Lepisiota aegyptiaca (Finzi) - new status

Type location Egypt (Acantholepis frauenfeldi var aegyptiaca nov., Finzi, 1936: 184, illustrated, worker) - no images on Antweb (February 2019).

Finzi's (1936) description of aegyptiaca is on .

Other likely Egypt records -

It appears to have been illustrated by Savigny (Audouin, J.-V. 1825-27: Plate 20 Fig 11)

Forel (1886f: 215) noted Acantholepis frauenfeldi Mayr, worker and queen; "a variety with specimens with propodeal spines longer than the width of their base", found by Ehrenberg in Egypt.

Donisthorpe (1942a) recorded var variabilis (Santschi, 1917d: 43, type location Tunisia, see below) from Siwa, three workers; and saharensis (Santschi, 1917d: 44, worker, illustrated, type location Algeria, see below) 6 workers from Siwa, all collected by J Omer-Cooper; Donisthorpe (1947e) recorded variabilis from Siwa, Baharein, 1 worker, 9-10.v.1935. Siwa Oasis, 29°12'19"N 25°31'10"E.

Sharaf list - aegyptiaca Kom Ombo (Aswan), 29.i.1954 (1); Luxor, 3.viii.1954 (2); Abu-Mena, 8.iv.1954 (1) (ASUC).

Likely junior synonym Lepisiota frauenfeldi ssp opaciventris (Finzi, 1936: 187, illustrated, worker).
Finzi's (1936) description of opaciventris is on

The photomontage of the holotype variabilis worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0912387

The photomontage of the holotype saharensis worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent091238

Oxford University Museum specimens

Lepisiota aegyptiaca B Taylor det.

Egypt J Kugler

13.ii.1982 Sinai 28°33' N 33°56' E

Nakeb

2

The photomontage is of specimens from Egypt, Sinai, Nakeb, 13.iii.1982, collector J Kugler; sent to BT by Armin Ionescu, Tel Aviv University. The gaster is fully shiny, the specimen shown has a small amount of glue on the first tergite.

The small illustration shows the Savigny specimen and the dorsal view of one of these, on the same scale, for comparison.

From Egypt, a male appears to have been illustrated by Savigny (Audouin, J.-V. 1825-27: Plate 20 Fig 12).