Cardiocondyla israelica Seifert 2003

Seifert, Bernhard, 2023, A revision of the Palaearctic species of the ant genus Cardiocondyla Emery 1869 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Zootaxa 5274 (1), pp. 1-64 : 36-37

Cardiocondyla israelica Seifert 2003 [type investigated]

This species has been described from Israel. Investigated was the holotype and one paratype worker, labelled “Tor (Sinai), 25.2.35, W.Wittmer ”; MCZ Cambridge. Two paratype workers labelled “Neot Hakikar, Israel, 21. III. 1980, leg. Kugler ” and “Ein Agrabim, Israel, 22. III 1980, leg. Kugler ”; SMN Görlitz .

Note: The holotype and paratype workers from Tor (Sinai), leg. W.Wittmer 1935.02.25 were formerly labelled as syntypes of Cardiocondyla elegans var. torretassoi Finzi 1936 . However, after lectotype fixation for C. torretassoi in the syntype series from Wadi Hoff, which definitely belongs to C. nigra , this sample was available to serve as types of C. israelica .

All material examined. Numeric phenotypical data were taken in 6 samples with 10 workers from Egypt (3 samples) and Israel (3). For details see supplementary information SI1, SI2 .

Geographic range. So far only known from five localities in Egypt and Israel in a small area from 31°E to 36°E and 28° N to 31° N. The altitudinal range extends between 346 m below sea level and 378 m above sea level.

Diagnosis: --Worker ( Tab. 2 , Figs. 38–41 , key, images under CASENT0913594 and ANTWEB 1040303 in www. antweb.org). Medium-sized, CS 516 µm. Head moderately elongated, CL/CW 1.145. Postocular distance rather low, PoOc/CL 0.422. Scape moderately long, SL/CS 0.816. Eye rather large, EYE/CS 0.247. Occipital margin suggestively concave. Frons very broad (FRS/CS 0.268), frontal carinae slightly converging immediately caudal of FRS level (FL/FR1.046). Dorsal profile of promesonotum and of propodeum convex with a well-developed metanotal depression (MGr/CS 3.58 %). Spines moderately long (SP/CS 0.132), rather thin and more erected than in other species, spine axis in lateral view deviating 58° from longitudinal mesosomal axis; spine bases much approached, SPBA/CS 0.224. Petiole narrow, distinctly higher than wide (PeW/CS 0.285, PeH/CS 0.327), its node as wide as long, in profile with a moderately long peduncle that is about 1.35fold as long as high and with a moderately steep anterior slope of the node (about 58° relative to ventral profile), anteroventral petiolar dent reduced. Postpetiole relatively wide and high (PpW/CS 0.564, PpH/CS 0.303), in dorsal view heard-shaped, with a concave anterior margin and convex sides; postpetiolar sternite with weak anteromedian bulge. Median clypeus smooth and shiny, its lateral portions weakly longitudinally carinulate. Frontal laminae and anteromedian vertex longitudinally carinulate-rugulose. Vertex foveolae rather large (dFOV 17.0 µm), relatively deep and well-demarcated, bicoronate ( Fig. 41 ), densely-packed, interspaces much smaller than foveolar diameter. Dorsal promesonotum varying from almost smooth to longitudinally carinulate-rugulose, scattered foveolae are present. Lateral mesosoma and propodeum with well-developed microreticulum, metapleuron longitudinally carinulate-rugulose. Waist segments smooth and shiny but with a delicate microreticulum. First gaster tergite glabrous. Pubescence on gaster tergites long and relatively dense, PLG/CS 7.11 %, sqPDG 4.00. Rather concolorous medium brown with yellowish tinge.

Taxonomic comments and clustering results. Cardiocondyla israelica can be separated from C. ulianini , C. gallilaeica , C. caspiense n. sp. and C. littoralis by its deeper, well-demarcated and densely-packed vertex foveolae and the stronger longitudinal sculpture on head and is placed apart from these species by exploratory data analyses of NUMOBAT characters.

Biology. Three samples from Egypt, provided by M.R. Sharaf, were collected from “a wild area with Tamarix bushes and Phragmites within a cultivated, insecticide polluted surrounding.”

Figures

FIGURES 38–41. Cardiocondyla israelica; Fig. 38: head in dorsal view; Fig. 39: lateral view (flipped horizontally); Fig. 40: dorsal view; Fig. 41: head surface between inner eye margin and paramedian vertex. Egypt: Ebn Salam Mansora, 2002.11.07