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1 First occurrence of the ant genus Brachymyrmex Mayr, 1868 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) 2 from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 3 Mostafa R. Sharaf1*, Shehzad Salman1, Hathal Al Dhafer1, Albandari F. Al_Yousef2 & Abdulrahman S. Aldawood1 4 5 1 Economic Entomology Research Unit (EERU), Plant Protection Department, College of Food 6 and Agriculture Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, P. O. Box 2460, Kingdom of 7 Saudi Arabia. 8 2 Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nora Bint Abd-Elrahman University, 9 Riyadh 11495, P.O. Box 22491, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 10 * corresponding author, E-mail: [email protected] 11 ABSTRACT 12 The formicine ant genus Brachymyrmex Mayr, 1868 is recorded for the first time from the 13 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and from the Arabian Peninsula by the species B. cordemoyi Forel, 14 1895. A brief description and automontage images of the species are presented with ecological 15 and biological notes. 16 KEYSWORDS. New record, Middle East, Palearctic region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh 17 Province, Formicinae. 18 INTRODUCTION 19 The ant genus Brachymyrmex was established by Mayr in 1868 for the type species B. 20 patagonicus Mayr from Argentina. The genus is included in the Formicinae and the 21 Plagiolepidini (Bolton 2003) and currently includes 61 described species and subspecies (Bolton 22 2015, http://www.antwiki.org/, accessed 30 December 2015), distributed mainly in the Nearctic 23 (Creighton 1950); Neotropical (Brown 2000, Wild 2007, Ortiz & Fernandez 2014) regions, and 1 24 with a distributional range from the United States to Argentina and Chile (Brandao 1991, Bolton 25 1995, 2003). There are records from Africa as exotics (Gabon, South Africa, Tanzania), and 26 Madagascar (www.antwiki.org, Accessed 1 January 2016). The majority of species of 27 Brachymyrmex are generalized foragers with a broad range of nesting habitats including the soil, 28 rotten wood, leaf litter, under loose bark at the bases of tree trunks (MacGown et al. 2007), in 29 seeds, trees or fallen fruits (Brown 2000). The genus includes species that are known as 30 successful invasive such as B. patagonicus a species that has been successfully established in 31 many regions of the United States (MacGown et al. 2007) and has become a serious pest in both 32 natural and disturbed habitats. 33 Two key morphological features distinguish workers of Brachymyrmex from other 34 formicine genera, a 9-segmented antennae and lacking a differentiated antennal club (Bolton 35 1994). Santschi (1923), Quiran et al. (2004), and Ortiz & Fernandez (2014) have provided 36 limited synopsis of this genus, but additional revisionary work is required. Herein, the ant genus 37 Brachymyrmex is recorded from the first time from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and 38 from the Arabian Peninsula by the species B. cordemoyi Forel, 1895. 39 40 MATERIALS AND METHODS A sifting tray was used to collect the specimens. Digital color images of lateral and dorsal 41 views of the entire body and full-face views of the head of each species were made at the 42 California Academy of Sciences and were created using a Leica DFC450 digital camera with a 43 Leica Z16 APO microscope and LAS (v3.8) software. These images are also available online on 44 AntWeb (www.antweb.org, Accessed 29 December 2015) and are accessible using the unique 45 identifying specimen code. 46 Museum abbreviations. 2 47 CASC California Academy of Science Collection, San Francisco, California, USA. 48 KSMA King Saud University Museum of Arthropods, King Saud University, Riyadh, 49 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 50 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 51 Brachymyrmex cordemoyi Forel, 1895 (Figures 1-3) 52 Brachymyrmex patagonicus var. cordemoyi Forel, 1895: 49 (w.) Reunion, Malagasy. 53 Materials examined. Saudi Arabia, 8 workers, Riyadh, King Saud University campus, 54 24.71383°N, 46.62557°E, 02.ii.2014, 660 m (S. Salman leg.); 6 workers, 20.ix.2014; 6 workers, 55 15.iii.2015, KSMA; 1 workers, 14.iii.2015, CASC, (casent0922067). All the above material has 56 identical locality and collector information. 57 Diagnosis. Worker. Head distinctly longer than broad with a straight posterior margin and 58 clearly convex lateral sides; eyes with nine ommatidia in the longest row; scapes when laid back 59 from their insertions just reach posterior margin of head. Mesosoma. Metanotal groove 60 impressed; propodeal dorsum short descending abruptly into long declivity; propodeal spiracle 61 small, circular, situated at middle of propodeal declivity. Sculpture. Body smooth and shining. 62 Pilosity. Cephalic dorsum with abundant appressed pubescence; two pairs of long setae on 63 anterior and posterior clypeal margins; one pairs of setae on frontal carinae, one pair on posterior 64 margin of head; mesosoma with one pair of long setae on pronotal and promesonotal dorsum; 65 gaster with many scattered long setae. Colour. Uniform brown, antennae and legs yellowish. 66 Ecological notes: This species was found nesting in soil at the base of a date palm tree (Phoenix 67 dactylifera L.) in King Saud University campus (Fig. 4), Riyadh. Specimens were collected by 68 sifting the soil which was a mixture of sandy clay, with much decaying organic material. 