Cataglyphis aenescens

In Russia this species is found in drier habitats include steppes (Zryanin & Zryanina, 2007).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine.

Nomenclature

 *  aenescens. Formica aenescens Nylander, 1849: 37 (w.q.m.) RUSSIA.
 * Combination in Tapinoma: Smith, F. 1858b: 56.
 * Combination in Myrmecocystus: Emery & Forel, 1879: 449.
 * Combination in Cataglyphis: Mayr, 1861: 45; Müller, 1923b: 149.
 * Combination in C. (Monocombus): Santschi, 1929b: 35.
 * Junior synonym of cursor: Mayr, 1861: 45 (in key); Mayr, 1863: 402; Roger, 1863b: 12; André, 1874: 202 (in list); Mayr, 1877: 8; Emery & Forel, 1879: 449; Mayr, 1880: 28; Dalla Torre, 1893: 217.
 * Subspecies of cursor: Emery, 1906d: 47; Karavaiev, 1910a: 269; Karavaiev, 1910b: 18; Wheeler, W.M. & Mann, 1916: 173; Karavaiev, 1916: 507; Santschi, 1921a: 116; Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1923: 248; Ruzsky, 1923: 2; Karavaiev, 1924: 301; Emery, 1925b: 263; Santschi, 1926f: 290; Karavaiev, 1927a: 303; Karavaiev, 1927c: 287 (in key); Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929b: 41; Santschi, 1929b: 35; Finzi, 1930c: 24; Arnol’di, 1933b: 605 (in key); Santschi, 1934d: 281; Zimmermann, 1935: 54; Karavaiev, 1936: 263 (redescription); Karavaiev, 1937: 177; Santschi, 1938a: 43; Arnol'di, 1948: 212 (in list); Dlussky, 1962: 183; Baroni Urbani, 1964a: 8.
 * Status as species: Pisarski, 1967: 416; Arnol’di, 1968: 1816; Dlussky & Pisarski, 1970: 89; Tarbinsky, 1976: 203 (redescription); Arnol'di & Dlussky, 1978: 554 (in key); Dlussky & Zabelin, 1985: 239; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 285 (in key); Agosti, 1990b: 1480; Dlussky, Soyunov & Zabelin, 1990: 148; Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 294; Arakelian, 1994: 104; Bolton, 1995b: 134; Wu, J. & Wang, 1995: 147; Radchenko, 1997c: 436; Radchenko, 1998: 503 (in key); Csösz, & Markó, 2005: 233; Bračko, 2006: 146; Radchenko, 2007: 36; Werner & Wiezik, 2007: 156; Zryanin & Zryanina, 2007: 234; Gratiashvili & Barjadze, 2008: 132; Lapeva-Gjonova, et al. 2010: 57; Csösz, et al. 2011: 58; Legakis, 2011: 33; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 485; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2013: 384; Borowiec, L. 2014: 50; Bračko, et al. 2014: 19; Radchenko, 2016: 318; Salata & Borowiec, L., 2018: 13.
 * Senior synonym of aterrima: Radchenko, 1997c: 436; Radchenko, 2016: 318.
 * Senior synonym of caspius: Emery, 1906d: 48; Karavaiev, 1910b: 18; Emery, 1925b: 263; Lomnicki, 1925a: 160; Santschi, 1929b: 35; Karavaiev, 1936: 263; Pisarski, 1967: 417; Radchenko, 2016: 318.
 * Senior synonym of chatkalensis: Radchenko, 1997c: 436; Radchenko, 2016: 318.
 * Senior synonym of georgica: Radchenko, 1997c: 436; Gratiashvili & Barjadze, 2008: 132; Radchenko, 2016: 318.
 * Senior synonym of hellenicus: Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2013: 384 (in text).
 * Senior synonym of jakobsoni: Dlussky, Soyunov & Zabelin, 1990: 149; Radchenko, 2016: 318.
 * Senior synonym of rockingeri: Radchenko, 1997c: 436; Radchenko, 2016: 318.
 * Senior synonym of tancrei: Radchenko, 1997c: 436; Radchenko, 2016: 318.
 * Material of the unavailable name flavigastra referred here by Dlussky, Soyunov & Zabelin, 1990: 149.
 * Material of the unavailable names kuenlunensis, maeotica, referred here by Radchenko, 1997c: 436.
 * Material of the unavailable name dorica referred here by Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2013: 384 (in text).
