Messor foreli

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Messor foreli
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Stenammini
Genus: Messor
Species: M. foreli
Binomial name
Messor foreli
Santschi, 1923

Messor foreli casent0217871 p 1 high.jpg

Messor foreli casent0217871 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Subspecies
Synonyms

This is a true desert species common in the northern Sahara (Collingwood and Agosti 1996).

Identification

Collingwood and Agosti (1996) - HW 1.35-1.39; SI 94; EL/HW 0.30. This is a small species characterised by its large eyes, dentate propodeum and hairless propodeum, nodes and first gastral tergite. The colour is evenly reddish brown to brownish black and the sculpture is dilute with the whole body shining. The postpetiole is rather low and slightly truncate.

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 36.182222° to 21.358333°.

     
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates.
Palaearctic Region: Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Oman, Tunisia (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.
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Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.
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Biology

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Messor foreli casent0249825 h 1 high.jpgMessor foreli casent0249825 p 1 high.jpgMessor foreli casent0249825 d 1 high.jpgMessor foreli casent0249825 l 1 high.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0249825. Photographer Ryan Perry, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMB, Basel, Switzerland.
Messor foreli casent0249826 h 1 high.jpgMessor foreli casent0249826 p 1 high.jpgMessor foreli casent0249826 p 2 high.jpgMessor foreli casent0249826 d 1 high.jpgMessor foreli casent0249826 d 2 high.jpgMessor foreli casent0249826 l 1 high.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0249826. Photographer Ryan Perry, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMB, Basel, Switzerland.
Messor foreli casent0217872 h 1 high.jpgMessor foreli casent0217872 d 1 high.jpgMessor foreli casent0217872 l 1 high.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0217872. Photographer Estella Ortega, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

  • foreli. Messor aegyptiacus var. foreli Santschi, 1923f: 322, fig. 1a,b (w.) TUNISIA, ALGERIA.
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
    • Type-locality: Tunisia: Tozeur, 1909 (Aumont).
    • Type-depository: NHMB.
    • Subspecies of aegyptiacus: Santschi, 1928f: 203; Menozzi, 1929e: 125; Santschi, 1932f: 519; Menozzi, 1932c: 94; Finzi, 1936: 158; Santschi, 1936e: 81; Santschi, 1938a: 31; Finzi, 1940: 159; Bernard, 1948: 138; Bernard, 1953a: 142 (in key); Délye, 1960: 262; Cagniant, 1970a: 416.
    • Status as species: Bernard, 1981b: 143; Bolton, 1995b: 254; Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 317; Cagniant & Espadaler, 1998: 428; Mohamed, Zalat, et al. 2001: 51; Cagniant, 2006a: 197; Collingwood, et al. 2011: 426; Borowiec, L. 2014: 105 (see note in bibliography); Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2020: 11; Barech, et al. 2020: 15.
    • Senior synonym of fossulatus: Cagniant & Espadaler, 1998: 428.
    • Distribution: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates.
    • Current subspecies: nominal plus fossulatus.

Description

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Ahmad G. M. M., and M. I. Basuony. 2003. Taxonomy and biodiversity of ant fauna of the Mediterranean coastal desert (Western desert-Egypt). J. Egypt. Ger. Soc. Zool. 42E: 69-83.
  • Bernard F. 1953. Les fourmis du Tassili des Ajjer. Pp. 121-250 in: Bernard, F. (ed.) 1953. Mission scientifique au Tassili des Ajjer (1949). Volume I. Recherches zoologiques et médicales. Paris: P. Lechevalier, 302 pp.
  • Bernard, F.. "Les insectes sociaux du Fezzân. Comportement et biogéographie." En: Bernard, F., Peyerimhoff, P. de Mission sc (1948): 87-200.
  • Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
  • Cagniant, H., and X. Espadaler. "Le genre Messor au Maroc." Annales de la Société Entomologique de France (N.S.) 33 (4) (1998): 419-434.
  • Cagniant, H.. "Liste actualisee des fourmis du Maroc (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8 (2006): 193-200.
  • Chemala A., M. Benhamacha, D. M. Ould el Hadj, F. Marniche, and S. Daoudi. 2017. A preliminary list of the ant fauna in Northeastern Sahara of Algeria (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Sociobiology 64(2): 146-154.
  • Collingwood C. A., D. Agosti, M. R. Sharaf, A. Van Harten, 2011. Order Hymenoptera, family Formicidae. Arthropod Fauna of the UAE 4: 405-474
  • Collingwood C.A., D.Agosti, M.R. Sharaf, and A. van Harten. 2011. Order Hymenoptera, family Formicidae. Arthropod fauna of the UAE, 4: 405–474
  • Collingwood, C. A., and Donat Agosti. "Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2)." Fauna of Saudi Arabia 15 (1996): 300-385.
  • Delye, G., and J. L. Bonaric. "Fourmis du sud Marocain." Etude de certains milieux du Maroc et de leux evolution recente RCP 249 (1973).
  • Finzi B. 1940. Formiche della Libia. Memorie della Societa Entomologica Italiana 18: 155-166.
  • Finzi, B.. "Risultati scientifici della spedizione di S. A. S. il Principe Alessandro della Torre e Tasso nell'Egitto e peninsola del Sinai. XI. Formiche." Bulletin de la Société Entomologique d'Egypte 20 (1936): 155-210.
  • Menozzi C. 1932. Missione scientifica del Prof. E. Zavattari nel Fezzan (1931). Hymenoptera-Formicidae.. Bollettino della Società Entomologica Italiana. 64: 93-95.
  • Menozzi C. 1932. Spedizione scientifica all'Oasi di Cufra (marzo-luglio 1931). Formiche.. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria. 55: 451-456.
  • Menozzi C. 1934. Reperti mirmecofaunistici raccolti dal Prof. L di Caporiacco nelle oasi di Cufra e in altre localita del deserto Libico. Atti della Societa dei Naturalisti e Matematici di Modena (6)13(65): 153-166
  • Mohamed, S., S. Zalat, H. Fadl, S.Gadalla and M. Sharaf. 2001. Taxonomy of ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) collected by pitfall traps from Sinai and Delta region, Egypt. Egyptian Journal of Natural History 3:40-61
  • Orabi G. M., F. M. Semida, M. S. Abdel-Dayem, M. R. Sharaf, and S. M. Zalat. 2011. Diversity patterns of ants along an elevation gradient at St. Catherine Protectorate, South Sinai, Egypt (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zoology in the Middle East 54(1): 101-112.
  • Santschi, F. 1923. Messor et autres fourmis paléarctiques. Revue Suisse de Zoologie 30: 317-336
  • Santschi, F. 1938. Quelques nouvelles fourmis d'Egypte. Bulletin de la Société Entomologique d'Egypte 21: 28-44.
  • Santschi, F.. "Messor et autres fourmis paléarctiques." Revue Suisse de Zoologie 30 (1923): 317-336.
  • Santschi, F.. "Notes sur les fourmis du Sahara." Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (2) 4 (1932): 516-520.
  • Sharaf M. R., B. L. Fisher, H. M. Al Dhafer, A. Polaszek, and A. S. Aldawood. 2018. Additions to the ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Oman: an updated list, new records and a description of two new species. Asian Myrmecology 10: e010004