ВВЕДЕНИЕ

      Подсемейство Formicinae это одно из крупнейших подсемейств муравьёв с примерно 3,000 описанными видами в 62 родах (Shattuck, 1992).

      Род Cataglyphis является одним из ключевых родов муравьёв в аридных регионах Старого Света. Он распространен главным образом в Палеарктике, с несколькими видами в пустынях и полупустынях Афротропики и Ориентальной области (Индия и Пакистан). В этом роде описано более 100 видов, и даже были описаны два социальных паразита (Agosti 1994, Radchenko 1997b, Bolton et al. 2007).

      Члены этого рода относительно крупные муравьи (до 13 мм), and all of them inhabit open dry habitats (steppes, stony mountain slopes, various types of deserts and semi-deserts, etc.), reaching in mountains up to 3500– 3700 m a.s.l.

      Ранее род Cataglyphis делили на подрода (e.g., see Bolton 1995), but more recently subgeneric division was refused and the genus was separated into several species groups and species complexes within them (Agosti 1990, Radchenko 1997a).

      18 видов рода Cataglyphis было известно из Ирана до недавнего времени (Paknia et al. 2008, 2009), but in the newly collected material by one of the co-authors (O. Paknia) we found specimens that belong to two new species, which are described below. One of them belongs to the bicolor species-group and well differs from all members of this group by its totally yellow colour, except of C. lunaticus Baroni Urbani described from Turkey. The second new species most probably is a member of the cursor species-group and has unique characteristics in its dense, rather long and coarse, silverish pubescence of the body.

      ПРОМЕРЫ И ИНДЕКСЫ

      HL – maximum length of head in dorsal view, measured in a straight line from the most anterior point of clypeus to the mid-point of occipital margin,

      HW – maximum visible width of head in dorsal view, measured above or below of eyes (depending from species),

      SL – maximum straight-line length of scape from its apex to the articulation with condylar bulb,

      FS₁, FS₂, FS₃ – length of 1st to 3rd funicular segments of antenna, MP₃, MP₄, MP₅, MP₆ – length of 3rd to 6th segments of maxillary palps,

      OL – maximum diameter of eye,

      GL – length of gena (seen in profile), measured from the lower margin of eye to the articulation with mandible,

      AL – diagonal length of alitrunk (seen in profile), measured from the anterior end of propodeum to the posterior margin of propodeal lobes,

      PnW – maximum width of pronotum in dorsal view,

      PL – maximum length of petiole (in profile),

      PW – maximum width of petiole (from above),

      PH – maximum height of petiole (in profile),

      HTL – maximum length of hind tibia,

      PSL – maximum diameter of propodeal spiracle.

      ИНДЕКСЫ: Cephalic index: CI = HW / HL,

      Scape indices: SI₁ = SL / HL; SI₂ = SL / HW,

      Ocular indices: OI₁ = OL / HW; OI₂ = OL / GL,

      Funicular segment indices: FSI₁ = FS₁ / FS₂; FSI₂ = FS₁ / (FS₂+FS₃),

      Maxillary palps indices: MPI₁ = MP₄ / MP₅; MPI₂ = MP₄ / (MP₅+MP₆),

      Propodeal spiracle index: PSL / HW,

      Alitrunk index: AL / PnW.

     

      Cataglyphis stigmatus sp. nov.

      Этимология. From the Latin word “stigma” – spiracle, to emphasize very long propodeal spiracles.

      МАТЕРИАЛ. Holotype worker, Iran, Province Bushehr, Mond protected area, 28°03’N, 51°36’E, 6 m a.s.l., 15 July 2007, arid area, leg. Omid Paknia, collection code: MND-2128002 (MMTT); paratypes: 1 worker from the nest of holotype; 2 workers from the same site, but collected on bait traps; 3 workers, Iran, Province Bushehr, Naiband National Park, 27°18’N, 52°48’E, 19 July 2007, 6 m a.s.l., nest sample, arid area, leg. Omid Paknia (IZK, MMTT).

