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Eremiothrips unicolour sp. nov. (Figures 6, 26, 31, 35, 37, 44–45) Female macroptera (Figure 44). Body pale yellow without any traces of shading; antennal segments I–II pale, III–V pale except grey at extreme apex, VI–IX shaded grey; fore wings, legs and all major setae pale yellow. Head wider than long; ocellar setae pair III arising within the triangle, about as long as or shorter than distance between their bases (Figure 35), ocellar triangle smooth, without sculpture; antennae 9-segmented (Figure 6), sense cone on segments III and IV forked, VI with inner sense cone reaching to the middle of segment VIII; VII with outer sense cone short, hardly reaching middle of VIII (Figure 6). Pronotum wider than long with transverse striae and numerous discal setae, anterior margin with 5 and posterior margin with 3 pairs of setae, as long as discal setae; 1 pair of posteroangular setae present (Figure 35); metanotum with equiangular cells medially, without campaniform sensilla, median pair of setae as long as pronotal posteroangular setae. Fore wing first vein with 6–7 setae on basal half and 3 widely spaced setae distally, second vein with about 10 setae; posteromarginal cilia wavy. Abdominal tergites with transverse lines, tergites II–VII with 1 pair of campaniform sensilla posterolateral to median setae, VIII–IX with 2 pairs of campaniform sensilla; posterior margin of tergite VIII with weak and irregular comb of microtrichia; X without median dorsal split. Sternites with weak transverse lines, without discal setae, sternites V– VII posteromarginal setae S1, S2 more than half as long as sternite; sternite VII with posteromarginal setae S1 arising in front of margin. Measurements (Holotype female). Body length 990. Head length 65, width 130; ocellar setae III 12. Pronotum length 95, width 162; posteroangular setae 20. Metanotal median setae 20. Fore wing length 505. Tergite IX setae S1 45, S2 50. Antennal segments I–IX length: 15, 30, 35, 32, 30, 30, 10, 10, 15. Paratype females. Body length 990–1090. Head length 65–72, width 130–136; ocellar setae III 12. Pronotum length 90–98, width 160–165; posteroangular setae 20–22. Metanotal median setae 20–22. Fore wing length 480–570. Tergite IX setae S1 45 –50, S2 55 –57. Antennal segments I–IX length: 15–16, 30–32, 32–35, 29–32, 27–30, 30–32, 10–11, 10, 15. Male macroptera (Figure 45). Similar to females in structure except for smaller size; tergite IX with paired processes dark brown, medially curved and 95–100 microns long (Figure 26); sternites III–VII with small, hardly visible pore plates (pore plate on segment III not visible in one male) (Figure 31). Measurements (Paratype male). Body length 740–840. Head length 55–70, width 100– 120; ocellar setae III 10. Pronotum length 70–75, width 130–140; posteroangular setae 15– 18. Metanotal median setae 12–15. Fore wing length 415–460. Pore plates on sternites III– VII: width (length), III 8 (6), IV 8 (6), V 10–12 (7–8), VI 10–12 (7–8), VII 7–8 (6–7); tergite IX paired processes length 90–100. Antennal segments I–IX length: 14–15, 28–30, 28–30, 28– 30, 25–27, 25–28, 10, 10, 15. Etymology The name unicolour refers to the unicolourous body of this species. Material examined Holotype female. Saudi Arabia, Al Baha, Baljurashi, Al saad Janabeen, beaten from Commiphora sp., 22 September 2020 (19.881683°N, 41.704017°E alt. 1914 m) (I. Rasool) (KSMA). Paratypes: same data as holotype, 21 females, 6 males, 4 larvae; Qilwa, Ramziyah, 19 females, 2 males, 7 larvae from unknown plant, 25 September 2020 (I. Rasool) (KSMA). Comments. This new species is unique among members of Eremiothrips in having such a long mouth cone. It shares with E. shirabudinensis, E. antilope and E. aldryhimi sp. nov. similarly long paired processes on tergite IX of males. However, both sexes of this new species have an exceptionally long mouth cone, reaching to the posterior margin of the pronotum (in contrast to a short mouth cone), and the unicolourous pale yellow body lacks any trace of grey or light brown shading (in contrast to grey shading present on abdomen and pterothorax). Moreover, the male of this new species can be distinguished from the former three by the small and oval pore plates on sternites III–VII. In contrast, males of E. shirabudinensis and E. antilope lack pore plates (Bhatti et al. 2003; Minaei 2012) and in E. aldryhimi sp. nov. the pore plates are strongly narrow and transverse.

