Cataglyphis nigra ( André, 1881 )

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 : 542

Cataglyphis nigra ( André, 1881)

( Fig. 10 A–C)

Myrmecocystus viaticus var. niger André, 1881a: 56 (w.) Palestine. Palearctic.

Diagnosis. Worker. Uniform black; head usually red-black; first funiculus segment nearly 2× as long as second; propodeum high in profile with dorsum rounding evenly into its descending face; petiole a thick node, about as high as long in profile; cephalic surface densely superficially sculptured.

Material examined. Doha, Al-Dohuil , 14.iii.2005, 25°22’N, 51°29’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 2w ( KSMA)

Geographic distribution. Cataglyphis nigra is a Palearctic species originally described from Palestine and is broadly distributed in the Arabian Peninsula inclding KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen ( Collingwood 1985), UAE ( Walker and Pittaway 1987, Collingwood et al. 2011), and some countries in the Middle East including Syria ( Santschi 1929), Israel ( Ionescu and Eyer 2016), North Africa, from Algeria eastwardly to Egypt ( Sharaf 2006, Borowiec and Salata 2020). The distribution map presented by Walker and Pittaway (1987) shows a geographic range extending eastward and including Qatar without any details about the record. Therefore, we consider our record to be the first confirmed collection of the species from the country.

Ecological and biological notes. This species is abundant in most countries of the Arabian Peninsula ( Collingwood 1985, Collingwood and Agosti 1996), with a seasonal peak in June that then decreases in cooler months ( Sharaf et al. 2013). In Rawdhat Khorim (Riyadh Province, KSA), C. nigra was found foraging next to the following plants: Acacia gerrardii, Benth. (Fabaceae) , Calotropis procera (Aiton) W. T. Aiton (Apocynaceae) , Rhazya stricta Decne (Apocynaceae) and Ziziphus nummularia (Burm. f) Wight & Arn. ( Rhamnaceae ) ( Sharaf et al. 2013). Pashaei Rad et al. (2018) mentioned its habitat preference in Iran includes moderate and low rainfall.

Figures

Figure 10. Cataglyphis nigra, worker, A, body in profile B, body in dorsal view C, head in full-face view, CASENT0280330 (Ryan Perry), www.AntWeb.org.