Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius, 1793)

Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud M, Al Dhafer, Hathal Mohammed, Aldawood, Abdulrahman S & Sharaf, Mostafa R, 2021, An update to the taxonomy and distribution of the Arabian Tapinoma Foerster, 1850 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with an illustrated key and remarks on habitats, Biodiversity Data Journal 9, pp. 66058-66058 : 66058

Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius, 1793)

Formica melanocephala Fabricius, 1793: 353 (w.) [Note: neotype w. designated by: Guerrero 2018: 499. Colombia: Magdalena. Guerrero, 2018: 499, also nominates “paraneotypes”. Under ICZN rules no such category exists.] French Guiana. Neotropic.

Formica melanocephala Fabricius, 1793: 353 (w.) [Note: neotype w. designated by: Guerrero 2018: 499. Colombia: Magdalena. Guerrero, 2018: 499, also nominates “paraneotypes”. Under ICZN rules no such category exists.] French Guiana. Neotropic.

Materials

Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: Mostafa Sharaf ; individualCount: 1; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: Oman; locality: Qurayat ; verbatimElevation: 39 m; decimalLatitude: 23.2046; decimalLongitude: 58.9692; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Mostafa R. Sharaf; dateIdentified: 2016; Event: samplingProtocol: Hand picking; eventDate: 2016-04-08; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: KSMA; datasetName: Ants; ownerInstitutionCode: KSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: Mostafa Sharaf ; individualCount: 3; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: Oman; locality: Ayn Hamran ; verbatimElevation: 106 m; decimalLatitude: 17.09952; decimalLongitude: 54.28403; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Mostafa R. Sharaf; dateIdentified: 2017; Event: samplingProtocol: Sweeping; eventDate: 2017-11-20; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: KSMA; datasetName: Ants; ownerInstitutionCode: KSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: Mostafa Sharaf ; individualCount: 10; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: Oman; locality: Ayn Hamran ; verbatimElevation: 56 m; decimalLatitude: 17.08631; decimalLongitude: 54.28043; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Mostafa R. Sharaf; dateIdentified: 2017; Event: samplingProtocol: Sifting try; eventDate: 2017-11-22; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: KSMA; datasetName: Ants; ownerInstitutionCode: KSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: Mostafa Sharaf ; individualCount: 2; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: Oman; locality: Ayn Sahlanot ; verbatimElevation: 151 m; decimalLatitude: 17.14766; decimalLongitude: 54.17878; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Mostafa R. Sharaf; dateIdentified: 2017; Event: samplingProtocol: Malaise trap; eventDate: 2017-11-16; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: KSMA; datasetName: Ants; ownerInstitutionCode: KSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: Mostafa Sharaf ; individualCount: 11; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: Oman; locality: Dhalkout ; verbatimElevation: 34 m; decimalLatitude: 16.70703; decimalLongitude: 53.25068; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Mostafa R. Sharaf; dateIdentified: 2017; Event: samplingProtocol: Sifting try; eventDate: 2017-11-19; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: KSMA; datasetName: Ants; ownerInstitutionCode: KSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: Mostafa Sharaf ; individualCount: 7; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: Oman; locality: Dhalkout ; verbatimElevation: 43 m; decimalLatitude: 16.70492; decimalLongitude: 53.24453; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Mostafa R. Sharaf; dateIdentified: 2017; Event: samplingProtocol: Sifting try; eventDate: 2017-11-18; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: KSMA; datasetName: Ants; ownerInstitutionCode: KSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: Mostafa Sharaf ; individualCount: 2; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location : country: Oman; locality: Dhalkout Rd., Aghbaroot Village ; verbatimElevation: 1034 m; decimalLatitude: 16.79818; decimalLongitude: 53.55392; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Mostafa R. Sharaf; dateIdentified: 2017; Event: samplingProtocol: Sifting try; eventDate: 2017-11-18; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: KSMA; datasetName: Ants; ownerInstitutionCode: KSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: Mostafa Sharaf ; individualCount: 3; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: Oman; locality: El-Ebreien ; verbatimElevation: 903 m; decimalLatitude: 23.14069; decimalLongitude: 57.31261; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Mostafa R. Sharaf; dateIdentified: 2017; Event: samplingProtocol: Hand picking; eventDate: 2017-01-21; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: KSMA; datasetName: Ants; ownerInstitutionCode: KSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: Mostafa Sharaf ; individualCount: 8; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: Oman; locality: Alraha Village ; verbatimElevation: 74 m; decimalLatitude: 23.56665; decimalLongitude: 58.1763; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Mostafa R. Sharaf; dateIdentified: 2017; Event: samplingProtocol: Hand picking; eventDate: 2017-01-18; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: KSMA; datasetName: Ants; ownerInstitutionCode: KSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: Mostafa Sharaf ; individualCount: 6; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: Oman; locality: Muscat ; verbatimElevation: 81 m; decimalLatitude: 23.6176; decimalLongitude: 58.49364; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Mostafa R. Sharaf; dateIdentified: 2016; Event: samplingProtocol: Hand picking; eventDate: 2016-04-07; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: KSMA; datasetName: Ants; ownerInstitutionCode: KSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: M. Gallagher; individualCount: 1; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: Oman; locality: Salalah ; decimalLatitude: 17.02; decimalLongitude: 54.08; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Cedric