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Technomyrmex montaseri sp. n. is described and illustrated from Oman based on the worker caste collected in Bani Sur. It belongs to the Technomyrmex gibbosus-group, with closest resemblance to Technomyrmex vexatus (Santschi, 1919) and Technomyrmex gibbosus W. M. Wheeler, 1906. A key to the Arabian Technomyrmex is given.
Technomyrmex, Palaearctic, Middle East, Alpha taxonomy, Arabia, Key
The ant genus Technomyrmex Mayr, 1872 comprises one of the largest and most diverse ant genera in the subfamily Dolichoderinae.
Ninety species are known world wide, distributed throughout the
tropical and subtropical zones; most species occur in the
Oriental-Malesian (sensu
The Technomyrmex
of the Arabian peninsula have been studied fragmentarily and probably
many species remain undiscovered. This paper continues our contributions
towards the knowledge of Arabian Technomyrmex. The first contribution was by
The Technomyrmex gibbosus group (
In this paper Technomyrmex montaseri new species is described from Oman.
Material and methodsMeasurements and indices were taken according to
TL Total Length. The total outstretched length of the ant from the mandibular apex to the gastral apex.
HL Head Length. The length of the head capsule excluding the mandibles; measured in full-face view in a straight line from the mid-point of the anterior clypeal margin to the mid-point of the posterior margin. In species where one or both of these margins is concave the measurement is taken from the mid-point of a transverse line that spans the apices of the projecting portions.
HW Head width. The maximum width of the head behind the eyes, measured in full-face view.
SL Scape length. The maximum straight-line length of the scape, excluding the basal constriction or neck that occurs just distal of the condylar bulb.
PW Pronotal width. The maximum width of the pronotum in dorsal view.
WL Weberś length of Mesosoma. The diagonal length of the mesosoma in profile, from the anterior most point of the pronotum to the posterior basal angle of the metapleuron.
All measurements are expressed in millimeters.
Indices:CI Cephalic Index. HW divided by HL, × 100.
SI Scape Index. SL divided by HW, × 100.
OI Ocular Index. Maximum diameter of eye divided by HW, × 100.
EPI Eye Position Index. In full-face view the straight-line length (parallel to the long axis of the head) from the anteriormost point of the eye to the anterior clypeal margin, divided by the straight-line length from the posteriormost point of the eye to the posterior margin, × 100.
DTI Dorsal Thoracic Index. In dorsal view the length from the mid-point of the anterior pronotal margin to the midpoint of the metanotal groove, divided by PW, × 100.
The photographic images were taken using a digital camera attached to a stereomicroscope. The microscope was equipped with a Z-Stepper to enable the generation of usually 30 images in different focus layers from which a montage image was computed using Auto-Montage Pro.
Resultsurn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:AC02AAFB-ACF2-4491-9E11-401DE099AC84
http://species-id.net/wiki/Technomyrmex_montaseri
Figs 1 –3Oman, Bani Sur, 7.iii.1984 (W. Büttiker); the entomological Collection, the World Museum Liverpool (WML), Liverpool, U.K. deposited by Mr Guy T. Knight)
7 workers with same data as holotype in the World Museum, Liverpool (WML) (deposited by the senior author), 1 worker with same data as holotype, The Natural History Museum, London (BMNH) (deposited by B. Bolton) and 1 worker, Oman Eastern sand project (Leg. Collingwood) at WML.
Measurements: TL: 2.90; HL: 0.60; HW: 0.57; SL: 0.62; PW: 0.37; WL: 0.80; EL: 0.15; Indices: CI: 95; SI: 109; OI: 26; EPI: 80; DTI: 122
Measurements: TL: 2.80; HL: 0.62; HW: 0.60; SL: 0.58; PW: 0.38; WL:0.65; EL: 0.15; Indices: CI: 97; SI: 97; OI: 25; EPI: 125; DTI: 126
Other workers, as Technomyrmex species B, measurements given by
Saudi Arabia, Al Farrash, 15.x.1982, 21° 7’ 45 N, 40° 36’ 20 E; collector W. Büttiker (
This new species is characterized by the combination of the following characters: Head, mesosoma and all gastral tergites without setae. Anterior clypeal margin with a shallow but distinct median concavity. In full-face view the occipital margin and the sides of the head are convex.
Dorsum of head behind clypeus entirely lacks setae. Anterior clypeal margin with a shallow but distinct median concavity. In full-face view the posterior margin of the head and the sides clearly convex. Eyes of moderate size, located in front of the midlength and their outer margins just failing to break the outline of the sides. Sculpture of head a very weak, superficial and effaced microreticulum. Dorsum of mesosoma and propodeal declivity entirely lack setae. With mesosoma in profile the mesonotal dorsal outline consists of an anterior section that is short and flat to feebly convex; posterior to this the surface curves broadly and evenly into a larger, more steeply sloped posterior section that descends to the narrow mesonotal groove. Propodeum in profile with a short convex dorsal surface that rounds evenly into the declivity, the two surfaces not separating by an angle. Sculpture reduced and superficial on dorsal mesosoma and all gastral tergites; the latter without pubescence. All gastral tergites, scapes and tibiae without setae. Colour uniform yellow.
A patronymic name (Technomyrmex montaseri) is proposed in honor of Mosrafa Sharaf's friend the famous Egyptian journalist Mr. Salah Montaser (Al-Ahram News paper).
Profile of Technomyrmex montaseri sp. n. (Holotype, WML).
