Contents Miscellaneous ants - Iran
SUBFAMILY MYRMICINAE - Genus Messor - Messor obscurior Crawley

Messor obscurior Crawley

return to listIran list {link to the Hymenoptera Name Server} Type location Iraq (Messor barbarus race semirufus E. André var. obscurior var. nov. Crawley, 1920a: 164; workers; Bolton, 1955: 256, has "unavailable name: material referred to semirufus by Baroni Urbani, 1974: 227) Amara, 1918, Buxton; Baghdad, 1981, Evans. - no images on Antweb (August 2015).


Crawley's (1920a) description is at {original description}

Crawley gave major TL 7.5-8.0, minor TL 3.5 mm.  Dark brown, some almost black, uniform except for lighter appendages; sculpture on head and alitrunk coarser than semirufus. Baroni Urbani noted he based his synonymy on the original description and had not seen the type specimens. Equally, he had not seen the type of semirufus as that appears to have been lost. The workers below can be compared to a cotype of Messor semirufus.


{Messor obscurior}The photomontage of a major worker from the type collection is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?name=casent0907731.


{Messor obscurior}The photomontage of a media worker from the type collection is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?name=casent09077328.


Oxford University Museum specimens

Messor obscurior
B Taylor det.
Iran
M Safariyan
24
5.ii.2014
35.78872°N
47.03828°E
Saral field
1800 m
pitfall trap
road side
1
{album}
Messor obscurior
B Taylor det.
Iran
G Abolfathi
35

26.vii.2013
33.894199°N
48.767033°E
1562 m
Fial, Borujerd
hand collected
village
major worker
2
{album}
Messor obscurior
B Taylor det.
Iran
F Heidary
10
5.ii.2013
27.27°N
52.29°E
401 m
Torman
hand collected
near farm; on soil
major & minor workers
3
{album}

{Messor obscurior major}The photomontage is of a major worker from Iran, Fial, Borujerd collector Giti Abolfathi (35).


{Messor obscurior media}The photomontage is of a media worker from Iran,  collector E Aram (26).


{Messor obscurior minor}The photomontage is of a minor worker from Iran,  collector E Aram (26). TL ca 3.5 mm, matches the Crawley size.


{Messor obscurior}The photomontage is a colour corrected (lowering of magenta tint) version of the type major (shown above).

© 2015, 2017 - Brian Taylor CBiol FRSB FRES
11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K.

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