A. Collingwood; dateIdentified: 1988; Event: samplingProtocol: none specified; eventDate: 1905-06-07; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: WMLC; datasetName: Ants; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: M. Gallagher; individualCount: 1; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: Oman; locality: Wahiba Sands ; decimalLatitude: 21.33; decimalLongitude: 59.13; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Cedric A. Collingwood; dateIdentified: 1988; Event: samplingProtocol: none specified; eventDate: 1905-06-06; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: WMLC; datasetName: Ants; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: Mostafa Sharaf ; individualCount: 5; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: Oman; locality: Alkhoud Village ; verbatimElevation: 63 m; decimalLatitude: 23.57154; decimalLongitude: 58.12166; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Mostafa R. Sharaf; dateIdentified: 2017; Event: samplingProtocol: Hand picking; eventDate: 2017-01-19; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: KSMA; datasetName: Ants; ownerInstitutionCode: KSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: Mostafa Sharaf ; individualCount: 4; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: Oman; locality: Fanga ; verbatimElevation: 166 m; decimalLatitude: 23.45336; decimalLongitude: 58.11807; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Mostafa R. Sharaf; dateIdentified: 2017; Event: samplingProtocol: Hand picking; eventDate: 2017-01-20; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: KSMA; datasetName: Ants; ownerInstitutionCode: KSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: Mostafa Sharaf ; individualCount: 3; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: Oman; locality: Nakhl ; verbatimElevation: 322 m; decimalLatitude: 23.38803; decimalLongitude: 57.82937; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Mostafa R. Sharaf; dateIdentified: 2016; Event: samplingProtocol: Hand picking; eventDate: 2016-04-02; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: KSMA; datasetName: Ants; ownerInstitutionCode: KSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: Mahmoud Abdel-Dayem ; individualCount: 1; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: Qatar; locality: Rawdet Rashed ; decimalLatitude: 25.233433; decimalLongitude: 51.204767; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Mostafa R. Sharaf; dateIdentified: 2005; Event: samplingProtocol: Hand picking; eventDate: 2005-03-12; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: KSMA; datasetName: Ants; ownerInstitutionCode: KSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: Mostafa Sharaf ; individualCount: 2; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: Saudi Arabia; locality: Wadi Bagara ; verbatimElevation: 436 m; decimalLatitude: 18.79287; decimalLongitude: 42.01857; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Mostafa R. Sharaf; dateIdentified: 2012; Event: samplingProtocol: Hand picking; eventDate: 2012-11-10; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: KSMA; datasetName: Ants; ownerInstitutionCode: KSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: James Wetterer ; individualCount: 1; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: United Arab Emirates; locality: Palm Deira ; decimalLatitude: 25.276; decimalLongitude: 55.3; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: James K. Wetterer; dateIdentified: 2012; Event: samplingProtocol: none specified; eventDate: 2012-05-16; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: JWPC; datasetName: Ants; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: James Wetterer ; individualCount: 1; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: United Arab Emirates; locality: Al-Jubail ; decimalLatitude: 25.351; decimalLongitude: 55.382; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: James K. Wetterer; dateIdentified: 2012; Event: samplingProtocol: none specified; eventDate: 2012-05-16; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: JWPC; datasetName: Ants; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: Mostafa Sharaf ; individualCount: 9; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: Yemen; locality: Dehejamo ; verbatimElevation: 563 m; decimalLatitude: 12.59049; decimalLongitude: 54.05205; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Mostafa R. Sharaf; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: none specified; eventDate: 2014-04-22; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: KSMA; datasetName: Ants; ownerInstitutionCode: KSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: Mostafa Sharaf ; individualCount: 6; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location : country: Yemen; locality: Dixam, Wadi Zereg ; verbatimElevation: 279 m; decimalLatitude: 12.46868; decimalLongitude: 54.01091; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Mostafa R. Sharaf; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: Hand picking; eventDate: 2014-04-24; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: KSMA; datasetName: Ants; ownerInstitutionCode: KSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: Mostafa Sharaf ; individualCount: 3; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: Yemen; locality: Himihil Protectorate ; verbatimElevation: 372 m; decimalLatitude: 12.57615; decimalLongitude: 54.30651; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Mostafa R. Sharaf; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: Hand picking; eventDate: 2014-04-23; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: KSMA; datasetName: Ants; ownerInstitutionCode: KSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence : recordedBy: Mostafa Sharaf ; individualCount: 2; sex: worker; lifeStage: adult; Taxon : scientificName: Tapinoma melanocephalum; Location: country: Yemen; locality: Lehanoh ; verbatimElevation: 931 m; decimalLatitude: 12.57583; decimalLongitude: 54.04836; georeferenceProtocol: label; Identification: identifiedBy: Mostafa R. Sharaf; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: Hand picking; eventDate: 2014-04-22; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: KSMA; datasetName: Ants; ownerInstitutionCode: KSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen

