Contents Contents The Ants of Egypt
SUBFAMILY FORMICINAE - Genus Lepisiota
Lepisiota obtusa (Emery)

Petiole with no more than denticles

TL > 2.2 mm, erect hairs relatively short, light coloured, may be sparse - curta-group

Lepisiota obtusa (Emery)

return to key Type location Eritrea (Acantholepis carbonaria Emery var. obtusa n. var., Emery, 1901e: 63, worker; raised to species Collingwood, 1985: 296) - see below
worker only described .


Emery's (1901e) brief description is on {original description}. Also reported from Sudan, Port Sudan by G Muller (Finzi, 1939a).


{Lepisiota obtusa}The photomontage of the (presumably) type worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0905150


Characteristics

MAJOR CI 91; SI 125; OI 30; PI 185
Appearance - generally shiny with weak shagreening all over (sand-paper like) giving rough appearnce
Legs - coxae and femora dark orange brown rest lighter orange brown; very sparse decumbent pubescence
Scapes and funiculi - orange brown except darkening of apical third of scapes with abundant short coarse pubescence
Full face shape of head - ovoid with convex occiput, maximum width at midlength of eyes; narrowest at posterior margin of clypeus 70% of maxium
Frontal carinae - not obvious beyond antennal insertions
Erect hairs on face - restricted to a few pairs of very fine quite short hairs, several pairs on clypeus; sparse decumbent pubescence
Pronotum erect hairs - several distinctive long hairs and sparse, quite short, fine sharp whitish hairs
Clypeus hairs - a median long pale fine hair, plus a fringe of short hairs on anterior margin; other longer hairs up face of clypeus
Clypeus - with a weak longitudinal keel; stronger in minor
Eyes - moderately convex, distinctly breaking sides in full face view
Mandibles - smooth orange-brown
Palpi - dark-brown
Pronotum profile - moderately convex
Metanotal welt - distinct with sharp triangular profile
Propodeum spines - reduced to triangular processes, propodeum with slightly convex dorsum; declivity weakly concave
Petiole - scale fairly narrow in profile, upper margin rounded in profile, from in front apex rounded; apex more than half as wide as propodeum
Posterior peduncle of petiole - shorter than base of scale in profile
Gaster - with rounded anterior margin; erect hairs quite abundant on all tergite; dense covering of fine whitish pubescence


Oxford University Museum specimens

Lepisiota obtusa
B Taylor det.


Egypt
M James
2002-001

2002
Sinai
28°33' N
33°56' E
St Katherine protectorate around the town of St Katherine, in mountains above 1500m


6
{album}
Lepisiota obtusa
B Taylor det.


Egypt
A Shepherd
O4

2010
Sinai
28°33' N
33°56' E
St Katherine protectorate around the town of St Katherine, in mountains above 1500m


2
{album}
Lepisiota obtusa
B Taylor det.


Egypt
A Shepherd
Plant 45

2010
Sinai
28°33' N
33°56' E
St Katherine protectorate around the town of St Katherine, in mountains above 1500m


1
{album}
Lepisiota obtusa
B Taylor det.


Egypt
A Shepherd
Plant 49

2010
Sinai
28°33' N
33°56' E
St Katherine protectorate around the town of St Katherine, in mountains above 1500m


1
{album}
Lepisiota obtusa
B Taylor det.


Egypt
A Shepherd
Plant 65

2010
Sinai
28°33' N
33°56' E
St Katherine protectorate around the town of St Katherine, in mountains above 1500m


1
{album}
Lepisiota obtusa
B Taylor det.


Egypt
A Shepherd
mid striga

2010
Sinai
28°33' N
33°56' E
St Katherine protectorate around the town of St Katherine, in mountains above 1500m


2
{album}
Lepisiota obtusa
B Taylor det.


Egypt
W Ferguson

30.ii.1980
Sinai
Wadi Beaty


1

Lepisiota obtusa
B Taylor det.


Egypt
J Kugler

27.x.1978
Sinai
Sarabit El Hadan

1

Lepisiota obtusa
B Taylor det.


Egypt
Sytinski-Salz

12.v.1970
Sinai
Sarabit El Khadim

1


{Lepisiota obtusa}Egypt records - the photomontages are of workers collected in the Sinai Desert, Egypt, St Katherine Protectorate around the town of St Katherine, in mountains above 1500m, in early 2002, by Mike James, and in 2010 by Amy Shepherd, both research students of Francis Gilbert.
Other specimens have been sent to BT by Armin Ionescu, Tel Aviv University from Sinai, Sarabit Khadim (South Sinai), 17.v.1970, leg. Bytinski-Salz, & Sarabit El Hadan, 27.x.1978, leg. Kugler.


{Lepisiota obtusa}

©2005, 2006, 2015, 2019 - Brian Taylor CBiol FRSB FRES
11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K.

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