Lepisiota aegyptiaca (Finzi) - new status

Type location Egypt (Acantholepis frauenfeldi var aegyptiaca nov., Finzi, 1938: 185, illustrated, worker) - no images on Antweb (October 2014).

Finzi's (1936) description of aegyptiaca is on From Egypt, it appears to have been illustrated by Savigny (Audouin, J.-V. 1825-27: Plate 20 Fig 11) - below.

Egypt records - Lepisiota frauenfeldi ssp aegyptiaca ( Finzi, 1936: 184, illustrated, worker) - in HNS as Acantholepis frauenfeldi var. aegyptiaca Finzi
also in HNS as Acantholepis frauenfeldi var. opaciventris Finzi = Lepisiota frauenfeldi ssp opaciventris (Finzi, 1936: 187, illustrated, worker) Forel (1886f: 215) noted it as found by Ehrenberg in Egypt, as a variety with specimens with propodeal spines longer than the width of their base. Donisthorpe (1942a) recorded var variabilis (Santschi, 1917d: 43, type location Tunisia) from Siwa, three workers; and saharensis (Santschi, 1917d: 44, worker, illustrated, type location Algeria) 6 workers from Siwa, all collected by J Omer-Cooper; Donisthorpe (1947e) recorded variabilis from Siwa, Baharein, 1 worker, 9-10.v.1935.

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

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).