Cataglyphis saharae Santschi, 1929

Sharaf, Mostafa R., Collingwood, Cedric A. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2015, Notes on the ant genus Cataglyphis Foerster, 1850 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula with description of a new species and a key to species of the C. pallida-group, ZooKeys 545, pp. 101-117 : 106-107

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Formicidae

Cataglyphis saharae Santschi, 1929 Figures 13, 14, 15, 16

Cataglyphis bicolor st. saharae Santschi, 1929: 48, fig. 3 (w.) (holotype worker), Algeria: Biskra, (NHMB), http://www.antweb.org/specimen/CASENT0912226 [Image of the type specimen examined]. Elevated to species: Collingwood, 1985: 291.

Cataglyphis laylae Collingwood, 2011: 458, pl. 96-103 (w.), United Arab Emirates: Al-Ain [24°13'N 55°46'E], iii.1995, (MHNG), http://www.antweb.org/specimen/CASENT0264538-D01 [holotype presumably lost, paratypes examined], Syn. n.

Remarks.

The brief original description did not adequately diagnose this taxon from other members in the Cataglyphis bicolor -group. It was mentioned that Cataglyphis laylae is similar to Cataglyphis nigra ( André, 1882) and Cataglyphis savignyi (Dufour, 1862) and presented a single distinguishing character, the slender petiole. An examination of several paratypes showed that Cataglyphis laylae Collingwood, 2011 is a junior subjective synonym of Cataglyphis saharae Santschi.

Material examined.

United Arab Emirates, Al-Ain Zoo, 9.v.1995, 24°13'N, 55°46'E, 280 m (C. A. Collingwood leg.) (8 paratype workers) (KSMA), United Arab Emirates, Sweihan, iv.1995 (C. A. Collingwood leg.) (1 paratype worker), United Arab Emirates, Sweihan, iii.1995 (C. A. Collingwood leg.) (5 paratype workers), United Arab Emirates environmental desert, 3.iii.2005 (1), United Arab Emirates, Sharjah desert park, iii. 2006 (1), United Arab Emirates, Al Ain, v. 1995 (Pitfall trap) (1), United Arab Emirates, Sharjah desert, 15.i.2004(2)22 workers with no data, all the materials collected by C. A. Collingwood (WMLC).