Eremiothrips aldryhimi sp. nov. (Figures 2, 22, 27, 32, 36, 38–39) Female macroptera (Figure 38). Body almost completely pale; pronotum, pterothorax and abdominal segments shaded grey; antennal segment I pale, II with grey shading, III–V pale but light brown or grey at extreme apex, VI–IX light brown; head and legs uniformly pale; fore wings pale, veins and cilia grey. Head wider than long; ocellar setae pair III arising in front of hind ocelli within triangle, smaller than distance between their bases, about as long as pairs I and II (Figure 32); ocellar triangle smooth, without sculpture; antennae 9-segmented (Figure 2), sense cone on segments III and IV forked, sense cone on III placed ventrolateral to the segment, VI with inner sense cone reaching to middle of segment VIII; antennal segment VII with outer sense cone short, hardly reaching middle of VIII (Figure 2). Pronotum wider than long with transverse striae and numerous discal setae, anterior margin with 5–6, posterior margin with 3–4, scarcely larger than discal setae; 1 pair of posteroangular setae present, about twice as long as posterior marginal setae (Figure 32); metanotum with sculptured reticles equiangular, small to large anteromedially. Metanotum without campaniform sensilla, median pair of setae as long as pronotal posteroangular setae. Fore wing first vein with 6–7 setae on basal half and 3–4 widely spaced setae distally; second vein with 10–11 setae; posteromarginal cilia wavy. Abdominal tergites with transverse lines, weak medially, tergites II–VII with 1 pair of campaniform sensilla posterolateral to the median setae near posterior margin, VIII–IX with 2 pairs of campaniform sensilla; posterior margin of tergite VII usually smooth, only a few individual females have weak irregular microtrichia; tergite VIII with comb of small microtrichia. Tergite IX with setae S1 and S2 as long as median length of segment X; X without median dorsal split. Sternites smooth, without discal setae. Sternite VII with posteromarginal setae S1 arising in front of margin; pleurotergites without discal setae. Measurements (Holotype female). Body length 1210. Head length 93, width 162; ocellar setae III 15. Pronotum length 107, width 192; posteroangular setae 30. Metanotal median setae 30. Fore wing length 653. Tergite IX setae S1 60, S2 59. Antennal segments I– IX length: 16, 34, 40, 35, 32, 36, 11, 10, 14. Paratype females. Body length 1155–1273. Head length 83–96, width 158–165; ocellar setae III 14–15. Pronotum length 107–118, width 192–198; posteroangular setae 25–30. Metanotal median setae 28–30. Fore wing length 655–685. Tergite IX setae S1 58 –62, S2 58 –62. Antennal segments I–IX length: 15–18, 33–35, 37–40, 32–35, 29–32, 35–37, 10–11, 9–10, 14–15. Male macroptera (Figure 39). Similar to female in structure except smaller and paler; tergite IX with paired dark brown processes, medially curved, 95–112 microns long (Figure 22). Sternites III–VII with narrow transverse pore plates (Figure 27). Measurements (Paratype male). Body length 710–955. Head length 74–80, width 125– 139, ocellar setae III 10. Pronotum length 80–95, width 140–157; posteroangular setae 30. Metanotal median setae 18–23. Fore wing length 425–515. Sternites III–VII pore plates width (length): III 29–33 (6–7), IV 35–40 (5), V 36–40 (5), VI 35–39 (4–5), VII 27–32 (5–6). Tergite IX paired processes length 95–112. Antennal segments I–IX length: 16–20, 25–28, 31–35, 31–35, 26–30, 31, 10–11, 9–10, 15. Etymology The specific epithet is a Latinised noun in the genitive case in the masculine form based on the honorific name ‘Yousif N. Aldryhim’, professor in the Department of Plant Protection, College of Food and Agricultural Science, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, who is also one of the collectors of this species. Material examined Holotype female. Saudi Arabia. Riyadh, Al Muzahamiya, Jilah, Lanakh, female from leaves of Tetraena simplex [Zygophyllaceae], 12 March 2020 (24.424933°N, 45.467267°E alt. 715 m) (I. Rasool) (deposited in KSMA). Paratypes. All deposited in KSMA and collected by I. Rasool, except where otherwise indicated. Collected with holotype, 193 females, 4 males, 6 larvae. Al Muzahamiya, Al Huwait, 4 females, 1 male from leaves of Prosopis juliflora [Fabaceae], 5 females from Suaeda fruticosa, 12 March 2020. Al Huwait, Ubaid Balish Farm, 1 female from unknown plant, 12 March 2020. Ash-Shura, 3 females from Prosopis juliflora, 13 March 2020. Al Dawadmi, Najakh, 39 females, 1 male and one larva from Zilla spinosa [Brassicaceae], 13 March 2020. Al Bijadyah, 32 females from grasses, 13 March 2020. Al Ghat, Abdulaziz Al Tamair farm, 1 female from leaves of Arundo donax, 27 March 2019 (Yousif N. Aldryhim and I. Rasool). Rumah, Hafr Al Atk, Rawdat Tinhat, 1 female, 20 March 2020. Dirab, King Saudi University Educational Farm, 14 females, 1 male from leaves of Polygonum aviculare [Polygonaceae], 19 females, 6 males from leaves of Tribulus terrestris [Zygophyllaceae], 9 June 2020. Al Baha. Al Makhwa, Shada Al Aala, 2 females, 8 April 2019. Al Makhwa, Nawan, near sea, 17 females, 1 male from Dipterygium glaucum [Capparidaceae], 1 female from Acacia ehrenbergiana, 10 April 2019. Comments. The new species is the fourth member of the genus having long paired processes on tergite IX of males, the other three that share this condition being E. shirabudinensis, E. antilope (Bhatti et al. 2003; zur Strassen and van Harten 2008) and another new species described in this paper (see below). However, males of this new species can be distinguished by the strongly transverse and narrow pore plates on sternites III–VII, whereas the other two species lack sternal pore plates (Bhatti et al. 2003; Minaei 2012). Moreover, ocellar setae pair II arises lateral to the fore ocellus in the new species, but in E. shirabudinensis and E. antilope ocellar setae pairs I and II arise in front of the fore ocellus (zur Strassen 1975)., Published as part of Rasool, Iftekhar, Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Alattal, Yehya Zaki & Aldhafer, Hathal M., 2021, The Anaphothrips genus-group of Thripidae (Thysanoptera) from Saudi Arabia with two new species of Eremiothrips, pp. 1599-1617 in Journal of Natural History 55 (25 - 26) on pages 1608-1609, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1939187, http://zenodo.org/record/5529878, {"references":["Bhatti JS, Telmadarraiy Z, Kumar V, Tyagi K. 2003. Species of Eremiothrips in Iran (Terebrantia: Thripidae). Thrips. 2: 49 - 110. doi: 10.46318 / Thrips. 2.2003.49 - 110","Minaei K. 2012. The genus Eremiothrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in Iran, with one new species. Zootaxa. 3349 (1): 56 - 62. doi: 10.11646 / zootaxa. 3349.1.6"]}

Eremiothrips antilope Priesner Anaphothrips antilope Priesner, 1923, p. 63. Described from Egypt and distributed from Mediterranean countries to Iran and India (Minaei 2012), this species was recorded from Saudi Arabia by Bhatti (1988) on specimens in the Senckenberg Museum Frankfurt (Germany). However, this species has not been collected during recent surveys across central and south-western Saudi Arabia, and the record needs further investigation., Published as part of Rasool, Iftekhar, Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Alattal, Yehya Zaki & Aldhafer, Hathal M., 2021, The Anaphothrips genus-group of Thripidae (Thysanoptera) from Saudi Arabia with two new species of Eremiothrips, pp. 1599-1617 in Journal of Natural History 55 (25 - 26) on page 1610, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1939187, http://zenodo.org/record/5529878, {"references":["Priesner H. 1923. A. DAMPFS aegypten-ausbeute: thysanoptera. Entomol Mitt. 12: 63 - 66.","Minaei K. 2012. The genus Eremiothrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in Iran, with one new species. Zootaxa. 3349 (1): 56 - 62. doi: 10.11646 / zootaxa. 3349.1.6","Bhatti JS. 1988. On the genera Ascirtothrips Priesner and Eremiothrips Priesner (Insecta: Terebrantia: Thripidae). Zoology. 1 (2): 117 - 125. doi: 10.46318 / zoology. 1.2.1988.117 - 125"]}

Rasool, Iftekhar, Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Alattal, Yehya Zaki, Aldhafer, Hathal M. (2021): The Anaphothrips genus-group of Thripidae (Thysanoptera) from Saudi Arabia with two new species of Eremiothrips. Journal of Natural History 55 (25-26): 1599-1617, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1939187, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2021.1939187

