Messor aralocaspius

This is generally a highland species in Arabia and constructs relatively large crater nests (Collingwood and Agosti 1996).

Identification
Collingwood and Agosti (1996) - HW 1.9-2.4; EL/HW 0.19-0.23. The head is strongly striate and the whole of the alitrunk dorsum is transversely striate. All dorsal surfaces are covered with long pale hairs. The psammophore is moderately developed, never thick. The propodeum is angulate in profile but never dentate or spined.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia. Palaearctic Region: China, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, Republic of Macedonia, Russian Federation, Turkmenistan.

It is found in South East Europe, Saudi Arabia and Iraq (Abdul-Rassoul et al. 2013).

Nomenclature

 *  aralocaspius. Aphaenogaster barbara var. aralocaspia Ruzsky, 1902c: 20 (w.) RUSSIA. Karavaiev, 1910b: 63 (q.m.); Stitz, 1930: 240 (q.). Combination in Messor: Ruzsky, 1905b: 745. Subspecies of minor: Santschi, 1927c: 239. Status as species: Pisarski, 1967: 384; Pisarski, 1969b: 306; Tarbinsky, 1976: 65; Arnol'di, 1977b: 1642. Material of the unavailable name tamerlani referred here by Dlussky, Soyunov & Zabelin, 1990: 218. Current subspecies: nominal plus infumatus.