Crematogaster acaciae Forel

Sharaf, Mostafa R., Aldawood, Abdulrahman S. & Garcia, Francisco Hita, 2019, Review of the Arabian Crematogaster Lund (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), synoptic list, distribution, and description of two new species from Oman and Saudi Arabia, ZooKeys 898, pp. 27-81 : 27

Crematogaster acaciae Forel Figure 5 A–C

Taxonomic history.

Crematogaster acaciae Forel, 1892: 141 (w.) Ethiopia.

Combination in Crematogaster (Acrocoelia) : Emery 1922: 144; in Crematogaster . ( Crematogaster ): Bolton 1995: 166.

Subspecies of C. brunneipennis : Wheeler 1922: 152.

Status as species: Emery 1922: 144; Collingwood 1985: 260.

Current subspecies: C. acaciae generosa Santschi, C. acaciae gloriosa Santschi, C. acaciae victoriosa Santschi.

Material examined.

KSA: Jebel Dhablah, 27.79175N, 41.34063E, 03.v.1985, 950 m (W. Buttiker) (1 w, WMLC); Alqatif, 26.51028N, 49.96889E, 14.iv.1983 (Collingwood CA) (1 w, WMLC); Alqatif, 26.51028N, 49.96889E, 15.iv.1983 (Collingwood CA) (48 w, WMLC); Oman: muqshen (mugshin), 19.55N, 54.883333E, 20.ix.1979 (R. W. Whitcomb) (1 w, WMLC); 67 km S. Mintirib, desert trade, 27.i.1986 (W. Buttiker) (9 w, eastern sand project, WMLC); W. of Muscat, 23.588N, 58.3829E, 26.ix.1982 (M. Gallagher) (2w, 6374, WMLC); Yemen: Al Kawd, 13.088622N, 45.364722E, x.1992 (1 q, WMLC); Namibia: Kuzikus Wildlife Reserve, Windhoek, 23.2306S, 18.401617E, 1340 m, 07.ix.2009 (H Campbell) (I W, OUMC); Sudan: Khordonia, 11.85N, 34.25E, 24.x.2001 (J. Mathews) (2 W, OUMC); Khordonia, Damazine Plantation, Blue Nile, 11.85N, 34.25E, 25.x.2000 (J. Mathews) (2 W, OUMC); Tanzania: Mkomazi Igire Hill, 10.i.1996 (G. McGavin) (2 W, OUMC).

Geographic range.

Crematogaster acaciae was originally described from Ethiopia but is also known from Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Africa, and Zambia ( Guénard et al. 2017; Janicki et al. 2017). For the Arabian Peninsula, it was previously only known from Oman ( Collingwood 1985; Collingwood and Agosti 1996; Borowiec 2014; Sharaf et al. 2018; Monks et al. 2019) ( Fig. 6 ). In this study, we provide the first records for the KSA and Yemen.

Remarks.

This species represents a typical problematic taxon within the genus. The known distribution of C. acaciae and its three subspecies in the Afrotropics is patchy and there are some notable morphological differences between the infraspecific taxa. At present, it is likely that the taxonomic status of the involved taxa will change within the frame of a comprehensive revision of the Afrotropical fauna.

Figures

Figure 5. C. acaciae A body in profile B body in dorsal view C head in full-face view, CASENT 0908494 (Zach Lieberman), www. AntWeb. org.

Figure 6. Distribution map of C. acacia and C. aegyptiaca.