Cataglyphis livida (André, 1881) (Fig. 9 A–C) Myrmecocystus albicans var. lividus André, 1881a: 58 (w.) Palestine. Palearctic. Diagnosis. Worker. Body uniformly yellow, gaster usually darker; posterior margin of head with about three pairs of setae; propodeum and petiole with few erect setae; sides of mesonotum and propodeum with appressed silvery pubescence; cephalic surface superficially sculptured. Material examined. Al Kharara-Seleiyn Road, 09.iv.2005, 24 ° 53 ’ N, 51 ° 10 ’ E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 2w, (KSMA). Geographic distribution. Cataglyphis lividaoccupies a broad geographic range through the Palearctic region ranging from Algeria and Egypt to Afghanistan (Radchenko, 1997 b); and extends north into Turkey and Bulgaria. It also has been reported from most countries of the Arabian Peninsula (Collingwood 1985, Tigar and Collingwood 1993, Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Tigar and Osborne 1999, Collingwood et al. 2011). Ecological and biological notes. Cataglyphis livida is a common species at nature reserves in Riyadh Province (e.g. Rawdhat Khorim) where the population peaks in spring and in June (Sharaf et al. 2013). This species was found to be abundant foraging on Acacia gerrardii Benth. (Fabaceae). This species is recorded for the first time from Qatar., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on pages 540-542, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Andre, E. 1881 a. Catalogue raisonne des Formicides provenant du voyage en Orient de M. Abeille de Perrin et description des especes nouvelles. Annales de la Societe entomologique de France, (6) (1): 53 - 78.","Radchenko, A. G. 1997 b. Review of ants of the genus Cataglyphis foerster (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Asia. Entomologicheskoe Obozrenie, 76: 424 - 442.","Collingwood, C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 7: 230 - 302.","Tigar, B. J. and C. A. Collingwood. 1993. A preliminary list of ant records from Abu Dhabi Emirate, U. A. E. Tribulus, 3: 13 - 14.","Tigar, B. J. & P. E. Osborne. 1999. Patterns of biomass and diversity of aerial insects in Abu Dhabi's sandy deserts. Journal of Arid Environments, 43: 159 - 170.","Collingwood, C. A., Agosti, D., Sharaf, M. R. & A. van Harten. 2011. Order Hymenoptera, family Formicidae. Arthropod Fauna of the UAE, 4: 405 - 474.","Sharaf, M. R., Abdeldayem, M. S., Aldhafer, H. & A. S. Aldawood. 2013. The ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Rawdhat Khorim nature preserve, Saudi Arabia, with description of a new species of the genus Tetramorium Mayr. Zootaxa, 3709 (6): 565 - 580."]}

Monomorium areniphilum Santschi, 1911 (Fig. 17 A–C) Monomorium Salomonis var. areniphila Santschi, 1911: 84 (w.) Tunisia. Palearctic. Diagnosis. Worker. Uniform dark brown with paler tarsi; eyes with 12–14 ommatidia in longest row; mesosoma in profile with the promesonotal outline, with the posterior portion of the mesonotum sharply down curved and descending to impressed metanotal groove; dorsal of mesosoma without standing hairs; propodeal dorsum with a narrow, flattened, median, longitudinal strip. Material examined. Qatar, Al-Dohuil, 15.iii.2005, 25°22’N, 51°29’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 8w; Rawdet Rashed, 12.iii.2005, 25°14.006’N, 51°12.286’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 47w; Doha. 08.iii.2005, 25°18‘N, 51°25‘E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 31w; Al-Rayyan, 08.iii.2005, 25°18’N, 51°25’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 26w, (KSMA). Monomorium tumaire Collingwood & Agosti, 1996 (Fig. 19 A–B) Monomorium tumaire Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 356, fig. 29 (w.) Saudi Arabia. Afrotropic. Diagnosis. Worker. Color light brown or yellowbrown; metanotal groove shallowly impressed; propodeal furrow distinct; underside of head with numerous hairs, the longest exceeding the maximum eye length; posterior margin of head with two pairs of hairs; pronotum with one pair of hairs, petiole with one pair and postpetiole with two pairs of hairs; gaster with 12–16 suberect hairs on the first tergite; head and mesosoma shallowly reticulate-punctate. Previous records. Qatar, Doha, 25°17’N, 51°30’E, 22.ix.2005, (M. Lush leg.). Geographic distribution. Monomorium tumaire was originally described from KSA and is endemic to the Arabian Peninsula, where it is reported from KSA, Oman, UAE (Tigar and Collingwood 1993, Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Collingwood et al. 2011), and Qatar (Lush 2009). Geographic distribution. The species is widely distributed throughout the Saharan and sub-Saharan Africa (Bolton 1987, Sharaf 2006) and extending eastward to the Arabian Peninsula: KSA, Kuwait, Oman, UAE, and Yemen (Collingwood 1985; Collingwood and Agosti 1996; Collingwood et al. 2011). This material represents the first record from. Monomorium tumaire Collingwood & Agosti, 1996 (Fig. 19 A–B) Monomorium tumaire Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 356, fig. 29 (w.) Saudi Arabia. Afrotropic. Diagnosis. Worker. Color light brown or yellowbrown; metanotal groove shallowly impressed; propodeal furrow distinct; underside of head with numerous hairs, the longest exceeding the maximum eye length; posterior margin of head with two pairs of hairs; pronotum with one pair of hairs, petiole with one pair and postpetiole with two pairs of hairs; gaster with 12–16 suberect hairs on the first tergite; head and mesosoma shallowly reticulate-punctate. Previous records. Qatar, Doha, 25°17’N, 51°30’E, 22.ix.2005, (M. Lush leg.). Geographic distribution. Monomorium tumaire was originally described from KSA and is endemic to the Arabian Peninsula, where it is reported from KSA, Oman, UAE (Tigar and Collingwood 1993, Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Collingwood et al. 2011), and Qatar (Lush 2009)., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on pages 547-548, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Santschi, F. 1911. Formicides nouveaux de l'Afrique Mineure (4 e note suite). Bulletin de la Societe d'histoire naturelle d'Afrique du Nord, 2: 78 - 85.","Collingwood, C. A. and Agosti, D. 1996. Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2). Fauna of Arabia, 15: 300 - 385.","Tigar, B. J. and C. A. Collingwood. 1993. A preliminary list of ant records from Abu Dhabi Emirate, U. A. E. Tribulus, 3: 13 - 14.","Collingwood, C. A., Agosti, D., Sharaf, M. R. & A. van Harten. 2011. Order Hymenoptera, family Formicidae. Arthropod Fauna of the UAE, 4: 405 - 474.","Lush, M. J. 2009. Some ant records from the Middle East. Zoology in the Middle East, 47: 114 - 116.","Bolton, B. 1987. A review of the Solenopsis genus group and revision of Afrotropical Monomorium. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology, 54: 263 - 452.","Sharaf, M. R. 2006. Taxonomic and ecological studies on family Formicidae (Order: Hymenoptera) in Egypt including some protectorates with a study of some insect fauna associated with ant species [unpublished thesis]. Cairo: Ain Shams University, Faculty of Science, Entomology Department, 340 pp.","Collingwood, C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 7: 230 - 302."]}

