Crematogaster delagoensis

Identification
Collingwood and Agosti (1996) - HW 0.63; SI 104. This species is like Crematogaster flaviventris in general appearance but has smoother sculpture, is much smaller and the propodeal armature is reduced to minute denticles. It is similar to Crematogaster inermis of Egypt and Palestine apart from the paler gaster and angulate propodeum.

Distribution
Sharaf et al. (2019): This species was originally described from Mozambique and in the Afrotropical region seems to be restricted to Southern Africa (Guénard et al. 2017; Janicki et al. 2017). Our material represents the first record from the KSA since the species was previously only known from Yemen and Oman (Borowiec 2014; Colling-wood and Agosti 1996; Sharaf et al. 2018).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Mozambique, Saudi Arabia. Palaearctic Region: Oman.

Nomenclature

 * . Crematogaster inermis r. delagoensis Forel, 1894b: 99 (w.) MOZAMBIQUE.
 * Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
 * Type-locality: Mozambique: Delagoa (Liengme).
 * Type-depository: MHNG.
 * Combination in C. (Acrocoelia): Emery, 1922e: 146;
 * combination in C. (Crematogaster): Bolton, 1995b: 166.
 * Subspecies of inermis: Forel, 1913a: 126; Arnold, 1920a: 539; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 840.
 * Status as species: Emery, 1922e: 146; Bolton, 1995b: 151; Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 330; Borowiec, L. 2014: 65 (see note in bibliography); Sharaf, Aldawood & Hita Garcia, 2019: 50.
 * Distribution: Mozambique, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen.
 * Current subspecies: nominal plus acutidens, merwei, rhodesiana.

Taxonomic Notes
Sharaf et al. (2019): The disjunctive distribution raises some doubts about the identity of our material. Even though it is conspecific the material previously identified from Oman and Yemen, it needs to be proven that it is indeed C. delagoensis. The lack of records from East Africa and the southwestern parts of KSA could be due to insufficient sampling, but it could also be that the Arabian material is not similar to the South African “genuine” C. delagoensis.

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.
 * Collingwood, C. A., and A. van Harten. "Additions to the Ant Fauna of Yemen (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Buchreihe zur Entomologie 8 (2001): 559-568.
 * Collingwood, C. A., and Donat Agosti. "Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2)." Fauna of Saudi Arabia 15 (1996): 300-385.
 * IZIKO South Africa Museum Collection
 * 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
 * Sharaf M. R., S. A. Aldawood, and F. Hita Garcia. 2019. Review of the Arabian Crematogaster Lund (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), synoptic list, distribution, and description of two new species from Oman and Saudi Arabia. ZooKeys 898: 27-81