Dorsal view of Technomyrmex montaseri sp. n. (Holotype, WML).
Full-face view of Technomyrmex montaseri sp. n. (Holotype, WML)
We include Technomyrmex vexatus in the key of the Arabian Technomyrmex as it is the only other West Palaearctic species of its group and may well be discovered in other areas, beside Morocco and Gibraltar where it now is known.
1 | With the head in profile the dorsal surface of the frontal carina, or the dorsum immediately mesad of the frontal carina, entirely without setae | 2 |
– | With the head in profile the dorsal surface of the frontal carina, or the dorsum immediately mesad of the frontal carina, with setae present; at least with one seta present somewhere along the length of the frontal carina, or more usually with a row of 2-4 | 3 |
2 | Head and mesosoma brown. Posterior margin of head shallowly impressed, eyes located close to the midlength of the head; the gastral tergites 1-3 without setae, the fourth with 2-3 pairs. Larger species with TL 3.0-3.4, EPI 68-76, WL 0.90-0.96 (Spain, Morocco and possibly in Arabia) | Technomyrmex vexatus |
– | Head and mesosoma yellow. Posterior margin of head clearly convex, eyes located in front of the midlength of the head; all gastral tergites without setae. Smaller species with TL 2.2-2.9, EPI 80-125, WL 0.65-0.80 (Oman, Yemen and Saudi Arabia) | Technomyrmex montaseri sp. n. |
3 | Gastral tergites 2-3 without setae (Saudi Arabia) | Technomyrmex brianis |
– | Gastral tergites 2-3 with setae present; setae may be restricted to one or two pairs on each segment or may be numerous | 4 |
4 | With head in profile the dorsum behind the level of the posterior margin of the eye without setae. Head, mesosoma, petiole and gaster blackish brown to black. Propodeum dorsum-declivity junction distinctly and sharply angled. HL 0.56-0.63, WL 0.66-0.78, SI 91-102 (Successful tramp species) | Technomyrmex albipes |
– | With the head in profile the dorsum behind the level of the posterior margin of the eye with one or more pairs of setae present, which may be very short and inconspicuous. Head and gaster brown to dark brown; mesosoma a much lighter yellowish brown and distinctly contrasting. Propodeum dorsum-declivity junction broadly rounded or very weakly angled. HL 0.64-0.67, WL 0.80-0.82, SI 108-112 (Saudi Arabia) | Technomyrmex setosus |
This new species is a member of the Technomyrmex gibbosus-group as defined by
Technomyrmex montaseri and Technomyrmex gibbosus are similar in most measurements but the scape length in Technomyrmex montaseri is consistently larger, SL 0.58-0.62 versus SL 0.50-0.54. Technomyrmex montaseri has a higher cephalic index, CI 95-97 versus SI 86-91, a higher scape index, SI 97-109 versus SI 85-93; a significantly higher eye position index, EPI 80-125 versus EPI 50-58; and a smaller Weber’s length of mesosoma, WL 0.65-0.80 versus WL 0.76-0.84. In Technomyrmex montaseri the posterior margin of the head and the sides are broadly convex, whereas in Technomyrmex gibbosus the posterior margin of the head has a median indentation and the sides are only shallowly convex. In Technomyrmex montaseri all gastral tergites are bare whereas in Technomyrmex gibbosus gastral tergites 1-3 lack setae but the fourth tergite has 1-2 pairs. Technomyrmex montaseri is yellow while Technomyrmex gibbosus has a medium to dark brown mesosoma, often with a reddish tint; the gasters are about the same medium to dark brown, with the legs dull yellow to yellowish brown. Moreover, Technomyrmex gibbosus has very fine, short, appressed pubescence present on the first and second gastral tergites. This pubescence is somewhat more dense in Technomyrmex gibbosus than Technomyrmex vexatus.
Technomyrmex gibbosus-groupAs previously known, the Technomyrmex gibbosus-group contains a pair of geographically widely separated species, Technomyrmex vexatus from Morocco and Gibraltar and Technomyrmex gibbosus from North Korea and Japan. The distribution of Technomyrmex montaseri (Oman, Yemen and Saudi Arabia) fills a gap in that distribution.
Five species of the genus Technomyrmex are known now from the Arabian Peninsula. If one takes into account the large area and its location between the Palaearctic, Oriental and Afrotropical regions, this figure is very low. Therefore, one would expect to find many more species of this genus and from the gibbosus-group with more intensive collecting efforts.
This project was supported by King Saud University, Deanship of scientific research, College of Food Sciences and Agriculture, Research Center. The authors would like to express their gratitude to Dr Brian Taylor for valuable suggestions and critical reading of the manuscript. We are very grateful to Mr. Barry Bolton for his help in determining species status and the considerable and necessary corrections which much improved the manuscript. Special thanks to the following: Dr Kiko Gomez for photographing the new species, Dr Stephen Judd (Director, WML) and Mr. Guy Knight (Entomology curator, WML) for their kind hospitality during work in Liverpool and Dr Antonius van Harten, UAE Insect Project (coordinator) for collecting some Technomyrmex. The senior author greatly acknowledges his wife Ms. Amal M. El-Saadany, his mother Eglal H. El-Saadany, and his friends Dr Fareed Krupp (Fauna of Arabia), Prof. Hoda Farid (Ain Shams University, Cairo), Col. Hisham El-Hennawy (Spider taxonomist) and Dr Mahmoud Eldera’a for their continuous encouragement.