Trichomyrmex destructor (Jerdon, 1851) (Fig. 24 A–C) Atta destructor Jerdon, 1851: 105 (w.) India. Indomalaya. Diagnosis. Worker. Posterior margin of head transversely striolate in dorsal view; promesonotum in profile nearly flat or weakly convex; propodeal dorsum in a continuous curve with propodeal declivity; transverse sculpture of propodeal dorsum fine and dense; pilosity of mesosoma, petiole, postpetiole, and gaster short and weakly curved. Trichomyrmex destructor is closest to T. mayri, from which it can be distinguished only by its bicolored body. Its head, mesosoma, petiole, and postpetiole are yellow to brown-yellow, and its gaster dark brown to black, whereas T. mayri is unicolorous dark brown or black-brown. Material examined. Qatar, Al Dhakira Park, 07.iii, 2005, 25°43’N, 51°32’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 4w; Doha, no locality, 17.iii.2005, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 8w, (KSMA). Geographic distribution. A species originally described from India, and is broadly spread in tropical and subtropical regions (Wetterer 2009). The species is originated in central Asia but has been distributed by human commerce to tropical and subtropical regions (Wetterer 2009) and extending to southern Europe (Ruzsky 1907) and North America. The species is known from most countries of the Arabian Peninsula (Collingwood 1985, Collingwood and Agosti 1996), and the Socotra Archipelago (Collingwood et al. 2004, Sharaf et al. 2017). More information on species distribution is given by Wetterer (2009). Ecological and biological notes. This successful invasive species can invade a broad range of habitats including highly polluted sites (Wetterer 2009). In the KSA, this species builds nests in humid soil under stones in wild sites where Acacia, date palm, Phoenix dactylifera L. (Arecaceae), and Calotropis procera (Aiton) W.T. Aiton (Asclepiadaceae) trees exist (Sharaf et al. 2016)., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on page 552, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Jerdon, T. C. 1851. A catalogue of the species of ants found in Southern India. Madras Journal of Literature and Science, 17: 103 - 127.","Wetterer, J. K. 2009. Worldwide spread of the ghost ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News, 12: 23 - 33.","Collingwood, C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 7: 230 - 302.","Collingwood, C. A. and Agosti, D. 1996. Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2). Fauna of Arabia, 15: 300 - 385.","Collingwood, C. A., Pohl, H., Guesten, R., Wranik, W., and A. van Harten. 2004. The ants (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Socotra Archipelago. Fauna of Arabia, 20: 473 - 495.","Sharaf, M. R., Fisher, B. L., Collingwood, C. A. and S. A. Aldawood. 2017. Ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Socotra Archipelago (Yemen): zoogeography, distribution and description of a new species. Journal of Natural History, 51: 317 - 378.","Sharaf, M. R., Salman, S., Al Dhafer, H. M., Akbar, S. A., Abdel- Dayem, M. S. and A. S. Aldawood. 2016 b. Taxonomy and distribution of the genus Trichomyrmex Mayr, 1865 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula, with the description of two new species. European Journal of Taxonomy, 246: 1 - 36."]}

Monomorium abeillei André, 1881 (Fig. 16 A–C) Monomorium abeillei André, 1881b: 531 (footnote) (w.) Palestine. Palearctic. Diagnosis. Worker. Color evenly brown-black to black with pale funiculi, tarsi, and mandibles; anterior margin of clypeus slightly concave; eyes moderately large, with 9–10 ommatidia in the longest row; posterior margin when seen in full-face view weakly emarginate with rounded corners; mesosoma in profile with promesonotal dorsum meeting the flat propodeum at an oblique angle; propodeum with a characteristic, well-defined, longitudinal, V-shaped furrow bordered by a distinct raised edge at each side; petiole in profile is a high, rounded triangle; pronotum and petiole each have one pair of hairs, postpetiole with two pairs; few scattered hairs on first gastral tergite; head, pronotum, and nodes superficially reticulate; gaster shining with superficial sculpture. Material examined. Qatar, Al Dhakira Park, 07.iii, 2005, 25°43’N, 51°32’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 8w; Al-Dohuil, 18-8.iii.2005, 25°22’N, 51°29’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 3w; Al-Rayyan, 08.iii.2005, 25°18’N, 51°25’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 4 w (KSMA). Geographic distribution. A Palearctic species originally described from Palestine and is known from Levant: Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Syria (Borowiec and Salata 2020); Arabian Peninsula: KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen (Collingwood 1985, Collingwood and Agosti 1996), UAE (Tigar and Collingwood 1993; Collingwood et al. 2011); and east to Iran and Afghanistan. This species is recorded for the first time from Qatar. Ecological and biological notes. The habitat preference of M. abeillei includes sandy desert, coastal areas, and high ground in the Asir mountains above 2200 m.a.s.l. (Collingwood 1985)., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on page 547, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Andre, E. 1881 a. Catalogue raisonne des Formicides provenant du voyage en Orient de M. Abeille de Perrin et description des especes nouvelles. Annales de la Societe entomologique de France, (6) (1): 53 - 78.","Andre, E. 1881 b. [Untitled. Monomorium abeillei, n. sp.]. P. 531 in: Emery, C. Viaggio ad Assab nei Mar Rosso dei Signori G. Doria ed O. Beccari con il R. Avviso \" Esploratore \" dal 16 Novembre 1879 al 26 Febbraio 1880. I. Formiche. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, 16: 525 - 535.","Borowiec L, S. Salata. 2020. Review of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Jordan. Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom, Entomology, 29: 1 - 26.","Collingwood, C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 7: 230 - 302.","Collingwood, C. A. and Agosti, D. 1996. Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2). Fauna of Arabia, 15: 300 - 385.","Tigar, B. J. and C. A. Collingwood. 1993. A preliminary list of ant records from Abu Dhabi Emirate, U. A. E. Tribulus, 3: 13 - 14.","Collingwood, C. A., Agosti, D., Sharaf, M. R. & A. van Harten. 2011. Order Hymenoptera, family Formicidae. Arthropod Fauna of the UAE, 4: 405 - 474."]}

Messor arenarius diabolus Santschi, 1938 Messor arenarius diabolus Santschi, 1938: 35, fig. 5 (w.) Egypt. Palearctic. Diagnosis. Worker. Uniform black with blackbrown mandibles, funiculus and tarsi brown-red; posterior margin of head strongly deeply concave in full-face view; body pilosity profuse, especially on the gaster. Previous records. Doha, 02.v.1983, 5 w; Abu Samrah, 03.iv.1984, 20 w; Al Shahaniyah, 20.iii.1985, 7w, (Abdo and Shaumer 1985). Geographic distribution. This subspecies was originally described from Egypt and seems to be endemic to the country. Remarks. This record was mentioned in Abdo and Shaumer (1985) under the name Camponotus arenarius var. diabolus. Since there is no species of this name under the genus Camponotus, it is most likely referring to Messor arenarius diabolus. This subspecies, however, is only known from the type locality and has not been collected from any country in the Arabian Peninsula, therefore, we consider the record of Abdo and Shaumer (1985) is dubious and represents a misidentified taxon., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on page 546, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Santschi, F. 1938 (\" 1937 \"). Quelques nouvelles fourmis d'Egypte. Bulletin de la Societe entomologique d'Egypte, 21: 28 - 44."]}

