Lepisiota spinisquama
Creators: name: Collingwood, C. A., Pohl, F., Güsten, R., Wranik, W., van Harten, A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2004
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Formicidae
Lepisiota
Lepisiota spinisquama

description: Lepisiota spinisquama (Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929) Fig. 15
Acantholepis frauenfeldi subsp. spinisquama Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929. - Zool. Anz. (Leipzig) 82: 483. (Kazakhstan).
Acantholepis spinisquama. - Collingwood 1985: 296; Collingwood & VAN Harten 1994: 39.
Lepisiota spinisquama. - COLLINGWOOD & Agosti 1996: 369.
Specimens examined: Yemen, Socotra Island:spms from Adho Dimello, IV.1967, K.M. Guichard, NHMB; spms from Hadibo, 13-14.IV.1993, A. van Harten, CCC; spms from Momi, 15.IV.1993, A. van Harten, CCC; spms from Nojid, 16.IV.1993, A. van Harten, CCC; spms from Mouri, 17.IV.1993, A. van Harten, CCC; spms from Farmihin, IX.1998, W. Wranik, CWWR; spms from Dirhashas, 28.IX.1998, W. Wranik, CWWR; spms from Hasaant, X.1998, W. Wranik, CWWR; spms from Diksam, X.1998, W. Wranik, CWWR; spms from Wadi Daneghan, 04.X.1998, A. van Harten, CCC; nest sample, Adho Dimello, base camp, 12°34'N 54°02'E, 940 m, 03.II.1999, H. Pohl, HLMD-Hym-2094, NHCY; 1 ☿, 4 ♀ ♀, coast road east of Hadibo, coastal sand dunes, 12°36'N 54°21'E, 04-06.II.1999, H. Pohl, HLMD-Hym-2095, NHCY; 5 ☿☿, Diksam Plateau, 12°32'N 53°59'E, 1020 m, pitfall trap, 22-24.II.1999, H. Pohl, HLMD-Hym-2097, NHCY; spms from Hasaant, 26.II.1999, W. Wranik, CWWR; spms from Rhiy di-Shu’ub, 28.II.1999, W. Wranik, CWWR; spms from Momi, 12.11.2000, W. Wranik, CWWR; spms from Homhil, 12.II.2000, W. Wranik, CWWR; spms from Rhiy di-Shu’ub mangrove, 14.11.2000, W. Wranik, CWWR; spms from Wadi Daneghan, 19.II.2000, W. Wranik, CWWR; spms from Diksam, 22.II.2000, W. Wranik, CWWR; 1 ☿, Wadi Daneghan, 12°37 N 54°04'E, 90 m, pitfall trap, 28-30.X.2000, A. van Harten & H. Pohl, HLMD-Hym-2098. - Yemen, Samha Island: spms from coastal area, 15.II.1999, W. Wranik, CWWR; spms from village area, 08.II.2000, W. Wranik, CWWR. - Yemen, Abd al-Kuri Island: spms from coastal plain, southern part, 18.II.1999, W. Wranik, CWWR; ~ 20 ☿☿, west coast, around base camp, 12°11'N 53°14'E, 17-18.II.1999, H. Pohl, HLMD-Hym- 2096, NHCY; spms from coastal plain, northern part, 06-07.II.2000, W. Wranik, CWWR.
Remarks: Both the original description and information by Pisarski (1967) demonstrate that this species is distinct from L. semenovi (Ruzsky, 1905), so the synonymy of the two species recently proposed by Dlussky et al. (1990) cannot be accepted. The occurrence of L. spinisquama on Socotra, where it appears to be one of the commonest ants, is something of a riddle. The species is distributed in central Asia, and there are records from coastal southern Arabia (Collingwood 1985, Collingwood & Agosti 1996), but otherwise introductions have not been reported. This shiny black ant is characterised by spinal ornamentation on both the propodeum and the petiole. Nests may include several queens and many hundreds of workers. These ants are general scavengers and will attack other insects. In Socotri, "nimihil haher" (black ant) will usually refer to this species.
description: Published as part of Collingwood, C. A., Pohl, F., Güsten, R., Wranik, W., van Harten, A., 2004, The ants (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Socotra Archipelago, pp. 473-495 in Fauna of Arabia 20 on page 488, DOI: 0.5281/zenodo.12560