69 Workers were found about 8 cm deep in the soil. Other ant species collected with B. cordemoyi 3 70 included: Solenopsis saudiensis Sharaf & Aldawood 2011, Nylanderia jaegerskioeldi (Mayr, 71 1904), Tapinoma simrothi Krausse, 191, and Cardiocondyla mauritanica Forel, 1890. 72 Geographic range. Nearctic (Creighton 1950, Brown 2000), Neotropical (Ortiz & Fernandez 73 2014, Wild 2007), Afrotropical (www.antweb.org, Accessed 29 December 2015), and Malagasy 74 (Forel 1895) regions. 75 Brachymyrmex patagonicus is an example of a successful invasive species of ant. This 76 species has the ability to survive in a wide range of habitats and the capacity to coexist with 77 dominant ant species (MacGown et al. 2007). Colonies of this species can be established in 78 relatively small areas and are apparently transported easily by human activities from site to site. 79 King Saud University is the home for many students from different countries in Africa (Sudan, 80 Somalia, Nigeria, Mali, Senegal and Guinea), and perhaps B. cordemoyi Forel was incidentally 81 introduced by students with their belongings. Another possibility is by the numerous imported 82 cosmopolitan horticultural plants and irrigated lawns that are planted throughout the campus. 83 This introduction may have recently occurred. The senior author has been collecting ants for ten 84 years on the campus and in many other regions of KSA and this species has not been observed. 85 Brachymyrmex patagonicus was not reported by Collingwood (1985) and Collingwood & Agosti 86 (1996). Additional studies will indicate the extent of the distribution this ant species in KSA. 87 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 88 The project was funded by the National Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation 89 (MAARIFAH), King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 90 award number 12-ENV2804-02. The authors are grateful to Dr. B. Kondratieff for useful 91 comments and to Dr. Brian Fisher and Mrs. Michele Esposito (California Academy of Sciences) 92 for photographing the species. 4 93 REFERENCES 94 Brown, W.L. Jr. (2000). Diversity of ants. Pp 45–79. In: Agosti et al. (eds.) Ants. Standard 95 methods for measuring and monitoring biodiversity, Biological diversity hand book 96 series. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D. C. 280 pp. 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 Bolton, B. (1995). A new general catalogue of the ants of the world. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 504 pp. Bolton, B. (2003). Synopsis and classification of Formicidae. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, 71: 1–370. Bolton, B. (1994). Identification guide to the ant genera of the world. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass., 222 pp. Brandao, C.R.F. (1991). Adendos ao catalogo abreviado das formigas da region Neotropical. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia, 35: 319–412. Creighton, W.S. (1950). The ants of North America. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College, 104: 1–585. Forel, A. (1895). Nouvelles fourmis de diverses provenances, surtout d'Australie. Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique, 39:41-49. 109 MacGown, J. A., Hill, J.G., Deyrup, M. A. (2007). Brachymyrmex patagonicus (Hymenoptera: 110 Formicidae), an emerging pest species in the southeastern United States. Florida 111 Entomologist, 90:457-464. 112 113 Mayr, G. (1868). Formicidae novae Americanae collectae a Prof. P. de Strobel. Annuario della Società dei Naturalisti e Matematici, Modena, 3: 161–178. 5 114 Ortiz, C.M. & Fernández, F. (2014). Brachymyrmex species with tumuliform metathoracic 115 spiracles description of three new species and discussion of dimorphism in the genus 116 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys, 371, 13-33. 117 Quiran, E.M., Martinez J.J., Bachmann, A.O. (2004). The Neotropical genus Brachymyrmex 118 Mayr, 1868 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Argentina. Redescription of the type species, 119 B. patagonicus Mayr, 1868; B. bruchi Forel, 1912 and B. oculatus Santschi, 1919. Acta 120 Zoologica Mexicana (n.s.), 20: 273–285. 121 122 123 124 Santschi, F. (1923). Revue des fourmis du genre Brachymyrmex Mayr. Anales del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Buenos Aires, 31:650-678. Wild, A.L. (2007). A catalogue of the ants of Paraguay (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa, 1622: 1-55. 6 125 Figure Captions: 126 F. 1, Brachymyrmex cordemoyi, Habitus. casent0922067, Photographer: Michele Esposito, 127 copyright:www.AntWeb.org 128 F. 2. Brachymyrmex cordemoyi, Lateral view, casent0922067, Photographer: Michele Esposito, 129 copyright:www.AntWeb.org 130 F.3, Brachymyrmex cordemoyi, Frontal view, casent0922067, Photographer: Michele Esposito, 131 copyright:www.AntWeb.org 132 F. 4, Habitat of Brachymyrmex cordemoyi, King Saud University Campus, Riyadh, Kingdom of 133 Saudi Arabia. (Photo: S. Salman). 7 134 135 1 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 2 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 3 152 8 Figures 1-3, Brachymyrmex cordemoyi, 1. Habitus, lateral view, 2. Dorsal view, 3. Frontal view, casent0922067, Photographer: Michele Esposito, copyright:www.AntWeb.org 153 4 Figure 4, Habitat of Brachymyrmex cordemoyi, King Saud University Campus, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. (Photo: S. Salman). 9