Diagnosis

Worker. This is an easily recognised species by its bicoloured body (Fig. 2 a, b), with head and mesosoma pale brown to dark brown, antennae, maxillary palps and mandibles pale brown to yellow, gaster and legs pale yellow. Head in full-face view with scapes, when laid back from their insertions, surpass posterior margin of head (Fig. 2 c); eyes located in front of mid-length of head (Fig. 2 c). The size is small (1.20-1.90 mm) and mesosoma is without dorsal hairs.

Previous records

KUWAIT: Kuwait City, 29.37°N, 47.98°E ( Collingwood and Agosti 1996). OMAN: Hawiyah, 22.39°N, 58.85°E ( Collingwood 1988); Mintirib, 22.56°N, 58.03°E ( Collingwood 1988); Salalah, 17.02°N, 54.08°E ( Collingwood 1988); Umm Qishrib, ( Collingwood 1988); Wahiba Sands, 21.33°N, 59.13°E ( Collingwood 1985). QATAR: Rawdet Rashed, 25°14.006'N, 51°12.286'E ( Sharaf et al. 2020b). SA: Hofuf ( Collingwood 1985); Al Qatif, ( Collingwood 1985). UAE: Abu Dhabi, Al-Ain, 24.13°N, 55.80°E ( Collingwood et al. 2011); Abu Dhabi, Al-Ajban, 24.56°N, 55.34°E ( Collingwood et al. 2011); Sharjah, Sharjah Desert Park, 25.28°N, 55.70°E ( Collingwood et al. 2011). YEMEN: Aden Chalet, 12.83°N, 45.00°E ( Collingwood and Agosti 1996); Socotra Is., Hoq, 12.60°N, 54.35°E ( Collingwood et al. 2004); Socotra Is., Wadi Daneghan, 12.62°N, 54.07°E ( Collingwood et al. 2004); Socotra Is., Goeeh, 12.53°N, 54.17°E ( Collingwood et al. 2004); Socotra Is., Farmihin, 12.53°N, 53.93°E ( Collingwood et al. 2004); Socotra Is., Dirhashas, 12.53°N, 53.86°E ( Collingwood et al. 2004); Socotra Is., Homhil, 12.57°N, 54.32°E ( Collingwood et al. 2004); Lahj, 13.06°N, 44.88°E ( Collingwood and van Harten 2001); Al Kowd, 13.09°N, 45.37°E ( Collingwood and van Harten 2001); Mayfa'ah, 14.33°N, 46.00°E ( Collingwood and van Harten 2001).

Distribution

Tapinoma melanocephalum is a widely distributed invasive species that is spread by human commerce especially in the Tropics and Subtropics of the Old and New Worlds ( Wetterer 2009) with an unknown native range. The species is widely spread in several countries of the Arabian Peninsula, including SA and Oman ( Collingwood 1985), Yemen ( Collingwood and Agosti 1996), UAE ( Collingwood et al. 1997), the Socotra Archipelago ( Sharaf et al. 2017) and, recently, it has been reported from Qatar ( Sharaf et al. 2020b).

Ecology

The species inhabits a broad range of habitats worldwide ( Sharaf et al. 2017), including both humid and dry soil of wild and urban localities, in homes, restaurants, hospitals, well-heated buildings and greenhouses ( Wetterer 2009), under bark and stones, in leaf litter and sometimes nests are built in walls and potted plants indoors ( Smith and Whitman 1992, Ellison et al. 2012), in moist soil of lawn and grasses and under debris ( Oster and Wilson 1978) or in opportunistic places ( Hölldobler and Wilson 1990). In the Socotra Archipelago (Yemen), the species was observed foraging on a tree located on a mountainside next to a stream drainage where the soil was moist and the area was dominated by the ponerine ant, Brachyponera sennaarensis (Mayr, 1862) and Adiantum capillus-veneris L. ( Pteridaceae ) ( Sharaf et al. 2017). It also inhabits localities rich in organic matter of animal faeces in date palm plantations ( Phoenix dactylifera L.) ( Sharaf et al. 2017). Workers attend honeydew-excreting insects for honeydew (Venkataramaiah and Rehman 1989) and also feed on both dead and live insects and when disturbed workers are running erratically and rapidly. ( Smith 1965).