Lepisiota omanensis Sharaf &amp; Monks, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Sharaf, Mostafa R.
name: Monks, Joe
name: Polaszek, Andrew
name: Abdulrahman S. Aldawood
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Formicidae
Lepisiota
Lepisiota omanensis

description: <i>Lepisiota omanensis</i> Sharaf &amp; Monks sp. nov. (Figure 2 A <i>–</i> E) <i>Holotype worker</i> Oman, Hajar Mountains, Jebel Qahwan, (Figure 3 A), 19 April 2012, 22° 9 ' 9.36 "N, 59 ° 22 ' 19.8 "E, 305 m, (J. Monks); the holotype is temporarily deposited in BMNH pending the completion of the new Oman Natural History Museum (ONHM). <i>Paratype workers</i> Two workers, Oman, base of Jebel Akhdar, near to Birkat Al-Mouz, 25 March 2016, 22° 57 ' 17.58 "N, 57 ° 39 ' 40.92 "E, 619 m, (J. Monks) one in ONHM and one in KSMA; two workers, United Arab Emirates, Ain Al Waal at the foot of Jebel Hafeet, 11 March 2014, 24° 4 ' 2.57 "N, 55 ° 44 ' 56.05 "E, (Huw Roberts); deposited in KSMA. <i>Measurements</i> <i>Holotype.</i> EL 0.17, HL 0.75, HW 0.65, PH 0.31, PRW 0.48, PSL 0.25, SL 1.00, TL 3.31, WL 1.25. Indices: CI 87, OI 26, PSLI 33, SI 154. <i>Paratypes.</i> EL 0.20, HL 0.57 <i>–</i> 0.70, HW 0.50 <i>–</i> 0.60, ML 0.20, PH 0.25 <i>–</i> 0.37, PRW 0.35 <i>–</i> 0.42, PSL 0.11 <i>–</i> 0.22, SL 1.15 <i>–</i> 1.40, TL 2.25 <i>–</i> 3.50, WL 1.05 <i>–</i> 1.35. Indices: CI 86 <i>–</i> 88, OI 33 <i>–</i> 40, PSLI 19 <i>–</i> 31, SI 230 <i>–</i> 233 (n = 2). <i>Diagnosis</i> This new species can be distinguished immediately from all known Arabian and Afrotropical species by the long, acute and strongly curved propodeal spines (Figure 2). <i>Description of worker</i> <i>Head.</i> Distinctly longer than broad, with straight posterior margin and shallowly convex lateral margins; antennal scape when laid back from its insertion surpassing the posterior margin of head by more than half of its length; eyes of moderate size (EL 0.26 <i>–</i> 0.40 × HW). <i>Mesosoma.</i> Elongate with a narrow mesonotum; propodeal spines exceptionally long, acute and strongly curved (PSLI 19 <i>–</i> 33). <i>Petiole.</i> Bispinose dorsally. <i>Pilosity.</i> Posterior margin of head with a single pair of stiff, short setae; anterior clypeal margin with three pairs of long setae; mesosoma bare except for a single pair of setae on pronotum, gastral pilosity restricted to few setae on posterior margins of tergites and sternites, all body surface with pale scattered appressed pubescence. <i>Sculpture.</i> Overall smooth and shining. <i>Colour.</i> Uniform black with purple reflections on the face and gaster, antennae and mandibles yellow-brown. <i>Etymology</i> Named after the country of the type locality. <i>Habitat and biology</i> The type locality, Jebel Qahwan (Figure 3 A), is located in the Eastern Hajar Mountains, an area with substantial floral and faunal biodiversity. The two paratypes from UAE were collected at Ain Al Waal (Figure 3 B) (Huw Hoberts, pers. comm.). This site is characterised by areas with rocks and boulders surrounding semi-permanent pools near a dam. The water in the pools is used by the endangered Arabian tahr, <i>Arabitragus jayakari</i> (Thomas). <i>Lepisiota omanensis</i> seems to have an association with the plants <i>Ochradenus arabicus</i> Chaudhary, Hillc. &amp; A.G.Mill. (Resedaceae), but two other plants are also present in the area, <i>Aerva javanica</i> (Amaranthaceae) and <i>Tephrosia apollinea</i> (Fabaceae). A nest was observed about a metre away from the base of a <i>Lycium shawii</i> (Solanaceae) plant (Figure 3 C). The two paratype workers were observed carrying leaf material.
description: Published as part of <i>Mostafa R. Sharaf, Joe Monks, Andrew Polaszek &amp; Abdulrahman S. Aldawood, 2016, A remarkable new species of the genus Lepisiota Santschi (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Oman and the United Arab Emirates with a key to the Arabian species, pp. 1875-1887 in Journal of Natural History 50 (29)</i> on pages 4-7, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2016.1180722, http://zenodo.org/record/269060