Crematogaster melanogaster

The limited number of specimen records show C. melanogaster has been found in various habitats such as fynbos, karoo and strandveld. The ants were obtained from a rotten log, pitfall traps, and under a rock.

Identification
Collingwood and Agosti (1996) - This species was keyed but not named or described in Collingwood (1985). It is characterized by the exceptionally long straight propodeal spines which are more than one third the head width and the colour contrast between the yellowish-red head and alitrunk and the dark gaster.

Distribution
Sharaf et al. (2019): This species was described from South Africa for the Afrotropical region and it seems to be restricted to the southern African countries of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa (Guénard et al. 2017; Janicki et al. 2017). The only records for the Arabian Peninsula are from Oman (Collingwood and Agosti 1996; Borowiec 2014; Sharaf et al. 2018). However, the record from Oman appears doubtful based on the strange distribution pattern of the species. Since we were unable to examine any material of this species, we consider it prudent to list it as an Arabian species for the moment.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Oman.

Nomenclature

 * . Crematogaster arborea subsp. melanogaster Emery, 1895h: 29 (w.q.) SOUTH AFRICA.
 * Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
 * Type-locality: South Africa: Cape Prov., De Aar, i.-iv.1893 (E. Simon).
 * Type-depository: MSNG.
 * Combination in C. (Crematogaster): Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 840;
 * combination in C. (Acrocoelia): Emery, 1922e: 147;
 * combination in C. (Crematogaster): Bolton, 1995b: 166.
 * Subspecies of arborea: Forel, 1910f: 7; Forel, 1914d: 234; Arnold, 1920a: 508.
 * Status as species: Emery, 1922e: 147; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 840; Emery, 1922e: 147; Bolton, 1995b: 157; Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 331; Borowiec, L. 2014: 67 (see note in bibliography); Sharaf, Aldawood & Hita Garcia, 2019: 66.
 * Distribution: Botswana, Namibia, Oman, South Africa.
 * Current subspecies: nominal plus homonyma.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Arnold G. 1920. A monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. Part IV. Myrmicinae. Annals of the South African Museum. 14: 403-578.
 * Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
 * Botes, A., M.A. McGeoch, H.G. Robertson, A. van Niekerk, H.P. Davids and S.L. Chown. 2006. Ants, altitude and change in the northern Cape Floristic Region. Journal of Biogeography 33:71-90
 * Collingwood, C. A. and D. Agosti. 1996. Formicidae (Insects: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2) Fauna of Saudi Arabia 15: 300-385.
 * Collingwood, C. A., and Donat Agosti. "Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2)." Fauna of Saudi Arabia 15 (1996): 300-385.
 * Dean W. R. J., and J. S. Turner. 1991. Ants nesting under stones in the semi-arid Karoo, South Africa: predator avoidance or temperature benefits? Journal of Arid Environments 21: 59-69.
 * Dean, W. R. J. and Bond, W. J. 1990. Evidence for Rapid Faunal Changes on Islands in a Man-Made Lake. Oecologia. 83:388-391.
 * Emery C. 1895. Voyage de M. E. Simon dans l'Afrique australe (janvier-avril 1893). 3e mémoire. Formicides. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 64: 15-56.
 * Hanrahan S. A., M. J. Steinbauer, and F. D. Duncan. 2014. Ant assemblages in a poorly sampled part of the arid Nama Karoo. African Entomology 22(2): 448453.
 * Prins A. J. 1967. The ants of our National Parks. Koedoe - African Protected Area Conservation and Science 10(1): 63-81.
 * Robertson H. G. 2000. Formicidae (Hymenoptera: Vespoidea). Cimbebasia Memoir 9: 371-382.
 * 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
 * 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.
 * Tshinguvho T. E., W. R. J. Dean, and H. G. Robertson. 1999. Conservation value of road verges in the semi-arid Karoo, South Africa: ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as bio-indicators. Biodiversity and Conservation 8: 16831695
 * 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