Tetramorium saudiae ( Collingwood & Agosti, 1996 ) Sharaf & Akbar & Al Dhafer & Aldawood, 2017

Sharaf, Mostafa R., Akbar, Shahid A., Al Dhafer, Hathal M., El-Gharbawy, Ali & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2017, Taxonomy of the Myrmicine ant genus Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) in the Arabian Peninsula, European Journal of Taxonomy 280 (280), pp. 1-17 : 13

Tetramorium saudiae ( Collingwood & Agosti, 1996) comb. nov.

Figs 16–18

Leptothorax saudiae Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 325 , fig. 9 (w).

Temnothorax saudiae – Bolton 2003: 271.

Material examined

Holotype worker

SAUDI ARABIA: Al Muraywah , 28°46' N, 45°00' E, 27–28 Oct. 1986, alt. 420 m, W. Buttiker leg. ( CASENT0922184 ) ( WMLC).

Remarks

Collingwood & Agosti (1996) described Leptothorax saudiae based upon a single specimen deposited in WMLC. The specimen in WMLC with a red label [Saudi Arabien, Al Muraywah, 28 46N, 45 00E, 27–28 Oct. 86, 420 m, W. Buttiker] is not specified as the holotype, yet the label information matches the original description exactly. This specimen, therefore, definitely represents the Leptothorax saudiae holotype. However, contrary to Bolton's transferral of the species to Temnothorax ( Bolton 2003) , this specimen clearly belongs to the genus Tetramorium based on the following observations: it possesses lateral portions of clypeus that are raised into sharp ridges or shield walls in front of the antennal insertions and the propodeal spiracles are low on the sides and distinctly behind the midlength of the sclerite. This taxon is herein formally transferred to the genus Tetramorium .

Figures

Figs 16–18. Tetramorium saudiae (Collingwood &Agosti, 1996), holotype, worker (CASENT0922184). 16. Body in profile.17. Body in dorsal view. 18. Head in frontal view.