Brachyponera sennaarensis ( Mayr, 1862 )

Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, Annales Zoologici 70 (4), pp. 533-560 : 554

Brachyponera sennaarensis ( Mayr, 1862)

( Fig. 26 A–C, 27 A–C)

Ponera sennaarensis Mayr, 1862: 721 (w.) Sudan. Afrotropic.

Diagnosis. Worker. Dark brown to black-brown, with antennae, tibiae, and tarsi reddish. In full-face view head with convex sides and concave posterior margin; eyes relatively large; metanotal groove deeply impressed; petiole a high and thick node with a straight anterior surface and convex posterior surface; first and second gastral tergites separated by a distinct constriction characteristic of ponerine ants; gaster ending with a powerful sting. All body surfaces covered with fine and dense pubescence.

Material examined. Qatar, Rawdet Rashed , 12.iii. 2005, 25°14.006‘N, 51°12.286’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 3w; Al-Rayyan, 14.iii.2005, 25°18’N, 51°25’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 25w; Al Dkakhira Park , 14.iii.2005, 25°43.65’N, 51°32.052’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 9w; Al-Rayyan, 17.iii.2005, 25°18’N, 51°25’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 11w; Al-Dohuil , 18-8.iii.2005, 25°22’N, 51°29’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 31w, ( KSMA ).

Geographic distribution. Brachyponera sennaarensis is an African native species originally described from Sudan, and spreads eastwardly from the Arabian Peninsula to Iran and India ( Wetterer 2013). This ponerine ant is widely spread in all countries of the Arabian Peninsula ( Collingwood 1985, Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Collingwood et al. 2011) and the Socotra Archipelago ( Sharaf et al. 2017). It was recorded from Qatar by Wetterer (2013).

Ecological and biological notes. Brachyponera sennaarensis has the ability to invade a diverse range of habitats including moist soils around date palm trees, leaf litter, public gardens, under rocks and objects associated with moist soils, and any habitat close to human settlements ( Collingwood 1985, Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Wetterer 2013). In Socotra Archipelago, Sharaf et al. (2017) found a colony under a rock next to a dragon blood tree Dracaena cinnabari Balf. f. ( Asparagaceae ). Brachyponera sennaarensis is a predaceous scavenger feeding on insects ( Lachaud and Dejean 1994, Collingwood and Agosti 1996) and the seeds of tropical plants ( Levieux and Diomande 1978). [ Table 1 ]

Figures

Figure 26. Brachyponera sennaarensis, worker, A, body in profile B, body in dorsal view C, head in full-face view, CASENT0922868 (Michele Esposito), www.AntWeb.org.