      ОПИСАНИЕ. РАБОЧИЕ (Figs 2–7). Species of medium size, body length ca. 5–7 mm. Head with almost parallel sides (below the eyes) and gradually convex occipital margin, occipital corners not marked, head length subequal to its width. Anterior clypeal margin convex, without median notch. Clypeal setae distinctly shorter than length of clypeus and joined near its anterior margin. Eyes relatively small, their maximum diameter 1.2–1.5 times less than length of genae, situated distinctly beyond the midlength of head margins. Ocelli relatively big, forming equilateral triangle. Antennae 12-segmented, scape long, distinctly longer than head length, first funicular segment distinctly shorter than the length of second and third segments together. 3rd and 4th segments of maxillary palpes long, subequal in length, 5th segment 1.5–1.6 times shorter than 3rd or 4th ones, 6th segment is the shortest; 3rd segment somewhat flattened, with abundant erect hairs on inner margin, length of the longest hairs equal or only a little longer than maximum diameter of the segment; 4th segment with similar pilosity, two apical segments with abundant but shorter hairs. Mandibles with long apical tooth, somewhat smaller preapical one and three small basal teeth.

      Alitrunk long and slender, mesonotum not raised over pronotal level. Propodeum low, gradually arched, its dorsal surface distinctly longer than posterior one. Propodeal spiracles elongate-oval, while not distinctly slit-like, and very long: their length exceeds (or at least reaches) half of the propodeal height. Petiole obviously nodiform, with rounded node dorsum.

      Surface of whole body with dense microreticulation, appears dull, although not strongly matt. Body with sparse whitish standing hairs. Occiput with 5–6 quite long erect hairs, frons with 3–4, clypeus – with 2 similar hairs. Alitrunk and petiolar node with a few sparse short hairs. Head and gaster with very sparse and short decumbent pilosity, distance between hairs longer than hairs’ length; surface of alitrunk (except of mesonotal dorsum) and coxae with dense silverfish pubescence. Tibiae with depressed whitish short setae and additionally with a few yellowish bristles on inner margin. Antennae with fine, short depressed pubescence, without semi-erect hairs.

      ОКРАСКА. Whole body yellow to orange-yellow.

      Самки и самцы остаются неизвестными. Measurements and indices see in Tables 1 and 2.

      ЭКОЛОГИЯ. Distribution of this species is probably limited to the northern coastal plains of the Persian Gulf. This region is characterized by hot long summer and mild winter, with mean annual temperature 27C° and 236 mm precipitation. Phyto-geographically it belongs to the subtropical region. Both nest samples of C. stigmatus were collected in open arid areas. The nest entrance had a small mound ca. 5 cm height and ca. 15 cm in diameter. Specimens were active at the hottest time of day, between 10.00 and 16.00. Workers were attracted on baits both by tuna fish and sugar syrup.

      Comparative diagnosis. Based on all main diagnostic feature (e.g. nodiform petiole, body sculpture, maxillary palpes structure, etc.; see also Agosti 1990, Radchenko 1997a), C. stigmatus clearly belongs to the bicolor species-group. Almost all species of this group are bicoloured (with reddish head and alitrunk and black gaster) or black with the only one previously known exception – C. lunaticus which has entirely yellow body. Consequently, C. stigmatus obviously differs by colour from all known species of this group, except of C. lunaticus. Despite we did not investigate the type specimens of the latter species (it has been described based on 2 workers from Turkey), the detailed original description, including morphometric data and excellent drawings, provided by Baroni Urbani (1969) allow us to compare both species.

      C. stigmatus well distinguishes from C. lunaticus by the longer scape (SI1 > 1.20 vs < 1.10), by the lower propodeum with the dorsal surface being distinctly longer than the posterior one (the length of the dorsal surface of propodeum in C. lunaticus is subequal to the length of posterior one), by the less abundant standing hairs on the alitrunk and petiole, by the somewhat smaller size, and especially by the much longer propodeal spiracles. We examined size of propodeal spiracles in more than fifty Cataglyphis species, including about twenty ones from the bicolor-group, but could not found such big spiracles in any of the investigated specimens.

     

      Cataglyphis pubescens sp. nov.

      Этимология. From the Latin word “pubescens ” – pubescent, that means character of the depressed pubescence on the head and alitrunk.

      МАТЕРИАЛ. Holotype worker, Iran, province Yazd, Siahkooh National Park, 32°35’55”N, 54°13’57”E, 987 m, 23 May 2008, nest sample, arid area, leg. Omid Paknia, collection code: SIA 2459009 (MMTT); paratypes: 6 workers from the nest of holotype; 2 workers from the same locality but collected by pitfall traps (IZK, MMTT).

