Meranoplus pulcher

Meranoplus pulcher is the first member of the genus recorded from Saudi Arabia and from the vast Arabian Peninsula. Twenty five workers were collected from Al-Baha Province, Shada Al Ala Protectorate and six workers from Raydah Protectorate. Both collections were from pitfall traps placed next to Acacia trees. The soil was extremely dry with abundant dry seeds of shrubs. Despite several hours of observing the nest no additional specimens were found. Meranoplus pulcher is, as far as can be ascertained from these two collections, restricted to juniper woodlands of southwestern mountains of KSA

Identification
Sharaf, Al Dhafer and Aldawood (2014) - Following Bolton (1981) Meranoplus pulcher belongs to the M. magrettii-group. Meranoplus pulcher is similar to M. magrettii from Sudan to which it will key to in Bolton (1981), sharing the following characters: mandibles striate and armed with four teeth, anterior pronotal corners armed with a pair of short triangular teeth, promesonotal shield narrowing behind pronotum, posterior corners of mesonotum armed with a pair of short spines, posterior mesonotal margin concave and unarmed, petiole cuneate in profile and postpetiole nodiform.

Although M. pulcher is superficially similar to Meranoplus magrettii, it can be readily distinguished by the following contrasting characters: Colour: M. pulcher is yellow, M. magrettii is light to dark brown; anterior clypeal margin: distinctly concave in M. pulcher, more or less flat to shallowly concave in M. magrettii; subpetiolar process: in M. pulcher short and triangular, in M. magrettii the process is more developed forming a short finger or a less developed process; petiolar sculpture: posterior face of petiolar node areolate-rugose in M. pulcher and smooth in M. magrettii; sculpture of first gastral tergite: superficially and finely shagreenate in M. pulcher, in M. magrettii the sculpture of first gastral tergite varies from dense shagreenate or reticulate punctate.

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

Castes
Known only from the worker caste.

Nomenclature

 *  pulcher. Meranoplus pulcher Sharaf, in Sharaf, Al Dhafer & Aldawood. 2014: 4, figs. 1-11 (w.) SAUDI ARABIA.

Worker
Maximum and minimum based on all specimens, n= 5, (holotype): TL 3.20-3.70 (3.27), HL 0.77–0.87 (0.80), HW 0.67–0.82 (0.72), HLA 0.25–0.30 (0.25), CW 0.22–0.27 (0.30), CDD 0.12–0.15 (0.12), SL 0.47–0.62 (0.60), EL 0.17–0.22 (0.17), EW 0.12–0.15 (0.15), PML 0.40–0.52 (0.47), PWA 0.62–0.75 (0.70), PWP 0.37–0.47 (0.45), SPL 0.17–0.22 (0.22), WL 0.75–0.87 (0.77), PTL 0.12–0.17 (0.20), PTH 0.30–0.42 (0.37), PPL 0.15–0.22 (0.22), PPH 0.25–0.35 (0.32), ATW 1.02–1.22, (1.12) ATL 0.97–1.15 (1.05), CI 87–94 (90), SI 67–82 (83), OMI 63–80 (68), CDI 0.44–20.68 (40), SEI 31–43 (28), PMI 144–155 (149), PPI 60–80 (69), PTI 40–46 (54), PWI 82–93 (96), CS 0.72–0.84 (0.76), EYE 38–47 (42) (n= 5).

Head. Head slightly longer than broad with convex sides and straight posterior margin; anterior clypeal margin distinctly concave with well-developed clypeal carinae; mandibles armed with four teeth; eyes relatively large (EL 0.25–0.26 x HW; EYE 38–47) with 12 ommatidia in the longest row; scapes when laid back from their insertions just reach posterior margin of eyes; scrobal carinae well-developed.

Mesosoma. Anterior pronotal corners armed with a pair of short triangular teeth; promesonotal shield distinctly broader than long (PMI 144–155) widening behind pronotum; promesonotal suture absent; posterior corners of mesonotum armed with a pair of sharp spines; posterior mesonotal margin between spines strongly concave and without secondary armament; propodeal spines long and sharp originating at level of propodeal spiracles and curved upwards; propodeal lobes well-developed.

Waist. Petiole cuneate in profile, sessile, with a broad anterior margin and a narrow acute dorsum; petiolar and postpetiolar anteroventral processes present; postpetiole nodiform, subrectangular in profile, taller than broad (PPI 60–80).

Sculpture. Mandibles longitudinally striated; cephalic dorsum densely and finely longitudinally rugulose, posterior margin areolate-rugose; promesonotal shield, posterior face of petiolar node and postpetiole dorsum reticulate rugulose, anterior petiolar face smooth and sides transversally rugulose; first gastral tergite finely and densely shagreenate.

Pilosity. All body surface covered with fine, pale, profuse hairs.

Colour. Colour unicolorous yellow, in some specimens, postpetiole and posterior margin of first gastral tergite brownish. The six examined specimens showed a clear size variation.

Type Material
Holotype worker SAUDI ARABIA, Al-Baha Province, Shada Al Ala, 19°51.066’N, 41°18.037’E, 1325 m, 23.IV.2014, P. T. (Al Dhafer et al. Leg.), deposited in KSMA, King Saud Museum of Arthropods, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Paratypes workers. All the following paratype specimens are deposited in KSMA, 3 workers, same locality and data as the holotype; 1 worker with same data as the holotype except the collecting data 15.II.2014; 1 worker, SAUDI ARABIA, Asir Province, Raydah, 18°11.749’N, 42°23.345’E, 1614 m, 28.IV.2014, P.T. (Al Dhafer et al. Leg.), 3 workers, Shada Al Ala, 19°50.575’N, 41°18.691’E, 1666 m, 23.VIII.2014, P. T. (Al Dhafer et al. Leg.); 9 workers, Shada Al Ala, 19°50.411’N, 41°18.686’E, 1611 m, 23.VIII.2014, P. T. (Al Dhafer et al. Leg.); 3 workers, Shada Al Ala, 19°50.329’N, 41°18.604’E, 1563 m, 23.VIII.2014, P. T. (Al Dhafer et al. Leg.); 5 workers, Shada Al Ala, 19°50.710’N, 41° 18.267’E, 1474 m, 23.VIII.2014, P. T. (Al Dhafer et al. Leg.); 5 workers, Shada Al Ala, 19°51.066’N, 41°18.037’E, 1325 m, 23.VIII.2014, P. T. (Al Dhafer et al. Leg.); 4 workers, Asir Province, Raydah, 18°11.618’N, 42°23.420’E, 1772 m, 26.VIII.2014, P. T. (Al Dhafer et al. Leg.); 1 workers, Asir Province, Raydah, 18°11.749’N, 42°23.345’E, 1614 m, 26.VIII.2014, P. T. (Al Dhafer et al. Leg.); unique specimen identifier CASENT 0914336, in California Academy of Science Collection, San Francisco, California, USA.

Etymology
The species name is derived from the Greek word ‘‘pulcher’’ that means ‘‘beautiful’’ referring to the attractive appearance of this ant species.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * 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 (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0111298).
 * Sharaf M. R., and S. A. Aldawood. 2019. Review of the ant genus Meranoplus Smith, 1853 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula with description of a new species M. mosalahi sp. n. from Oman. PeerJ 7: e6287.