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SUBFAMILY FORMICINAE - Genus Plagiolepis - Plagiolepis (Plagiolepis) maura

Plagiolepis (Plagiolepis) maura Santschi

return to key Type location Morocco (Plagiolepis maura n. sp., Santschi, 1920g: 169, illustrated, all forms; subspecies/stirps of pallescens - Emery, 1924a: 8 [name only] & Santschi, 1936c: 206) Mogador, Vaucher, iv.1905 - see below
varieties kabyla (Plagiolepis maura Sants. var. kabyla n. var., Santschi, 1920g: 170, illustrated, worker & male) from Tunisia - see https://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0912423.
palygyna (Plagiolepis maura Sants., var. palygyna n. var., Santschi, 1922a: 67, worker & queen) from Tunisia, Cheri Chera (dark brown to black) - no images on Antweb (March 2019).


{Plagiolepis maura}Santschi's (1920g) description is at {original description}.

In Bolton's Catalogue (1995: 335) this is given as a subspecies of pallescens despite Collingwood (1985: 297) regarding it as a definitive species. Collingwood, on the other hand, gives Santschi (1920) as the defining reference and does not mention the later Emery (1924a: 8) and Santschi (1936c: 206) reduction in status. The later Collingwood & Agosti (1996) paper has the same situation. P. pallescens s.s. is not among the species listed from Saudi Arabia.

With the fresh specimen that clearly is distinct from maura, we have separated Plagiolepis pallescens


{Plagiolepis maura} Plagiolepis mauraEgypt records - record in Donisthorpe (1942a), one male, one delate queen & 75 workers from Khamissa, Siwa & Gara, collector J Omer-Cooper, June-August 1935; Donisthorpe (1947e) recorded sordida from Siwa (gardens), 1 worker, 18-19.iv.1935, and 2 workers, 29.iv-1.v.1935, also Siwa in moth trap. Additionally in Mohamed et al (2001). Sharaf list - Material examined: Abu-Madi, Zaranik (North Sinai), 5.v.2003 (4); Gebel Asfar (Qalyubiya), 29.iv.2003 (7) (SHC); Ebn Salam (Daqahliya, Egypt), 13.iv.1999 (4) Leg.M.R.Sharaf; Mafareq (South Sinai), 5.iii.1998 (4) Leg. M.R.Sharaf; Wadi Firan (South Sinai), 3.v.1998 (1) Leg.M.R.Sharaf (ASUC).


{Plagiolepis maura}The photomontage of the type worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0912424.


Oxford University Museum specimens

Plagiolepis (Plagiolepis) maura
B Taylor det.

Egypt
M Sharaf

17.viii.2007
Marsa Matrouh
31°31' N
27°14' E
Kaseh Tourist Village 1
{album}
Plagiolepis (Plagiolepis) maura
B Taylor det.
Egypt
M Sharaf

10.vii.1998
Sinai
28°33' N
33°56' E
W. Arbaein, St Katherine's
1
{album}
Plagiolepis (Plagiolepis) maura
B Taylor det.
M James
2001

2001
Sinai
28°33' N
33°56' E
St Katherine protectorate around the town of St Katherine, in mountains above 1500m
1
{album}

{Plagiolepis maura} The photomontage is of workers collected in Egypt, Kaseh, by Mostafa Sharaf.


{Plagiolepis maura} The photomontage is 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, a research student of Francis Gilbert.

©2005, 2006, 2008, 2015, 2019 - Brian Taylor CBiol FRSB FRES
11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K.

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