Tetramorium saudiae

Tetramorium saudiae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Tetramorium
Species:	T. saudiae
Binomial name
	Tetramorium saudiae; (Collingwood & Agosti, 1996)

Known only from the holotype, nothing is known about the biology of Tetramorium saudiae.

Identification

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 28.75° to 28.75°.


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

Castes

Nomenclature

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

saudiae. Leptothorax saudiae Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 325, fig. 9 (w.) SAUDI ARABIA.
- Combination in Temnothorax: Bolton, 2003: 271.
- Combination in Tetramorium: Sharaf et al., 2017: 13.

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

Taxonomic Notes

Sharaf et al. (2017) - Collingwood & Agosti (1996) described Leptothorax saudiae based upon a single specimen deposited in World Museum, Liverpool. The specimen in WMLC with a red label [Saudi Arabien, Al Muraywah, 28 46N, 45 00E, 27–28 Oct. 86, 420 m, W. Buttiker] is not specified as the holotype, yet the label information matches the original description exactly. This specimen, therefore, definitely represents the Leptothorax saudiae holotype. However, contrary to Bolton's transferral of the species to Temnothorax (Bolton 2003), this specimen clearly belongs to the genus Tetramorium based on the following observations: it possesses lateral portions of clypeus that are raised into sharp ridges or shield walls in front of the antennal insertions and the propodeal spiracles are low on the sides and distinctly behind the midlength of the sclerite. This taxon is herein formally transferred to the genus Tetramorium.

Description

Worker

Holotype: TL 2.8; HL 0.81; HW 0.60; SL 0.62; EL 0.17; spine 0.14.

Head subrectangular with rounded occipital corners but straight occipital margin and only very slight curvature of the sides in dorsal view. The pronotum is slightly angled at each corner. The alitrunk has no mesopropodeal furrow and general dorsal outline is rather flat with the propodeum gently curving to its basal face; the propodeal spines are short, blunt and semi-erect. The petiole is thick but raised dorsally to a sharply pointed triangle. The whole dorsum including the gaster has scattered strong hairs which are thick but bluntly pointed rather than clavate. The head dorsum and clypeus are strongly striate. The promesonotum is longitudinally striate, the striae merging into the strongly punctate propodeum. The petiole is brilliant without sculpture and the postpetiole and gaster dorsum are both shining but with weak superficial sculpture. The body colour is uniformly brown with much paler antennae and legs.

Type Material

Holotype: worker, Saudi Arabia, Al-Muraywah, 28°46'N 45°00'E, 28.x.1985, W Buttiker.

References

Bolton, B. 2003. Synopsis and Classification of Formicidae. Mem. Am. Entomol. Inst. 71: 370pp (page 272, Combination in Temnothorax)
Collingwood, C. A. and D. Agosti. 1996. Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (part 2). Fauna Saudi Arabia. 15:300-385. (page 325, fig. 9 worker described)
Sharaf, M.R., Akbar, S.A., Al Dhafer, H.M., El-Gharbawy, A., Aldawood, A.S. 2017. Taxonomy of the Myrmicine ant genus Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) in the Arabian Peninsula. European Journal of Taxonomy 280: 1–17 (DOI 10.5852/ejt.2017.280).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Sharaf M. R., S. A. Akbar, H. M. Al Dhafer, A. El-Gharbawy, and A. S. Aldawood. 2017. Taxonomy of the Myrmicine ant genus Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) in the Arabian Peninsula. European Journal of Taxonomy 280: 1–17.