      ОПИСАНИЕ. Workers (Figs 8–13). Species of small size, body length ca. 4 mm. Head length subequal to its width; head slightly narrowed anteriorly, with straight (not convex) sides (below the eyes), rounded occipital corners and very weakly convex occipital margin. Anterior clypeal margin almost straight, without median notch. Clypeal setae subequal to clypeal length and joined near its anterior margin. Eyes relatively small, their maximum diameter ca 1.05–1.25 times less than length of genae, situated distinctly beyond the midlength of head margins. Ocelli small, forming equilateral triangle. Antennae 12-segmented, scape relatively short, subequal or only slightly longer than head length; first funicular segment relatively long, only slightly shorter than length of second and third segments together, remainder segments distinctly longer than broad. 3rd and 4th segments of maxillary palpes rather long, subequal in length, 5th segment short, 1.5–1.9 times shorter than 4th ones, 6th segment only slightly shorter that the 5th one; 3rd segment not flattened, oval in cross-section, with not abundant erect hairs, length of the longest hairs less than twice longer than maximum diameter of the segment; 4th-6th segments with abundant but somewhat shorter pilosity. Mandibles with long apical tooth, somewhat smaller preapical one and three small basal teeth.

      Alitrunk relatively short and robust, mesonotum not raised over pronotal level. Dorsal surface of propodeum propodeum subequal to posterior one, both meet at a rounded blunt angle. Propodeal spiracles small, slit-like. Petiole squamiform, with distinct, rather thick scale.

      Surface of head and propodeum with fine but dense microreticulation, appears dull, promesonotum and gaster with very fine superficial microreticulation, appear shiny.

      Body with sparse whitish standing pilosity, while it is somewhat more abundant than in the most of species of the cursor- and emmae-group. Occiput with more than 10 straight erect hairs, frons and clypeus without such hairs. Alitrunk and coxae with scattered erect hairs of different length, petiolar scale with a few short hairs. Head (especially temples and occiput), mesopleura, propodeum and coxae with dense pubescence, formed by long, very abundant silverish appressed hairs. Gaster with very sparse and short decumbent hairs. Scape and funiculus with short, quite thick, whitish subdecumbent hairs, tibiae with numerous, rather long subdecumbent to suberect setae, and additionally with less abundant yellowish bristles on inner margin. Whole body black.

      Самки и самцы остаются неизвестными.

      Measurements and indices see in Tables 1 and 2.

      ЭКОЛОГИЯ. This species was collected in the interior region of the Central Persian desert basin. This area is characterized by hot summer and cold winter with mean annual temperature 19°C, and by the very low annual precipitation – 67 mm only. This territory belongs to the Irano-Turanian phyto-geographical region. Most specimens were collected by hand from a nest. Nest was built in an open area, having a small entrance without surrounding structures. Comparative diagnosis. C. pubescens shares several features of the emeryi-, cursor- and emmae species-groups of Cataglyphis. Thus, setae on the anterior clypeal margin are very long, subequal to or even somewhat longer than the length of clypeus, similarly to C. emeryi (Karawajew), but unlike the latter species these setae join close to the anterior clypeal margin, as in the species of cursor-group (Radchenko 1997a, 1998). The first funicular segment is quite long, about twice longer than the second one and only slightly shorter than the second and third segments together: this is one of the diagnostic features of workers of the emmae-group (according Agosti 1990). On the other hand, worker caste of C. pubescens is not dimorphic (the latter is characteristic for the emmae-group species); additionally, they have distinctly thicker petiolar scale than C. emeryi. In general, workers of the species of all three groups mentioned above are superficially quite similar to one another, particularly their whole body is blackish-brown to black, they have petiole with distinct scale (i.e. it is not cuneiform or nodiform), but their males well differ by the structure of genitalia (Agosti 1990; Radchenko 1997a). Moreover, workers of C. emmae and C. emeryi move slowly, rather like Proformica Ruzsky species (C. emmae has been originally described as a member of Proformica) than Cataglyphis, while C. pubescens move very fast, like most of the Cataglyphis species. The proper taxonomic position of this species can be definitively resolved when males will be found. Despite this little taxonomic vagueness, C. pubescens clearly differs from any knows species of the groups mentioned above by the much more developed, dense appressed pubescence on the head and alitrunk.