Crematogaster senegalensis

In Oman this species was found foraging on moist ground and found in leaf litter under a date palm tree. A nest series was found under a stone. Several additional workers were collected from leaf litter under a large tree of Rubus sp. (Sharaf et al. 2018) In Benin, Taylor et al. (2018) found it on mango (Mangifera indica) and beating weeds near a river.

Distribution
Sharaf et al. (2019): While this species was originally described from Senegal, it seems to have a fairly disjunctive distribution since it is known from eastern and northwestern Africa without being recorded from countries in-between (Guénard et al. 2017; Janicki et al. 2017). In the Arabian Peninsula, it was recorded from the KSA, Oman, and Yemen (Collingwood 1985; Collingwood and Agosti 1996; Collingwood et al. 2011; Borowiec 2014; Sharaf et al. 2018).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Benin, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, United Arab Emirates, Yemen. Malagasy Region: Madagascar. Palaearctic Region: Oman.

Nomenclature

 * . Crematogaster senegalensis Roger, 1863a: 206 (w.q.) SENEGAL.
 * Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated, “several”), 1 syntype queen.
 * Type-locality: Senegal: (no further data) (Sichel).
 * Type-depository: MNHU.
 * Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1952b: 254 (l.).
 * Combination in C. (Acrocoelia): Emery, 1922e: 144;
 * combination in C. (Crematogaster): Bolton, 1995b: 166.
 * Subspecies of aegyptiaca: Santschi, 1914d: 343; Emery, 1915g: 10; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 828, 1022; Emery, 1922e: 144; Viehmeyer, 1923: 90; Menozzi, 1930b: 85; Santschi, 1937e: 311 (in key); Finzi, 1939a: 155.
 * Status as species: Roger, 1863b: 36; Emery, 1877b: 379; André, 1884b: 543; Forel, 1891b: 193 (redescription); Dalla Torre, 1893: 86; Mayr, 1895: 144; Mayr, 1904b: 7; Santschi, 1910f: 233; Bernard, 1950b: 288; Bernard, 1953b: 235; Collingwood, 1985: 262; Bolton, 1995b: 162; Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 331; Collingwood, et al. 2011: 426; Borowiec, L. 2014: 68 (see note in bibliography); Sharaf, Fisher, et al. 2018: 25; Sharaf, Aldawood & Hita Garcia, 2019: 71.
 * Distribution: Angola, Ghana, Guinea, Eritrea, Madagascar, Niger, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen.
 * Current subspecies: nominal plus goliathula.

Taxonomic Notes
Sharaf et al. (2019): The disjunct distribution of this species is a bit unusual and might require further attention in future studies of Afrotropical Crematogaster. It is likely that the odd distribution is just based on a sampling artifact or a preference of arid habitats, which are not as common in Central Africa. However, it could also be the case that this species, as currently defined, consists of several cryptic taxa. Without a thorough revision of the Afrotropical fauna it is impossible to be sure and we therefore list material examined as C. senegalensis.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Bernard F. 1950. Contribution à l'étude de l'Aïr. Hyménoptères Formicidae. Mém. Inst. Fr. Afr. Noire 10: 284-294.
 * Bernard F. 1953. La réserve naturelle intégrale du Mt Nimba. XI. Hyménoptères Formicidae. Mémoires de l'Institut Français d'Afrique Noire 19: 165-270.
 * 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., and S. Salata. 2018. Notes on ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Gambia (Western Africa). Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom Entomology 26: 1-13.
 * Collingwood C. A., D. Agosti, M. R. Sharaf, A. Van Harten, 2011. Order Hymenoptera, family Formicidae. Arthropod Fauna of the UAE 4: 405-474
 * Collingwood C.A., D.Agosti, M.R. Sharaf, and A. van Harten. 2011. Order Hymenoptera, family Formicidae. Arthropod fauna of the UAE, 4: 405474
 * Collingwood, C. A., and Donat Agosti. "Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2)." Fauna of Saudi Arabia 15 (1996): 300-385.
 * Diame L., B. Taylor, R. Blatrix, J. F. Vayssieres, J. Y. Rey, I. Grechi, and K. Diarra. 2017. A preliminary checklist of the ant (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) fauna of Senegal. Journal of Insect Biodiversity 5(15): 1-16.
 * Dieng M. M., A. B. Ndiaye, C. T. Ba, and B. Taylor. 2016. Les fourmis (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) de l’enclos d’acclimatation de Katane de la reserve de faune du Ferlo nord (Senegal). Int. J. Biol. Chem. Sci. 10(4): 1626-1636.
 * Emery, C.. "Catalogo delle formiche esistenti nelle collezioni del Museo Civico di Genova. Parte prima. Formiche provenienti dal Viaggio dei signori Antinori, Beccari e Issel nel Mar Rosso e nel paese dei Bogos. [concl.]." Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale 9 (1877): 363-381.
 * Fisher B. L. 1997. Biogeography and ecology of the ant fauna of Madagascar (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of Natural History 31: 269-302.
 * Fisher B. L. 2003. Formicidae, ants. Pp. 811-819 in: Goodman, S. M.; Benstead, J. P. (eds.) 2003. The natural history of Madagascar. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, xxi + 1709 pp.
 * IZIKO South Africa Museum Collection
 * Menozzi C. 1930. Formiche della Somalia italiana meridionale. Memorie della Società Entomologica Italiana. 9: 76-130.
 * Santschi F. 1910. Mission Gruvel et Chudeau en Mauritanie occidentale. III. Partie zoologique. Hyménoptères. 2e partie. Actes de la Société Linnéenne de Bordeaux. 64: 233-234.
 * 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., H. M. Al Dhafer, and S. A. Aldawood. 2014. First record of the myrmicine ant genus Meranoplus Smith, 1853 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Arabian Peninsula with description of a new species and notes on the zoogeography of Southwestern Kingdom Saudi Arabia. PLoS ONE 9(11): e111298.
 * 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
 * Soulié J., and L. D. Dicko. 1965. La répartition des genres de fourmis de la tribu des "Cremastogastrini" dans la faune éthiopienne et malgache. Hymenoptera - Formicoidea - Myrmicidae. Ann. Univ. Abidjan Sér. Sci. 1: 85-106.
 * Taylor B., N. Agoinon, A. Sinzogan, A. Adandonon, Y. N'Da Kouagou, S. Bello, R. Wargui, F. Anato, I. Ouagoussounon, H. Houngbo, S. Tchibozo, R. Todjhounde, and J. F. Vayssieres. 2018. Records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Republic of Benin, with particular reference to the mango farm ecosystem. Journal of Insect Biodiversity 8(1): 006–029.
 * Taylor B., Z. A. Yefremova, V. D. Kravchenko, and G. C. Muller. 2016. The ants of Mali (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) – a historical review and new records. Entomofauna 37(35): 545‐564.
 * Viehmeyer H. 1923. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der mit Unterstützung der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien aus der Erbschaft Treitl von F. Werner unternommenen zoologischen Expedition nach dem anglo-ägyptischen Sudan (Kordofan) 1914. VII. Hymenoptera A. Formicidae. Denkschriften der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien. Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Klasse 98: 83-94.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1922. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. IX. A synonymic list of the ants of the Malagasy region. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 1005-1055
 * Wheeler W. M. 1922. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. VIII. A synonymic list of the ants of the Ethiopian region. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 711-1004