Cataglyphis livida ( Andre , 1881)

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 livida ( Andre, 1881)

Myrmecocystus albicans var. lividus André, 1881: 58.

Myrmecocystus albicans lividus Status as species: Arnol’di (1964): 1810.

Myrmecocystus albicans lividus Syntype workers, Jaffa, Israel (MHNG) [syntype workers images examined, AntWeb, CASENT0911099 and CASENT0912207, photographs by Zach Lieberman and Will Ericson, available on AntWeb.org].

Diagnosis.

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

Distribution.

Unknown. Due to mislabeling of type specimens of C. livida and C. viaticoides , both species were wrongly interpreted, and most of their historic records require verification. Based on available material, we can confirm its presence in Egypt, coastal parts of Israel, Syria, and Antalya Province in Turkey.

Note.

A study on type specimens of C. livida revealed that this species could be easily separated from most members of the Cataglyphis livida complex based on the presence of a layer of silvery hair on propodeum and katepisternum, and lack of these on posterior head. Lack of comment on this feature in the original description combined with mislabeling of type specimens (see Bračko et al. 2016) caused confusion, leading to the long-lasting misinterpretation of C. livida .