Cataglyphis aurata Menozzi, 1932

Salata, Sebastian, Kiyani, Haniyeh, Minaei, Kambiz & Borowiec, Lech, 2021, Taxonomic review of the Cataglyphis livida complex (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), with a description of a new species from Iran, ZooKeys 1010, pp. 117-131 : 117

Cataglyphis aurata Menozzi, 1932

Cataglyphis (Cataglyphis) albicans aurata Menozzi, 1932: 95 [first available use of Myrmecocystus albicans ssp. lividus var. auratus Karavaiev, 1911: 10].

Myrmecocystus albicans lividus auratus Syntype worker, Assuan, Egypt (MHNG) [syntype worker images examined, AntWeb, CASENT0911100, photos by Zach Lieberman, available on AntWeb.org].

Diagnosis.

Whole body yellow, only gaster sometimes with indistinctly infuscated apex; mesosoma, posterior head and coxa covered with a layer of silvery hair.

Distribution.

North Africa. Probably records from Asia Minor refer to Cataglyphis lutea .

Note.

Cataglyphis aurata was separated from C. livida based on the presence of a thick layer of silvery hair on its body. Probably, Karavaiev, during his work on C. aurata , was unaware of the existence of C. arenaria , another species described from the North African region characterized by the same feature. Study on type specimens and descriptions of both C. arenaria and C. aurata did not provide any characters useful separating these two species. Thus, we conclude that they could be conspecific. However, this hypothesis requires verification based on larger material collected from the whole area of their distribution, supported with studies on male genitalia, and genetic analyses. See also note in C. argentata .