 * tancrei. Myrmecocystus cursor r. tancrei Forel, 1901h: 66 (w.) CHINA. Forel, 1904b: 383 (m.); Ruzsky, 1905b: 446 (q.). Combination in Cataglyphis: Emery, 1925b: 263. Subspecies of aenescens: Santschi, 1929b: 58. Junior synonym of aenescens: Radchenko, 1997c: 437.
 * caspius. Myrmecocystus cursor var. caspius Ruzsky, 1902b: 470 (q.m.) RUSSIA. Ruzsky, 1905b: 447 (w.). Junior synonym of aenescens: Karavaiev, 1910b: 18; Lomnicki, 1925a: 160.
 * jakobsoni. Myrmecocystus altisquamis var. jakobsoni Ruzsky, 1905b: 436 (w.) KAZAKHSTAN. Karavaiev, 1910b: 22 (m.). Combination in Cataglyphis: Emery, 1925b: 264. Subspecies of cursor: Karavaiev, 1910b: 21; Santschi, 1929b: 58; of aenescens: Pisarski, 1967: 417. Raised to species: Pisarski, 1970: 323. Junior synonym of aenescens: Dlussky, Soyunov & Zabelin, 1990: 149.
 * rockingeri. Myrmecocystus (Cataglyphis) cursor subsp. rockingeri Forel, 1911e: 287 (w.) KAZAKHSTAN.
 * Combination in Cataglyphis: Emery, 1925b: 264.
 * Combination in C. (Monocombus): Santschi, 1929b: 36.
 * Subspecies of cursor: Emery, 1925b: 264; Santschi, 1929b: 36; Wheeler, W.M. 1929f: 11; Wheeler, W.M. 1930h: 81; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 197; Agosti, 1990b: 1482; Bolton, 1995b: 137; Guénard & Dunn, 2012: 30.
 * Subspecies of aenescens: Pisarski, 1969a: 235; Pisarski, 1969b: 315; Dlussky & Pisarski, 1970: 89; Pisarski & Krzysztofiak, 1981: 165.
 * Junior synonym of aenescens: Radchenko, 1997c: 437; Radchenko, 2016: 318.
 * Status as species: Pashaei Rad et al., 2018: 4.
 * aterrima. Cataglyphis aenescens subsp. aterrima Pisarski, 1967: 417 (w.) RUSSIA. [First available use of Myrmecocystus (Cataglyphis) cursor subsp. aenescens var. aterrima Karavaiev, 1916: 507; unavailable name.] Subspecies of cursor: Agosti, 1990b: 1482. Junior synonym of aenescens: Radchenko, 1997c: 436.
 * georgica. Cataglyphis (Monocombus) aenescens subsp. georgica Arnol'di, 1968: 1816, figs. 15, 16, 17 (q.m.) GEORGIA. Junior synonym of aenescens: Radchenko, 1997c: 437.
 * chatkalensis. Cataglyphis aenescens subsp. chatkalensis Tarbinsky, 1976: 202 (w.) KYRGYZSTAN. Junior synonym of aenescens: Radchenko, 1997c: 437.
 * hellenica. Myrmecocystus cursor var. hellenicus Forel, 1886f: 204 (w.) GREECE. Combination in Cataglyphis: Müller, 1923: 150; in C. (Monocombus): Santschi, 1929b: 35. Raised to species: Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 59. Junior synonym of aenescens: Borowiec & Salata, 2013: 384.

Taxonomic Notes
Pashaei Rad et al., 2018: Cataglyphis rockingeri, CASENT0911109, where it is listed under C. aenescens (Nylander). Type location Kazakhstan. The type and the Iran workers are larger than what seems likely to be the type form aenescens and is uniformly dark rather than having lighter reddish areas; the overall appearance is almost silky due to the fine very spiculate sculpture.

Note that Bolton (in his unpublished An online catalogue of the ants of the world, 15 Feb. 2020) does not recognise the species status proposed by Pashaei Rad et al. (2018), noting that "the entries in this publication are omitted from the catalogue as it contains numerous nomenclatural errors; it also ignores previous taxonomic decisions, and entirely fails to apply ICZN rules that govern the availability of names in the species-group." Additionally, it should be noted that Pashaei Rad et al. (2018) provide minimal evidence to support their treatment of C. rockingeri as a distinct species.