Monomorium tumaire Collingwood & Agosti, 1996 (Fig. 19 A–B) Monomorium tumaire Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 356, fig. 29 (w.) Saudi Arabia. Afrotropic. Diagnosis. Worker. Color light brown or yellowbrown; metanotal groove shallowly impressed; propodeal furrow distinct; underside of head with numerous hairs, the longest exceeding the maximum eye length; posterior margin of head with two pairs of hairs; pronotum with one pair of hairs, petiole with one pair and postpetiole with two pairs of hairs; gaster with 12–16 suberect hairs on the first tergite; head and mesosoma shallowly reticulate-punctate. Previous records. Qatar, Doha, 25°17’N, 51°30’E, 22.ix.2005, (M. Lush leg.). Geographic distribution. Monomorium tumaire was originally described from KSA and is endemic to the Arabian Peninsula, where it is reported from KSA, Oman, UAE (Tigar and Collingwood 1993, Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Collingwood et al. 2011), and Qatar (Lush 2009)., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on page 548, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Collingwood, C. A. and Agosti, D. 1996. Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2). Fauna of Arabia, 15: 300 - 385.","Tigar, B. J. and C. A. Collingwood. 1993. A preliminary list of ant records from Abu Dhabi Emirate, U. A. E. Tribulus, 3: 13 - 14.","Collingwood, C. A., Agosti, D., Sharaf, M. R. & A. van Harten. 2011. Order Hymenoptera, family Formicidae. Arthropod Fauna of the UAE, 4: 405 - 474.","Lush, M. J. 2009. Some ant records from the Middle East. Zoology in the Middle East, 47: 114 - 116."]}

Monomorium subopacum (Smith, 1858) (Fig. 18 A–C) Myrmica subopaca Smith, 1858: 127 (w.q.) Portugal (Madeira Is.). Afrotropic. Diagnosis. Worker. Color brown, with gaster darker than head and mesosoma; eyes with 9–11 ommatidia in the longest row; mesonotum sloping evenly back to a shallow metanotal groove; cephalic surface in profile without standing hairs; mesosoma dorsum without standing hairs; petiole and postpetiole each with a single pair of hairs or rarely the postpetiole with two pairs. Material examined. Qatar, Doha, 25°17.124’N, 51°31.86’E, 08.iii.2005, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 15w, (KSMA). Geographic distribution. Monomorium subopacum is widely distributed in the Mediterranean Basin and has sporadic distribution in the Afrotropical and Oriental regions (Bolton 1987). It has been recorded from KSA, Oman, UAE, and Yemen (Collingwood 1985, Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Collingwood et al. 2011). Our material represents the first record from Qatar., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on page 548, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Smith, F. 1858. Catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae. London: British Museum, 216 pp.","Bolton, B. 1987. A review of the Solenopsis genus group and revision of Afrotropical Monomorium. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology, 54: 263 - 452.","Collingwood, C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 7: 230 - 302.","Collingwood, C. A. and Agosti, D. 1996. Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2). Fauna of Arabia, 15: 300 - 385.","Collingwood, C. A., Agosti, D., Sharaf, M. R. & A. van Harten. 2011. Order Hymenoptera, family Formicidae. Arthropod Fauna of the UAE, 4: 405 - 474."]}

Cataglyphis arenaria Finzi, 1940 (Fig. 8 A–C) Cataglyphis (Cataglyphis) albicans var. arenaria Finzi, 1940: 164 (w.) Algeria. Palearctic. Diagnosis. Worker. Head, mesosoma, and petiole yellow, gaster golden yellow, and apex of terminal gastral tergites brown, in some individuals the body is uniform yellow; propodeum distinctly low in profile; petiole a truncated node with a flat dorsal surface sloping forward in profile; mesosoma covered with dense, whitish, appressed pubescence. Material examined. Qatar, Msaid Road, 09.iv.2005, 24 ° 59 ’ N, 51 ° 33 ’ E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.) (1w); Al Kharara-Seleiyn Road, 09.iv.2005, 24 ° 53 ’ N, 51 ° 10 ’ E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 2w, (KSMA). Geographic distribution. A Palearctic species originally described from Algeria and is known from Jordan (Borowiec and Sałata 2020) KSA, Oman (Collingwood and Agosti 1996), UAE (Collingwood et al. 2011), and Egypt (Sharaf 2006). This species is recorded for the first time from Qatar., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on page 540, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Finzi, B. 1940. Formiche della Libia. Bollettino della Societa Entomologica Italiana, 18: 155 - 166.","Borowiec L, S. Salata. 2020. Review of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Jordan. Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom, Entomology, 29: 1 - 26.","Collingwood, C. A. and Agosti, D. 1996. Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2). Fauna of Arabia, 15: 300 - 385.","Collingwood, C. A., Agosti, D., Sharaf, M. R. & A. van Harten. 2011. Order Hymenoptera, family Formicidae. Arthropod Fauna of the UAE, 4: 405 - 474.","Sharaf, M. R. 2006. Taxonomic and ecological studies on family Formicidae (Order: Hymenoptera) in Egypt including some protectorates with a study of some insect fauna associated with ant species [unpublished thesis]. Cairo: Ain Shams University, Faculty of Science, Entomology Department, 340 pp."]}

Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille, 1802) (Fig. 13 A–C) Formica longicornis Latreille, 1802: 113 (w.) Senegal. Afrotropic. Diagnosis. Worker. Head, mesosoma, petiole, and gaster dark brown to black-brown; body with faint bluish iridescence; antennae long with 12 segments; scapes exceptionally long, when laid back from their insertions surpassing posterior margin of head by at least one-half its length; eyes close to posterior margin of head; legs exceptionally long; pilosity characteristically long, stout, scattered, suberect to erect, greyish or whitish setae. Material examined. Qatar, Doha, 25°17.124’N, 51°31.86’E, 08.iii.2005, 34w; Al-Dohuil, 15.iii.2005, 25°22’N, 51°29’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 5w; AlRayyan, 07.iii.2005; 25°18’N, 51°25’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 37w; Al-Rayyan, 8.iii.2005, 25°18’N, 51°25’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 3w, (KSMA). Geographic distribution. A successful tramp species originally described from Senegal and widely spread throughout the tropical and subtropical regions worldwide (Wetterer 2008). In the Arabian Peninsula it was reported from Qatar (Wetterer 2008), the KSA, Oman, Yemen (Collingwood 1985, Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Sharaf et al. 2018), and UAE (Collingwood et al. 1997). It is also collected from Egypt (Sharaf 2006) and Israel (Vonshak and Ionescu 2009). Ecological and biological notes. The nesting preference includes both disturbed and wild sites (Sharaf et al. 2017). In Socotra Archipelago Sharaf et al. (2017) collected it from dry leaf litter in the wild sites. It is a generalized scavenger and also known to attend honeydew-producing Homoptera (Wetterer et al. 1999)., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on pages 543-545, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Latreille, P. A. 1802. Histoire naturelle des fourmis, et recueil de memoires et d'observations sur les abeilles, les araignees, les faucheurs, et autres insectes. Paris: Impr. Crapelet (chez T. Barrois), xvi + 445 pp.","Wetterer, J. K. 2008. Worldwide spread of the longhorn crazy ant, Paratrechina longicornis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News, 11: 137 - 149.","Collingwood, C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 7: 230 - 302.","Collingwood, C. A. and Agosti, D. 1996. Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2). Fauna of Arabia, 15: 300 - 385.","Sharaf, M. R., Fisher, B. L., Al Dhafer, H. M., Polaszek, A. and A. S. Aldawood. 2018. Additions to the ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Oman: an updated list, new records and a description of two new species. Asian Myrmecology, 9: e 010004: 1 - 38.","Collingwood, C. A., Tigar, B. J. and Agosti, D. 1997. Introduced ants in the United Arab Emirates. Journal of Arid Environments, 37: 505 - 512.","Sharaf, M. R. 2006. Taxonomic and ecological studies on family Formicidae (Order: Hymenoptera) in Egypt including some protectorates with a study of some insect fauna associated with ant species [unpublished thesis]. Cairo: Ain Shams University, Faculty of Science, Entomology Department, 340 pp.","Sharaf, M. R., Fisher, B. L., Collingwood, C. A. and S. A. Aldawood. 2017. Ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Socotra Archipelago (Yemen): zoogeography, distribution and description of a new species. Journal of Natural History, 51: 317 - 378.","Wetterer, J. K., Miller, S. E., Wheeler, D. E., Olson, C. A., Polhemus, D. A., Pitts, M., Ashton, I. W., Himler, A. G., Yospin, M. M., Helms, K. R., Harken, E. L., Gallaher, J., Dunning, C. E., Nelson, M., Litsinger, J., Southern, A., and T. L. Burgess. 1999. Ecological dominance by Paratrechina longicornis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) an invasive tramp ant, in Biosphere 2. Florida Entomologist, 82: 381 - 388."]}

Camponotus xerxes Forel, 1904 (Fig. 7 A–C) Camponotus maculatus r. xerxes Forel, 1904 g: 424 (w.q.) Iran. Palearctic. Diagnosis. Worker. A species with a high degree of polymorphism (Collingwood 1985, Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Sharaf et al. 2013). Large workers entirely dark brown to black except for the paler legs; propodeum unicolorous dark with rest of mesosoma; underside of head without setae. Camponotus xerxes is closely related to C. fellah Emery, 1908 but can be distinguished by the absence of erect setae on the underside of head, whereas C. fellah has 1–10 setae (Ionescu-Hirsch, 2009). Material examined. Qatar, Msaid Road, 09.iv.2005, 24 ° 59 ’ N, 51 ° 33 ’ E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.) 7w, (KSMA). Geographic distribution. A Palearctic species originally described from Iran and widely spread in several countries in the Arabian Peninsula including the KSA (Collingwood 1985), Kuwait, Oman, UAE (Collingwood and Agosti 1996), Qatar (Abdel-Dayem 2007), Syria (Tohmé and Tohmé 2000), North Africa (Sharaf 2006), Turkey (Karaman and Aktaç 2013), and central Asia: Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan (Radchenko 1997 a). Ecological and biological notes. The seasonal foraging activity of this species stretches from March to October with a peak in September (Sharaf et al. 2013), where workers frequently forage on the milkweed tree, Calotropis procera (Aiton) W. T. Aiton (Apocynaceae). Collingwood (1985) mentioned that the species start foraging in the early evening in the KSA., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on pages 539-540, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Collingwood, C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 7: 230 - 302.","Collingwood, C. A. and Agosti, D. 1996. Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2). Fauna of Arabia, 15: 300 - 385.","Sharaf, M. R., Abdeldayem, M. S., Aldhafer, H. & A. S. Aldawood. 2013. The ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Rawdhat Khorim nature preserve, Saudi Arabia, with description of a new species of the genus Tetramorium Mayr. Zootaxa, 3709 (6): 565 - 580.","Ionescu-Hirsch, A. 2009. An annotated list of Camponotus of Israel, with a key and descriptions of new species. Israel Journal of Entomology, 39: 57 - 98.","Abdel-Dayem, M. S. 2007. Plant-Insect Relationship in Prosopis cineraria. P. 69 - 126. In: Abdel Bary EMM, Fahmi GM, Althani NJ, Althani RF and Abdel-Dayem MS (eds) The Ghaf Tree Prosopis cineraria in Qatar. National Council for Culture, Arts and Heritage; Doha, Qatar. 1 st. ed., 165 pp.","Tohme, G. and H. Tohme. 2000. Redescription de Camponotus oasium Forel, 1890, de C. fellah Emery, 1908, de C. sanctus Forel, 1904 et description de C. palmyrensis n. sp., quatre fourmis du Liban et de la Syrie. Bulletin de la Societe entomologique de France, 105: 387 - 394.","Sharaf, M. R. 2006. Taxonomic and ecological studies on family Formicidae (Order: Hymenoptera) in Egypt including some protectorates with a study of some insect fauna associated with ant species [unpublished thesis]. Cairo: Ain Shams University, Faculty of Science, Entomology Department, 340 pp.","Karaman, C. and N. Aktac. 2013. Descriptions of four new species of Camponotus Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a key for the worker caste of the Camponotus of Turkey. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 86: 36 - 56.","Radchenko, A. G. 1997 a. Review of ants of the subgenera Tanaemyrmex, Colobopsis, Myrmamblis, Myrmosericus, Orthonotomyrmex and Paramyrmamblis of the genus Camponotus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the Asian Palearctic. Zoologicheskii Zhurnal, 76: 806 - 815."]}

