Cataglyphis franchettii Menozzi - new status
Type location Ethiopia
(Cataglyphis albicans ssp franchettii n ssp, Menozzi,
1931a: 155, illustrated, holotype worker only) collected at an
unspecified location in the Danakil Depression by Baron Raimondo
Franchetti
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Menozzi's (1931a) description is at .
WORKER - Menozzi (1931a) - TL 5.8 mm; head as wide as
long with the sides near straight; alitrunk somewhat elongated and
slender (as albicans); petiole scale quite low, obliquely
truncate, with the anterior dorsal face longer than the posterior face
and forming an rounded angle at the apex; with whitish pubescence quite
sparse on the head and alitrunk; a few erect hairs on the vertex and
the clypeus; head sub-opaque, finely punctate, promesonotum similar,
propodeum slightly more distinctly punctate, with some short
striations; gaster microscopically transversely striate and shiny;
colour reddish-yellow, similar to rubra but with the dorsum of
the petiole scale, coxae and gaster black, except for part of the first
gaster segment being reddish; femora brownish; antennae, tibia &
tarsi ferruginous.
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The
photomontage of the type worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0905863.
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The
photomontage of the type worker colour corrected to diminish the
magenta tone.
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Oxford University Museum
specimens
Cataglyphis francheitii
B Taylor det. |
Egypt
M James
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2002
Sinai
28°33' N
33°56' E
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St Katherine
protectorate around the town of St Katherine, in mountains above 1500m
ground dwelling & foraging; collected at 2050 m, using sugar and
cheese bait
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2
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![{album}](../album.jpg) |
Cataglyphis francheitii
B Taylor det. |
Egypt
O Norfolk
02
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2010
Sinai
28°33' N
33°56' E
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St Katherine’s
Protectorate
Pitfall trap in wadi garden
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2
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![{album}](../album.jpg) |
Cataglyphis francheitii
B Taylor det. |
Sudan
Z Mahmoud
2009-22 |
Abu Dulayg
15°53'47.27" N
33°49'41.18" E
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Hand collected |
1
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![{album}](../album.jpg) |
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The photomontage
is of
workers from Egypt, Sinai Desert, St Katherine protectorate
around the town of St Katherine, in mountains above 1500m; collected at
2050 m by Mike James, using sugar and cheese bait, except # 21, found
under a rock. General location . Mike James noted that foraging is
early morning and evening, taking food items back to nests under plants
or rocks.
Apart from being somewhat shinier than Menozzi
describes, this matches the description of franchettii; notably
the angular petiole, the elongated alitrunk, the striations on the
propodeum, and, the shape of the head. Interestingly, Franchetti only
found a single worker of the same dimensions, etc, as the James
collection, so, perhaps, there is only the single small morph
(reportedly a characteristic of the albicans-group).
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The photomontage
is of worker from Egypt, Sinai Desert, St Katherine
protectorate; collected by Olivia Norfolk (ON 2).
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The photomontage is of a
specimen from Sudan; Abu Dulayg; collector Zaheir Mahmoud (
2009-22).
Perhaps even closer than the above, this matches the
Menozzi description of franchettii; notably
the angular petiole, the elongated alitrunk, the striations on the
propodeum, and, the shape of the head. This seems also to confirm
there is only the single small morph
(reportedly a characteristic of the albicans-group).
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