Technomyrmex setosus

Technomyrmex setosus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Dolichoderinae
Genus:	Technomyrmex
Species:	T. setosus
Binomial name
Technomyrmex setosus Collingwood, 1985 Specimen Labels

The type material was found "under a stone in the Asir mountains."

Identification

A member of the T. pallipes complex in the Technomyrmex albipes group.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Afrotropical and west Palaearctic Technomyrmex
• Key to Arabian Technomyrmex

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 24.0045° to 13.221667°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia (type locality), Yemen.
Palaearctic Region: Oman.

Distribution based on AntMaps

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.

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.

Biology

Sharaf et al. (2018): Workers were collected from diverse habitats in the southwestern mountains of the KSA: Wadi Turabah (Al Bahah Province). A nest series was found under a rock next to an old Acacia (Fabaceae), where several workers were ascending the trunks and the twigs of these native plants, a foraging behavior mentioned by Bolton (2007). Several workers of Formicinae Lepisiota obtusa (Emery 1901) were found foraging in the same area. This site is in a valley that has flowing drainages during the rainy season and supports a remarkable diversity of native vegetation that flourishes after the rains.

In Shohba Forest (Al Bahah Province) this species was found foraging on a trunk of Acacia sp. and next to a Juniperus procera Hochst. exEndl. tree (Cupressaceae). In Wadi El Zaraeb (Al Bahah Province) workers of T. setosus were found under a rock near a J. procera tree in an area of scattered trees of Olea europea L. subsp. africana (Mill.) PS Green (Oleaceae) and Dodonae aviscosa Jacq. (Sapindaceae). In Beljorashi Forest (Al Bahah Province), this species was observed under an Acacia tree. In Al Sawda Mountains and in the Raydah Nature Preserve (Asir Province), workers of T. setosus were foraging on the ground where the soil was dry and rich in decaying organic material.

Technomyrmex setosus was also collected from Wadi Al-Farah (Medina Province) (Collingwood and Agosti 1996), a mountainous rocky region with steep hillsides. The plant cover includes some Acacia trees, perennial bushes, and shrubs (Abo-Khatwa et al. 1980). The species was collected from Wadi Shuqub (Collingwood 1985), a site with dense Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile (Zygophyllaceae), perennial vegetation and Acacia woods (Büttiker 1981).

Nomenclature

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

• setosus. Technomyrmex setosus Collingwood, 1985: 243, fig. 12 (w.) SAUDI ARABIA. See also: Bolton, 2007a: 37.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Bolton (2007) - TL 2.9 - 3.0, HL 0.64 - 0.67, HW 0.59, SL 0.64 - 0.66, PW 0.41, WL 0.80 - 0.82 (2 measured). Indices: CI 88 - 92, SI 108 - 112, OI 25 27, EPI 75 78, DTI 132.

Frontal carina with 2 setae: in profile one above the torulus and one at about the level of the anterior portion of the eye. Posterior to this is I pair of much shorter setae at level of posterior margin of eve, 1 pair between the latter and the posterior margin of the head that are shorter than'the maximum diameter of the eye, and 2 pairs at the posterior margin itself, a median pair and a much more lateral pair, all shorter than the maximum diameter of the eye. Scapes and tibiae without setae. Anterior clypeal margin transverse or at most with an extremely feeble median impression. In full-face view the posterior margin of the head appears transverse or even very slightly convex, but when head is tilted slightly forward from full-face the margin appears very shallowly evenly concave across its entire width. Outer margins of eyes just fail to break the outlines of the sides in full-face view. Number of setal pairs on mesosoma: pronotum 1; mesonotum 2; propodeal dorsum 0; lateral margin of propodeal declivity 2. Mesonotum in profile evenly rounded, without a differentiated declivitous face. Propodeal dorsum in profile very short, much shorter than depth of declivity to the spiracle; dorsum and declivity meet in an angle. Gastral tergites 1 - 4 with dense greyish pubescence and each with several pairs of setae, the longest on the first tergite about equal to the maximum diameter of the eye or fractionally shorter. Head and gaster brown to dark brown; mesosoma a much lighter yellowish brown and distinctly contrasting. All leg segments a dull dirty yellow, slightly lighter than the mesosoma.

Type Material

• Neotype (designated by Sharaf et al., 2018: 50), worker, Abha, Alswdah, 2982 m, Saudi Arabia, 18.274167°N 42.364444°E / 18.274167; 42.364444, 24.iv.2011, M. R. Sharaf, CASENT0906357, King Saud Museum of Arthropods.

