Tetramorium shirlae Sharaf, 2007

Fadl, H., Bakr, R. F. & Badawy, R. M., 2007, Six new species of ants (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Egypt., Proceedings of the 2 nd International Conference of the Entomological Society of Egypt 2, pp. 235-249 : 243-244

Tetramorium shirlae Sharaf , n. sp.

Type-locality: Wadi Abha, Abha city, Saudi Arabia.

Diagnosis: (Figures 17, 18)

Worker HL: 1.7; HL: 0.56; HW: 0.48; SL: 0.39; SI: 81.25; EL: 0.12; PL: 0.21; PW: 0.15; PPL: 0.14; PPW: 0.19; CI: 85.7

Bicoloured species, head, alitrunk, petiole and postpetiole pale brown, antennae and legs yellow, gaster dark brown or blackish brown.

Head longer than broad, frontal carinae long and well developed reaching back about two thirds of head length; strong and longitudinal striations extending in front and behind eyes and between frontal carinae; antennae 12 segments with dense pubescence and short hairs; mandibles with feeble longitudinal striation; armed with 5 brown teeth, the terminal tooth in the largest, the third is smaller than the fourth, the latter and the fifth nearly equal. The whole mandibles surface with several long hairs; median portion of clypeus with 3 strong, longitudinal carinae; occiput weakly concave with four pairs of hairs. Alitrunk, in lateral view, without distinct sutures; meso- and metapleura with well developed granulate sculptures; propodeal spines short and acute with a broad base; pronotal anterior corners, in dorsal view, sharply angulate; pronotum dorsum with strong reticulate sculptures while mesonotum with longitudinal sculptures; pronotum with 2 pairs of stiff hairs, mesonotum with 5 pairs of hairs; propodeum bare. Petiole longer than broad, Postpetiole nearly as long as broad, each faintly sculptured and having 2 pairs of hairs. Gaster smooth and shining, anterior and posterior parts of the first gastral tergites with several pairs of hairs while the middle part bare.

Material examined: Elqasmia ( Belbis ), 21.II.2003 (16) Leg. M.R. Sharaf ; Hawamdiya ( Giza ), 2.XI.2002 (8) Leg. M.R. Sharaf ; Ismailiya , 10.IV.2002 (7) Leg. M.R. Sharaf ; Abuzabal ( Qalyubiya ), 13.VI.2003 (11) Leg. M.R. Sharaf . ( SHC) .

Etymology: This species is named after Mrs. Shirley Judd, wife of Dr. Stephen Judd, Head of Zoology department, Liverpool National Museum, UK.

Remarks: Tetramorium shirlae n. sp. was collected from Abha (Asir province) Saudi Arabia by Mostafa Sharaf and it is believed that it has a more wide distributional range in Egypt.

Geographical distribution: Egypt and Saudi Arabia.