Cardiocondyla emeryi Forel, 1881 (Fig. 14 A–C) Cardiocondyla emeryi Forel, 1881: 5 (w.) Virgin Is. Neotropic. Diagnosis. Worker. Bicolored species with head and mesosoma yellow to brown, or orange-brown; terminal funicular segments always darker than rest of antennae; gaster black-brown to black, strongly contrasting head and mesosoma; antennal scapes of moderate length, when laid back from their insertions fail to reach posterior margin of head; eyes of moderate size with 8–10 ommatidia in longest row; pronotal corners rounded in dorsal view; metanotal groove sharply impressed; propodeal spines relatively short and stout; postpetiole in profile with a ventral bulge projecting anteriorly. Material examined. Qatar, Al-Rayyan, 08.iii. 2005, 25°18’N, 51°25’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 3w (KSMA). Geographic distribution. A successful cosmopolitan tramp species (Bolton 1987, Wetterer 2012). The species was originally described from the Virgin Islands, and reported from most countries of the Arabian Peninsula, including Oman, Yemen (Collingwood and Agosti 1996), KSA (Collingwood 1985), UAE (Collingwood et al. 1997), and the Socotra Archipelago (Collingwood et al. 2004, Sharaf et al. 2017). Our material represents the first record from Qatar. Ecological and biological notes. This species has a broad global distribution facilitated by human trade (Seifert 2003, Wetterer 2012), and it is commonly encountered in heated buildings and greenhouses of the Afrotropical region (Bolton 1987)., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on pages 545-546, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Forel, A. 1881. Die Ameisen der Antille St. Thomas. Mitteilungen der Munchener Entomologischen Verein, 5: 1 - 16.","Bolton, B. 1987. A review of the Solenopsis genus group and revision of Afrotropical Monomorium. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology, 54: 263 - 452.","Wetterer, J. K. 2012. Worldwide spread of Emery's sneaking ant, Cardiocondyla emeryi (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News, 17: 13 - 20.","Collingwood, C. A. and Agosti, D. 1996. Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2). Fauna of Arabia, 15: 300 - 385.","Collingwood, C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 7: 230 - 302.","Collingwood, C. A., Tigar, B. J. and Agosti, D. 1997. Introduced ants in the United Arab Emirates. Journal of Arid Environments, 37: 505 - 512.","Collingwood, C. A., Pohl, H., Guesten, R., Wranik, W., and A. van Harten. 2004. The ants (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Socotra Archipelago. Fauna of Arabia, 20: 473 - 495.","Sharaf, M. R., Fisher, B. L., Collingwood, C. A. and S. A. Aldawood. 2017. Ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Socotra Archipelago (Yemen): zoogeography, distribution and description of a new species. Journal of Natural History, 51: 317 - 378.","Seifert, B. 2003. The ant genus Cardiocondyla (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) - a taxonomic revision of the C. elegans, C. bulgarica, C. batesii, C. nuda, C. shuckardi, C. stambuloffii, C. wroughtonii, C. emeryi, and C. minutior species groups. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien. Serie B, Fur Botanik und Zoologie, 104: 203 - 338."]}

Trichomyrmex mayri (Forel, 1902) (Fig. 25 A–C) Monomorium (Parholcomyrmex) gracillimum var. mayri Forel, 1902: 209 (w.) India. Indomalaya. Diagnosis. Worker. Trichomyrmex mayri is closest to T. destructor, from which it can be separated by its uniform dark brown or black-brown color, whereas T. destructor has a yellow to brown-yellow head, mesosoma, petiole, and postpetiole, while its gaster is dark brown. Material examined. Doha, Fereej Ben Mahmoud, 14.iii.2005, 25°17’N, 51°30’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 1w; Doha, 25°17.124’N, 51°31.86’E, 17.iii. 2005, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 1w, (KSMA). Geographic distribution. Trichomyrmex mayri was described from India and is widely distributed in the sub-Saharan Africa (Bolton 1987); Levant (Sharaf 2006, Vonshak and Ionescu 2009); the Arabian Peninsula (Collingwood 1985, Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Sharaf et al. 2013, 2016 b), the Socotra Archipelago (Sharaf et al. 2017), and it was recorded from Qatar by Sharaf et al. (2016 b). Ecological and biological notes. In the Arabian Peninsula, T. mayri invades a wide range of habitats and constitutes the most common species of the genus (Sharaf et al. 2013, 2016). Nests are built in moist soil under stones next to date palm Phoenix dactylifera L. (Arecaceae) plantations, or close to Acacia trees in sites impacted by trash and human waste, whereas some exist next to the milkweed tree, Calotropis procera (Aiton) W.T. Aiton (Asclepiadaceae)., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on pages 552-553, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Forel, A. 1902. Myrmicinae nouveaux de l'Inde et de Ceylan. Revue Suisse de Zoologie, 10: 165 - 249.","Bolton, B. 1987. A review of the Solenopsis genus group and revision of Afrotropical Monomorium. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology, 54: 263 - 452.","Sharaf, M. R. 2006. Taxonomic and ecological studies on family Formicidae (Order: Hymenoptera) in Egypt including some protectorates with a study of some insect fauna associated with ant species [unpublished thesis]. Cairo: Ain Shams University, Faculty of Science, Entomology Department, 340 pp.","Collingwood, C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 7: 230 - 302.","Collingwood, C. A. and Agosti, D. 1996. Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2). Fauna of Arabia, 15: 300 - 385.","Sharaf, M. R., Abdeldayem, M. S., Aldhafer, H. & A. S. Aldawood. 2013. The ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Rawdhat Khorim nature preserve, Saudi Arabia, with description of a new species of the genus Tetramorium Mayr. Zootaxa, 3709 (6): 565 - 580.","Sharaf, M. R., Salman, S., Al Dhafer, H. M., Akbar, S. A., Abdel- Dayem, M. S. and A. S. Aldawood. 2016 b. Taxonomy and distribution of the genus Trichomyrmex Mayr, 1865 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula, with the description of two new species. European Journal of Taxonomy, 246: 1 - 36.","Sharaf, M. R., Fisher, B. L., Collingwood, C. A. and S. A. Aldawood. 2017. Ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Socotra Archipelago (Yemen): zoogeography, distribution and description of a new species. Journal of Natural History, 51: 317 - 378.","Sharaf, M. R., Monks, J., Polaszek, A. and S. A. Aldawood. 2016 a. 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. Journal of Natural History, 50: 1875 - 1887."]}

Monomorium venustum (Smith, 1858) (Fig. 20 A–C) Myrmica venusta Smith, 1858: 126 (w.) Syria. Palearctic. Diagnosis. Worker. Bicolored species with head, mesosoma, petiole, and postpetiole red, gaster brown to black; metanotal groove well-developed, deep, and broad; petiolar node high and rounded in profile; mesosoma, petiole, and postpetiole superficially faintly sculptured; petiole and postpetiole each have one pair of dorsal hairs while the first gastral tergite is bare. Monomorium venustum closely resembles M. niloticum Emery, 1881 from which it can be differentiated by a lack of mesosomal pilosity. Material examined. Qatar, Rawdet Rashed, 12.iii.2005, 25°14.006’N, 51°12.286’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 9w, (KSMA). Geographic distribution. This species was originally described from Syria and is known from Libya, east to Levant: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria (Borowiec and Salata 2020); Arabian Peninsula: KSA, Kuwait, and Oman (Collingwood 1985, Collingwood and Agosti 1996); Iran, and Turkmenistan (Borowiec and Salata 2020). This material represents a new record for Qatar., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on pages 548-549, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Smith, F. 1858. Catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae. London: British Museum, 216 pp.","Borowiec L, S. Salata. 2020. Review of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Jordan. Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom, Entomology, 29: 1 - 26.","Collingwood, C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 7: 230 - 302.","Collingwood, C. A. and Agosti, D. 1996. Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2). Fauna of Arabia, 15: 300 - 385."]}

