Messor crawleyi

Identification
Collingwood and Agosti (1996) - HW 1.52; SL 1.24, EL 0.38; EL/HW 0.249. This is a large-eyed, small brown sculptured species. The propodeum is sharply angulate with the flat dorsal surface meeting the down slope at a near right angle. The petiole is somewhat thick with a rounded dorsal crest. The postpetiole is low without a ventral projection. The head has the frons striate with the striae extending across to the eyes. The pronotum and the propodeum are strongly transversely striate; the mesonotum has strong longitudinal striae curving in towards the well-marked promesonotal suture. Both nodes have dose reticulopunctate sculpture while the gaster is smooth and glossy. The psammophore is well developed. The occiput has 7-8 hairs at each side of the midline and the ali trunk dorsum has many scattered hairs with two pairs on the propodeum, two pairs on the petiole and three on the postpetiole. At least 12 standing hairs are visible on the first gastral tergite in profile. This species differs from Messor rugosus of the Middle East in the distinctly angulate propodeum, sparser pilosity, more striated alitrunk and smoother gaster.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia. Palaearctic Region: Egypt.

Nomenclature

 * . Messor rugosus st. crawleyi Santschi, 1928f: 203 (w.) EGYPT.
 * Type-material: 5 syntype workers.
 * Type-localities: Egypt: El Faroukia, Belbes (C.W. Crawley), Egypt: El Gadaida, Minia Ganib (C.W. Crawley).
 * Type-depository NHMB.
 * Subspecies of rugosus: Finzi, 1936: 159; Bolton, 1995b: 253.
 * Status as species: Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 316; Borowiec, L. 2014: 104.
 * Distribution: Egypt, Saudi Arabia.

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.
 * Santschi F. 1928. Descriptions de nouvelles fourmis éthiopiennes (suite). Revue de Zoologie et de Botanique Africaines. 16: 191-213.