SPST 0.22 (0.15); WL 0.92 (0.87). Indices. CI 83 (76); DPeI 56 (55); DPpI 133 (129); LPpI 75 (100); OI 32 (30); PeNI 33 (30); PPI 133 (100); PpNI 44 (55); PSLI 29 (20); SI 73 (60).

Head. In full-face view distinctly longer than broad with nearly straight posterior margin, rounded corners and feebly convex sides; anterior clypeal margin entire and convex; frontal carinae short and distinctly failing to reach anterior margin of eyes in full-face view; mandibles armed with five teeth decreasing in size from apex to base; antennae 12-segmented; scape relatively short (SI 60–73) clearly not reaching posterior margin of head by about length of second funicular segment in full-face view; eyes moderately large (EL 0.29–0.32 Å~ HW, OI 30–32) with about 16 ommatidia in the longest row. Mesosoma. Promesonotal suture indistinct; promesonotum flat in profile; metanotal grove distinct; propodeal spines short, acute and broadly based (PSLI 20–29). Petiole. In profile without a peduncle; the anterior face forms a shallow concavity anteriorly; anterior face of petiolar node forms a right angle with posterior face; subpetiolar process reduced to a small denticle. Postpetiole. In profile globular (LPpI 75–100) and relatively lower than the height of the petiole; in dorsal view trapezoidal broadest anteriorly, 1.2–1.3 broader than long (DPpI 129–133). Sculpture. Mandibles longitudinally rugulose; clypeus and cephalic surface behind posterior levels of eyes to posterior margin of head mostly unsculptured medially and shiny, laterally with sparse punctate ground sculpture; cephalic surface starting from posterior margins of clypeus to posterior level of eyes faintly longitudinally irregularly rugulose; dorsal surface of mesosoma densely and finely punctate; lateral sides of mesosoma densely punctate; area between mesopleura and metapleura with distinct longitudinal rugae; promesonotum and mesonotum smooth in dorsal view; propodeum irregularly rugulose; petiole and postpetiole densely and finely punctate; gaster smooth and shining. Pilosity. Anterior clypeal margin with six protrusive setae, two short lateral and four central longer ones; clypeus and cephalic surface with appressed scattered pubescence; posterior margin of head with four pairs of erect setae; antennae with abundant appressed pubescence; promesonotum with seven pairs of blunt stiff, short erect setae; mesonotum and propodeum each with two pairs of setae; propodeal spines with one pair of setae; petiole with three pairs of longer setae directed posteriad; postpetiole with five pairs of setae; gaster with scattered blunt setae. Colour. Uniformly black, tibiae and tarsi pale brown.

Type Material

Holotype, worker, Asir Province, Abha, Raydah, 2578 m., Saudi Arabia, 18°12′06″N 42°24′32″E / 18.201583°N 42.408933°E / 18.201583; 42.408933, 31.vii.2015, Al Dhafer et al., CASENT0922350, King Saud Museum of Arthropods.
Paratype, 1 worker, Asir Province, Abha, Raydah, 2578 m., Saudi Arabia, 18°12′06″N 42°24′32″E / 18.201583°N 42.408933°E / 18.201583; 42.408933, 31.vii.2015, Al Dhafer et al., CASENT0790240, King Saud Museum of Arthropods.

Cybertype. Volumetric raw data (in DICOM format), 3D rotation video (in.mp4 format, T.elmenshawyi_ CASENT0790240_video.mp4), still images of surface volume rendering, and 3D surface (in PLY format) of the physical paratype (CASENT0790240) in addition to montage photos illustrating head in full-face view, profile and dorsal views of the body. The data is deposited at Dryad23 (https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.4gg39k6) and can be freely accessed as virtual representation of the type. In addition to the cybertype data at Dryad, the 3D surface model of the holotype (shown above in the caste section) is available at Sketchfab (https://skfb.ly/6HYRz).

Etymology

This new species is named in the honor of the late Egyptian Qur’an reader Mohamed Siddiq El-Menshawy (1920–1969).

References

Sharaf, M.R., Aldawood, S.A., Economo, E.P., Wachkoo, A.A., Hita Garcia, F. 2019. Taxonomy of Arabian Temnothorax Mayr (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) with description of a new species enhanced by x-ray microtomography. Scientific Reports 9:11009 (doi:doi:10.1038/s41598-019-47260-y).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Sharaf M. R., S. A. Aldawood, E. P. Economo, A. A. Wachkoo, and F. Hita Garcia. 2019. Taxonomy of Arabian Temnothorax Mayr (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) with description of a new species enhanced by x-ray microtomography. Scientific Reports 9: 11009.