Crematogaster laestrygon

This species was the only ant found right at the peak of Arabia's highest mountain, Djebel an-Nabi Shuaib, at 3750 m (Collingwood and Agosti 1996)

Identification
Collingwood and Agosti (1996) - This highland species varies in colour from totally dark to various shades of grey sometimes with a reddish tinge but can always be recognised by the strongly developed mesonotal keel and the very short dentate propodeal spines.

Distribution
Sharaf et al. (2019): This species is originally described from Italy and widespread in southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East (Borowiec 2014; Guénard et al. 2017; Janicki et al. 2017). The Arabian records are from the KSA and Yemen (Borowiec 2014; Collingwood 1985, Collingwood and Agosti 1996).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia, Yemen. Palaearctic Region: Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Georgia, Iberian Peninsula, Malta, Morocco, Spain, Turkey.

Nomenclature

 *  laestrygon. Crematogaster laestrygon Emery, 1869a: 135 (w.) ITALY (Sicily). De Stefani, 1889: 145 (q.); Baroni Urbani, 1964b: 43 (q.). Combination in C. (Acrocoelia): Emery, 1922e: 142; in C. (Crematogaster): Bolton, 1995b: 166. Subspecies of scutellaris: Emery & Forel, 1879: 464; André, 1883b: 393; of schmidti: Emery, 1891b: 15; of auberti: Forel, 1902a: 154; Ruzsky, 1902d: 31; Stitz, 1917: 341; Santschi, 1921d: 70; Emery, 1922e: 142; Santschi, 1934f: 167. Status as species: Forel, 1909c: 104; Santschi, 1915a: 59; Emery, 1926: 2; Wheeler, W.M. 1927g: 106; Santschi, 1936c: 201. Senior synonym of vaucheri: Collingwood, 1978: 69. Current subspecies: nominal plus airensis, atlantis, canariensis, diminuta, granulata, maura, striaticeps, submaura, theryi.
 * vaucheri. Crematogaster laestrygon subsp. vaucheri Emery, 1926: 2 (w.) MOROCCO. [First available use of Crematogaster auberti st. laestrygon var. vaucheri Santschi, 1921d: 71; unavailable name.] Junior synonym of laestrygon: Collingwood, 1978: 69.

