Messor galla ( Mayr, 1904 )

Sharaf, Mostafa R., Wetterer, James K., Mohamed, Amr A. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2022, Faunal composition, diversity, and distribution of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Dhofar Governorate, Oman, with updated list of the Omani species and remarks on zoogeography, European Journal of Taxonomy 838 (1), pp. 1-106 : 55-58

Messor galla ( Mayr, 1904)

Fig. 35

Stenamma (Messor) barbarum var. galla Mayr, 1904: 5 (w) Ethiopia. Afrotropic.

Diagnosis

Body brown, gaster black-brown; cephalic surface entirely smooth except for median rugae; dorsum of propodeum with one or more pairs of standing setae; posterior margin of head with one or more pairs of projecting setae on each side; postpetiole in profile with a sharp ventral tooth projecting anteriorly.

Material examined

This species was not collected during the present study.

Ecological and biological notes

Nothing has been published on the ecology of this species. Most likely, M. galla has nesting and feeding habits similar to other species of Messor of the region.

Geographic range

A species originally described from Ethiopia and known from the northern Africa savannah and Sahel zones ( Bolton 1982). Since reported from the Arabian Peninsula, Oman, KSA, and Yemen ( Collingwood & Agosti 1996). This species was recorded from Dhofar based on two specimens studied by Collingwood & Agosti (1996).

Figures

Fig. 35. Messor galla (Mayr, 1904), worker (CASENT0904127, AntWeb.org (Will Ericson)). A. Body in profile. B. Head in full-face view. C. Distribution map.