Taxonomic Notes

Sharaf et al. (2018): Technomyrmex setosus was described from the holotype worker and two paratype workers collected from Wadi Shuqub (incorrectly written by Collingwood (1985) as Shugub because of the pronunciation of “q” to “g” by native KSA citizens), Al Bahah Province. The holotype and the two paratypes are not in NHMB and are considered lost. Two workers from Shaqiq (KSA) and three from Jebel Balas (KSA) are deposited in the WMLC and are T. setosus, but are not considered to be types. These specimens are from a locality not indicated in the original publication (Collingwood 1985). A Neotype for the species is herein designated to maintain the nomenclatural stability. Bolton (2007) already indicated that no type material of T. setosus could be located in NHMB or WMLC. He mentioned the presence of the two workers from Shaqiq (examined above) labelled as types, but with different locality data than the type material listed in the original description. Bolton (2007) concept of T. setosus was based on these two specimens.

Notes on the original type material

Holotype and paratype workers, Saudi Arabia: Wadi Shugub, 7.iv.l983 (CA. Collingwood) (location of types not known, not in Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel).

The type-series cannot be located. NHMB, the depository designated in the original descnption, has no record of them. However, in World Museum Liverpool are two workers with the data Saudi Arabia: Shaqiq, 8.iv.1983, presumably collected by Collingwood and incorrectly labeled as types In the Collingwood collection. The locality Shaqiq is not noted for this species either in Collingwood (1985) or Collingwood & Agosti (1996). Interpretation of selosus in this study is therefore based on these two specimens, which match the original description but not the rather sketchy figure.

References

• Bolton, B. 2007b. Taxonomy of the dolichoderine ant genus Technomyrmex Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) based on the worker caste. Contributions of the American Entomological Institute. 35(1): 1-149.
• Borowiec, L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
• Collingwood, C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna Saudi Arab. 7: 230-302 (page 243, fig. 12 worker described)
• Sharaf, M. R.; Collingwood, C. A. and Aldawood, S. A. 2011. Technomyrmex montaseri sp. n., a new ant species of the T. gibbosus-group from Oman (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) with a key to the Technomyrmex species of the Arabian Peninsula. ZooKeys. 108:11-19.
• Sharaf, M.R., Al Dhafer, H.M., Aldawood, A.S. 2018. Review of the ant genus Technomyrmex Mayr, 1872 in the Arabian Peninsula (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 780: 35–59 (DOI10.3897/zookeys.780.26272).
• Sharaf, M. R., Wetterer, J. K., Mohamed, A. A., Aldawood, A. S. 2022. Faunal composition, diversity, and distribution of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Dhofar Governorate, Oman, with updated list of the Omani species and remarks on zoogeography. European Journal of Taxonomy 838: 1-106 (doi:10.5852/ejt.2022.838.1925).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Collingwood, C. A. and D. Agosti. 1996. Formicidae (Insects: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2) Fauna of Saudi Arabia 15: 300-385.
• El-Hawagry M. S., M. R. Sharaf, H. M. Al Dhafer, H. H. Fadl, and A. S. Aldawood. 2015. Addenda to the insect fauna of Al-Baha Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with zoogeographical notes. Journal of Natural History http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2015.1103913
• El-Hawagry M. S., M. W. Khalil, M. R. Sharaf, H. H. Fadl, and A. S. Aldawood. 2013. A preliminary study on the insect fauna of Al-Baha Province, Saudi Arabia, with descriptions of two new species. ZooKeys 274: 1–88. doi:10.3897/zookeys.274.4533
• El-Hawagry M. S., M. W. Khalil, M. R. Sharaf, H. H. Fadl, and A. S. Aldawood. 2013. A preliminary study on the insect fauna of Al-Baha Province, Saudi Arabia, with descriptions of two new species. ZooKeys 274: 1–88. doi:10.3897/zookeys.274.4534
• El-Hawagry M. S., M. W. Khalil, M. R. Sharaf, H. H. Fadl, and A. S. Aldawood. 2013. A preliminary study on the insect fauna of Al-Baha Province, Saudi Arabia, with descriptions of two new species. ZooKeys 274: 1–88. doi:10.3897/zookeys.274.4535
• Sharaf M. R., H. M. Al Dhafer, and S. A. Aldawood. 2018. Review of the ant genus Technomyrmex Mayr, 1872 in the Arabian Peninsula (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 780: 35-59.