Solenopsis lou Forel

Sharaf, Mostafa R., Taylor, Brian & Klingenberg, Christiana, 2009, Ants of the Genus SOLENOPSIS Westwood, 1840 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Egypt with a description of the worker castes of S. cooperi Donisthorpe, 1947, Zootaxa 2004, pp. 49-58 : 54-55

Solenopsis lou Forel

(Plate 2)

Solenopsis lou Forel, 1902: 152 . Syntype gyne and male, ALGERIA: Biskra, Hammam Salahin, 12.iv.1896 (Diehl) (MHNG) [examined]. Santschi, 1911: 81: description of worker. Gyne illustrated without comments by Santschi (1934, Fig. 3).

Worker. Plate 2 (Fig. a, b, c) TL 1.50–2.00, HL 0.45–0.55, HW 0.30–0.47, SL 0.27–0.38, PL 0.15–0.22, PW 0.12–0.15, PPL 0.10–0.28, PPW 0.12–0.15, AL 0.48–0.62, EL 0.02–0.05, SI 80–90, CI 67–85 (7 measured).

PLATE 2. (a–c) Solenopsis lou worker (a) Full face-view, (b) body in profile, (c) dorsal view; (d–g) Solenopsis kochi (d) worker head in full-face view, (e) worker body in profile; (f) alate gyne head in full-face view, (g) alate gyne dorsal view. Eyes with 9 facets, the outer circle of facets enclosing a single relatively large facet. Head with a higher CI, i.e. relatively longer and narrower, than the other species, also with a deeper profile. The head is parallelsided up to the two-thirds point then narrowing significantly and with broadly rounded posterior corners. Clypeus with a distinctly impressed anterior margin and sharply defined carinae. Frontal lobes close together. Mandibles similar to those on the major worker of cooperi in being quite broad and with strong black teeth. Scapes slender, thickened weakly in the apical one-third, and quite short. Head with a finely sculptured surface and scattered but distinct hair pits. Promesonotum with an unbroken, shallowly convex profile. Metanotal groove deep and sharply margined on the dorsum but interrupted laterally. Basal face of propodeum making a continuous curve with declivity; propodeal spiracle small. Petiole node quite high but thick, with a domed dorsum and a short stout peduncle. Overall with quite abundant, fine, short erect hairs. Colour uniform throughout.

Gyne. TL 5.3–5.6, HL 0.75–0.80, HW 0.70, SL 0.45–0.55, EL 0.25, AL 1.60, SI 64–79, CI 88–93 (2 measured).

Male. TL 4.40–5.30, HL 0.60–0.70, HW 0.65–0.70, SL 0.25–0.35, EL 0.25–0.30, AL 1.50–2.00, SI 36–50, CI 100–117 (4 measured).

Material examined. 1 worker, Saloga Islands (Aswan), 2.v.2002, 24.05º N; 32.56 º E; (M. R. Sharaf); 11 workers; Mafareq (South Sinai), 5.iii.1998; 28.42º N; 33.19º E. (M. R. Sharaf) (SHC).

Previous records. Helwan, 13.iii.1935 ( Finzi, 1936).