A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography

Abstract

The ant fauna of the State of Qatar is reviewed based on collected material and literature. In total, 23 species, belonging to 12 genera and four subfamilies, were reported from the country. Given that Messor arenarius diabolus Santschi, 1938 is endemic in Egypt, and it was recorded by mistake in Qatar, we excluded it from the country faunal list. Six genera are recorded for the first time from the country, Cardiocondyla Emery, 1896, Crematogaster Lund, 1831, Lepisiota Santschi, 1926, Monomorium Mayr, 1855, Paratrechina Motschoulsky, 1863, and Pheidole Westwood, 1839. Fourteen species are recorded for the first time from Qatar, namely, Camponotus oasium Forel, 1890, Cardiocondyla emeryiForel, 1881, Cataglyphis livida (André, 1881), Cataglyphis arenariaFinzi, 1940, Cataglyphis nigra (André, 1881), Lepisiota bipartita (Smith, 1861), Lepisiota gracilicornis (Forel, 1892), Monomorium abeillei André, 1881, Monomorium areniphilumSantschi, 1911, Monomorium subopacum (Smith, 1858), Monomorium venustum (Smith, 1858), Pheidole sinaiticaMayr, 1862. Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius, 1793), and Tapinoma simrothiKrausse, 1911. Preliminary analysis of the zoogeography of Qatar's ants reveals the remarkable predominance of Palearctic faunal elements (13 species/ ?57%), followed by minor proportions of Afrotropical (4 species/ ?17%) and Indomalayan (1 species/ ?4%) species, while the five invasive species (?22%) reflect human impacts on the country. Monomorium tumaireCollingwood & Agosti, 1996 is known as endemic in the Arabian Peninsula. No species are considered endemic to Qatar. Ecological and biological notes on species are provided when available.