Taxonomic Notes
Sharaf et al. (2019): This is a good example of a Crematogaster species with a complex and uncertain taxonomic situation. It is relatively widespread in the Mediterranean and Middle East and currently has nine subspecies. It is doubtful that they are conspecific and it is possible that this is a species complex.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Baroni Urbani C. 1976. Le formiche dell'arcipelago della Galita (Tunisia). Redia 59: 207-223.
 * Baroni Urbani, C.. "Studi sulla mirmecofauna d'Italia. II. Formiche di Sicilia." Atti dell'Accademia Gioenia di Scienze Naturali in Catania (6) 16 (1964): 25-66.
 * Bernard, F.. "Remarques sur le peuplement des Baléares en fourmis." Bulletin de la Société d' Histoire naturelle de l' Afrique du Nord 47 (1956): 254-266.
 * 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., C. Galkowski, and S. Salata. 2015. What is Tetramorium semilaeve André, 1883? (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 512:39-62.
 * Bouzekri M. A. 2011. Bioecologie des Formicidae dans la region de Djelfa: nidification et relation avec les plantes. Mphil Ecole National Superieure agronomique. 153pp.
 * Bouzekri M., S. Daoudi-Hacini, H. Cagniant, and S. E. Doumandji. 2015. Etude comparative des associations (plantes-fourmis) dans une region steppique (cas de la region de Djelfa, Algerie). Lebanese Science Journal 16(1): 69-77.
 * Cagniant, H. 1968. Liste preliminaire de fourmis forestieres d'Algerie. Resultats obtenus de 1963 a 1964. Bulletin de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle de Toulouse 104: 138-147
 * Cagniant, H.. "Deuxième liste de fourmis d'Algérie récoltées principalement en forêt. (1re partie)." Bulletin de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle de Toulouse 105 (1970): 405-430.
 * Cagniant, H.. "Liste préliminaire de fourmis forestières d'Algérie. Résultats obtenus de 1963 à 1966." Bulletin de la Societe d'Histoire Naturelle de Toulouse 104 (1968): 138-147.
 * Cagniant, H.. "Étude de quelques fourmis marocaines. Statistique provisoire des Formicidae du Maroc." Bulletin de la Société d' Histoire naturelle de l' Afrique du Nord 53 (1964): 83-118.
 * Cagniant, H.. Les peuplements de fourmis des forêts algériennes: écologie, biocénotique, essai biologique. Universite de Toulouse, 1973.
 * Collingwood, C. A., and I. H. H. Yarrow. "A survey of Iberian Formicidae." EOS (Revista española de entomología) 44 (1969): 53-101.
 * Collingwood, C. A.. "A provisional list of Iberian Formicidae with a key to the worker caste." EOS (Revista española de entomología) Nº LVII (1978): 65-95.
 * Comín del Río, P.. "Los Formícidos de Menorca. Contribución al estudio taxonómico, geográfico y biológico." Tesina de licenciatura Universida (1977): 135 pp.
 * Comín del Río, P.. Estudio de los formícidos de Baleares: Contribución al estudio taxonómico, geográfìco y biológico. Palma de Mallorca: Universidad de las Islas Baleares, 1988.
 * De Stefani T. 1889. Miscellanea imenotterologica sicula. Nat. Sicil. 8: 140-145.
 * Delye, G., and J. L. Bonaric. "Fourmis du sud Marocain." Etude de certains milieux du Maroc et de leux evolution recente RCP 249 (1973).
 * Emery C. 1916. Fauna entomologica italiana. I. Hymenoptera.-Formicidae. Bullettino della Società Entomologica Italiana 47: 79-275.
 * Emery C. 1926. Ultime note mirmecologiche. Boll. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 58: 1-9.
 * Emery, C., and A. Forel. "Catalogue des Formicides d'Europe." Mitteilungen der Schweirzerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft 5 (1879): 441-481.
 * Emery, C.. "Catalogo delle formiche esistenti nelle collezioni del Museo Civico di Genova. Parte seconda. Formiche dell'Europa e delle regioni limitrofe in Africa e in Asia." Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale 12 (1878): 43-59.
 * Emery, C.. "Crociera del Violante, comandato dal capitano armatore Enrico d'Albertis, durante l'anno 1877. Formiche." Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale 15 (1880): 389-398.
 * Emery, C.. "Exploration scientifique de la Tunisie. Zoologie. - Hyménoptères. Révision critique des fourmis de la Tunisie." Explor. Scient. De la Tunisie Zoll. Hym. (Folleto) Paris. Imp (1891): iii + 21 pp.
 * Emery, C.. "Formicidarum italicorum species duae novae." Bollettino della Societa Entomologica Italiana 1 (1869): 135-137.
 * Emery, C.. "Studi mirmecologici." Bollettino della Societa Entomologica Italiana 2 (1870): 193-201.
 * Emery, C.. "Voyage de M. Ch. Alluaud aux îles Canaries. Formicides." Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 62 (1893): 81-88.
 * Espadaler, X. and Cagniant, H. Plagiolepis Xene Starcke, The First Inquiline Ant From The Balearic Islands (Spain). Psyche. 98:351-354.
 * Espadaler, X. and H. Cagniant. 1991. Psyche. 98: 351-354.
 * Espadaler, X., and H. Cagniant. "Plagiolepis xene Starckë, the first inquiline ant from the Balearic Islands (Spain)." Psyche 98 (4) (1992): 351-354.
 * Forel A. 1904. Miscellanea myrmécologiques. Rev. Suisse Zool. 12: 1-52.
 * Forel A. 1905. Miscellanea myrmécologiques II (1905). Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 49: 155-185.
 * Forel A. 1909. Études myrmécologiques en 1909. Fourmis de Barbarie et de Ceylan. Nidification des Polyrhachis. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 45: 369-407.
 * Forel, A. 1894. Les formicides de la province d'Oran (Algerie). Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles 30: 1-45.
 * Forel, A.. "Fourmis de Tunisie et de l'Algerie orientale recoltees et decrites par Auguste Forel." Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 34 (1890): lxi-lxxvi.
 * Forel, A.. "Les fourmis du Sahara algérien récoltées par M. le Professeur A. Lameere et le Dr. A. Diehl." Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 46 (1902): 147-158.
 * Forel, A.. "Miscellanea myrmécologiques II (1905)." Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 49 (1905): 155-185.
 * Grandi G. 1935. Contributi alla conoscenza degli Imenotteri Aculeati. XV. Boll. R. Ist. Entomol. Univ. Studi Bologna 8: 27-121.
 * Hohmann H., F. La Roche, G. Ortega, and J. Barquín. 1993. Bienen, Wespen und Ameisen der Kanarischen Inseln. Veröff. Überseemus. Bremen Naturwiss. 12: 14.
 * Karavaiev V. 1912. Ameisen aus Tunesien und Algerien, nebst einigen unterwegs in Italien gesammelten Arten. Rus. Entomol. Obozr. 12: 1-22.
 * Kiran K., and C. Karaman. 2012. First annotated checklist of the ant fauna of Turkey (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 3548: 1-38.
 * Mayr, G.. "Ameisen aus Tripolis und Barka." Zoologische Jahrbücher, Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere 26 (1908): 415-418.
 * Mei M. 1995. Arthropoda di Lampedusa, Linosa e Pantelleria (Canale di Sicilia, Mar Mediterraneo). Hymenoptera Formicidae (con diagnosi di due nuove specie). Il Naturalista Siciliano (4)19(suppl.): 753-772.
 * Poldi B., M. Mei, and F. Rigato. 1995. Hymenoptera, Formicidae. Vol 102. Checklist delle specie della fauna Italiana: 1-10.
 * Reyes-López J., S. Carpintero-Ortega, and E. Retamoza-Muñoz. 2010. Adiciones a la relación de especies de hormigas (Hym., Formicidae) del Parque Natural del Cabo de Gata- Níjar (Almería, España) Boletín de la Asociación Española de Entomología 34: 67-76.
 * Santschi, F.. "Contribution à l'étude des Crematogaster paléarctiques." Mém. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 5 (1937): 295-317.
 * Saunders, E.. "Hymenoptera aculeata from Majorca and Spain. I Majorca (1901)." Transactions of the Entomological Society of London (1904): 597-598.
 * Scupola I. 2009. Le formiche delle Isole Egadi (Sicilia) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Bollettino del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona Botanica Zoologia 33: 97-103
 * 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
 * Tinaut A. 2016. Ants of the Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Mountains Natural Park (Andalusia, Spain) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Boln. Asoc. esp. Ent., 40 (1-2): 125-159.
 * Tinaut A., O. Mira, J. M. Vidal, and A. Aguirre-Segura. 2009. The ants of Cabo de Gata (Almería). Faunistics aspects (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Boln. Asoc. esp. Ent., 33 (1-2): 227-251.