Cataglyphis niger (André)

Iran list
Egypt List Type location Israel (Myrmecocystus viaticus var niger, André, 1881b: 56, worker - illustrated (not seen) but may have been of the viaticus type; Forel, 1913d: 434, queen; raised to species Collingwood, 1985: 290) - no images on Antweb (July 2014)
unavailable names
pharao (Cataglyphis bicolor F. stirps nigra André v. pharao n.v., Santschi, 1929b: 51, worker) from Egypt - a type minor worker in poor condition can be seen at http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0912213.
caerulescens (Cataglyphis bicolor F. stirps nigra André v. caerulescens n.v., Santschi, 1929b: 50, worker) from Syria, Doummar [Dummar, Damascus], Gadeau de Kerville - see below.
worker and queen only known .

André (1881b, illustration unavailable) simply noted that examples of Myrmecocystus viatica from Beyrouth (Beirut, Lebanon) and Alexandria (Egypt) had the body colour dull matt red, with the gaster black, quite shiny; others from Jaffa (Israel) were entirely black with the gaster matt as with the rest of the body, the TL was between 5.0 and 12 mm. This he named as the variety niger.

Santschi's (1929b) description is at . Santschi's (1929b) description of pharao is at . Santschi's (1929b) description of caerulescens is at . Collingwood & Agosti (1996) gave the note on .

Egypt records - illustrated by Savigny (Audouin, J.-V. 1825-27: Plate 20 Fig 4). Wheeler & Mann (1916) from Cairo, and Lake Fayum (by Wm. Granger); Finzi (1936: 193) cited Menozzi (1929: 128) Wadi Scheich and Wueste Kaa (Sinai); also in Mohamed et al (2001) & El-Moursy et al (2001).

Egypt records - pharao specimens described by Santschi (1929b) were from the coastal desert at Suez (Reichensperger); also noted as from Palestine and all over Egypt by Mohamed et al. (2001). From the present specimens, their note of the third maxillary palp lacking long curved hairs seems incorrect.

Collingwood (1985) had - petiole a thick rounded node about as high as long, first funiculus segment length nearly 2 X second; TL up to 12 mm; colour mainly black. In Saudi Arabia it was the most conspicuous and probably largest of the Cataglyphis species, big workers with HW up to 3 mm and TL 12.5. Abundant in the Middle East and also from Tunisia.

A damaged and dusty type collection worker of pharao can be seen at http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0912213

The photomontage of the caerulescens type is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0912212. This matches the minor worker from Iran, shown below.

Oxford University Museum specimens

Cataglyphis niger B Taylor det.	Egypt M James 2002-05	2002 Sinai 28°33' N 33°56' E	St Katherine protectorate around the town of St Katherine, in mountains above 1500m	2
Cataglyphis niger B Taylor det.	Egypt O Norfolk 01	2010 Sinai 28°33' N 33°56' E	St Katherine’s Protectorate Pitfall trap in wadi garden	3
Cataglyphis niger B Taylor det.	Iran E Aram 20	19.viii.2012 37.21°N 48.27°E	Nowdeh 1485 m hand collected, mountain roadside major & minor workers	2
Cataglyphis niger B Taylor det.	Iran F Heidary 06	3.v.2014 27.30°N 53.15°E 477 m	Khayrgou hand collected desert, soil major & minor workers	3
Cataglyphis niger B Taylor det.	Iran F Heidary 07	3.v.2014 27.14°N 53.37°E 393 m	Ashkenan ice cream bait desert major & minor workers	3
Cataglyphis niger B Taylor det.	Iran V H Kia 09	14.v.2014 34,39°N 50.86°E 1425 m	Kahak, Qom hand collected village, on ground 1252 h	1

The photomontage is of  a major workers collected in the Sinai Desert, Egypt, St Katherine protectorate around the town of St Katherine, in mountains above 1500m, in early 2001, by Mike James. The shiny appearance probably is due to the preserving fluid but they match the Jaffa (Israel) colour noted by André.

The photomontage is of a minor worker in the Sinai Desert, Egypt, St Katherine protectorate around the town of St Katherine, in mountains above 1500m; collector Olivia Norfolk(ON 01-1.

Iran form

The photomontage is of a major worker from Iran, Nowdeh, S Aram (20).

The photomontage is of a minor worker from Iran, Nowdeh, S Aram (20).