Cataglyphis nigra (André, 1881) (Fig. 10 A–C) Myrmecocystus viaticus var. niger André, 1881a: 56 (w.) Palestine. Palearctic. Diagnosis. Worker. Uniform black; head usually red-black; first funiculus segment nearly 2× as long as second; propodeum high in profile with dorsum rounding evenly into its descending face; petiole a thick node, about as high as long in profile; cephalic surface densely superficially sculptured. Material examined. Doha, Al-Dohuil, 14.iii.2005, 25°22’N, 51°29’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 2w (KSMA) Geographic distribution. Cataglyphis nigra is a Palearctic species originally described from Palestine and is broadly distributed in the Arabian Peninsula inclding KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen (Collingwood 1985), UAE (Walker and Pittaway 1987, Collingwood et al. 2011), and some countries in the Middle East including Syria (Santschi 1929), Israel (Ionescu and Eyer 2016), North Africa, from Algeria eastwardly to Egypt (Sharaf 2006, Borowiec and Salata 2020). The distribution map presented by Walker and Pittaway (1987) shows a geographic range extending eastward and including Qatar without any details about the record. Therefore, we consider our record to be the first confirmed collection of the species from the country. Ecological and biological notes. This species is abundant in most countries of the Arabian Peninsula (Collingwood 1985, Collingwood and Agosti 1996), with a seasonal peak in June that then decreases in cooler months (Sharaf et al. 2013). In Rawdhat Khorim (Riyadh Province, KSA), C. nigra was found foraging next to the following plants: Acacia gerrardii, Benth. (Fabaceae), Calotropis procera (Aiton) W. T. Aiton (Apocynaceae), Rhazya stricta Decne (Apocynaceae) and Ziziphus nummularia (Burm. f) Wight & Arn. (Rhamnaceae) (Sharaf et al. 2013). Pashaei Rad et al. (2018) mentioned its habitat preference in Iran includes moderate and low rainfall., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on page 542, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Andre, E. 1881 a. Catalogue raisonne des Formicides provenant du voyage en Orient de M. Abeille de Perrin et description des especes nouvelles. Annales de la Societe entomologique de France, (6) (1): 53 - 78.","Collingwood, C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 7: 230 - 302.","Walker, D. H. and A. R. Pittaway. 1987. Insects of Eastern Arabia. MacMillan, London, UK, xvi + 175 pp.","Collingwood, C. A., Agosti, D., Sharaf, M. R. & A. van Harten. 2011. Order Hymenoptera, family Formicidae. Arthropod Fauna of the UAE, 4: 405 - 474.","Santschi, F. 1929. Etude sur les Cataglyphis. Revue Suisse de Zoologie, 36: 25 - 70.","Ionescu, A. and P. A. Eyer. 2016. Notes on Cataglyphis Foerster, 1850 of the bicolor species-group in Israel, with description of a new species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Israel Journal of Entomology, 46: 109 - 131.","Sharaf, M. R. 2006. Taxonomic and ecological studies on family Formicidae (Order: Hymenoptera) in Egypt including some protectorates with a study of some insect fauna associated with ant species [unpublished thesis]. Cairo: Ain Shams University, Faculty of Science, Entomology Department, 340 pp.","Borowiec L, S. Salata. 2020. Review of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Jordan. Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom, Entomology, 29: 1 - 26.","Collingwood, C. A. and Agosti, D. 1996. Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2). Fauna of Arabia, 15: 300 - 385.","Sharaf, M. R., Abdeldayem, M. S., Aldhafer, H. & A. S. Aldawood. 2013. The ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Rawdhat Khorim nature preserve, Saudi Arabia, with description of a new species of the genus Tetramorium Mayr. Zootaxa, 3709 (6): 565 - 580.","Pashaei Rad, S., Taylor, B., Torabi, R., Aram, E, Abolfathi, G., Afshari, R, Borjali, F., Ghatei, M., Hediary, F., Jazini, F., Heidary Kiah, V., Mahmoudi, Z., Safariyan, F. and M. Seiri. 2018. Further records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Iran. Zoology in the Middle East, 64: 145 - 159."]}

Brachyponera sennaarensis (Mayr, 1862) (Fig. 26 A���C, 27 A���C) Ponera sennaarensis Mayr, 1862: 721 (w.) Sudan. Afrotropic. Diagnosis. Worker. Dark brown to black-brown, with antennae, tibiae, and tarsi reddish. In full-face view head with convex sides and concave posterior margin; eyes relatively large; metanotal groove deeply impressed; petiole a high and thick node with a straight anterior surface and convex posterior surface; first and second gastral tergites separated by a distinct constriction characteristic of ponerine ants; gaster ending with a powerful sting. All body surfaces covered with fine and dense pubescence. Material examined. Qatar, Rawdet Rashed, 12.iii. 2005, 25��14.006���N, 51��12.286���E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 3w; Al-Rayyan, 14.iii.2005, 25��18���N, 51��25���E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 25w; Al Dkakhira Park, 14.iii.2005, 25��43.65���N, 51��32.052���E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 9w; Al-Rayyan, 17.iii.2005, 25��18���N, 51��25���E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 11w; Al-Dohuil, 18-8.iii.2005, 25��22���N, 51��29���E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 31w, (KSMA). Geographic distribution. Brachyponera sennaarensis is an African native species originally described from Sudan, and spreads eastwardly from the Arabian Peninsula to Iran and India (Wetterer 2013). This ponerine ant is widely spread in all countries of the Arabian Peninsula (Collingwood 1985, Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Collingwood et al. 2011) and the Socotra Archipelago (Sharaf et al. 2017). It was recorded from Qatar by Wetterer (2013). Ecological and biological notes. Brachyponera sennaarensis has the ability to invade a diverse range of habitats including moist soils around date palm trees, leaf litter, public gardens, under rocks and objects associated with moist soils, and any habitat close to human settlements (Collingwood 1985, Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Wetterer 2013). In Socotra Archipelago, Sharaf et al. (2017) found a colony under a rock next to a dragon blood tree Dracaena cinnabari Balf. f. (Asparagaceae). Brachyponera sennaarensis is a predaceous scavenger feeding on insects (Lachaud and Dejean 1994, Collingwood and Agosti 1996) and the seeds of tropical plants (Levieux and Diomande 1978). [Table 1], Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on page 554, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Mayr, G. 1862. Myrmecologische Studien. Verhandlungen der Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 12: 649 - 776.","Wetterer, J. K. 2013. Geographic spread of the samsum or sword ant, Pachycondyla (Brachyponera) sennaarensis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News, 18: 13 - 18.","Collingwood, C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 7: 230 - 302.","Collingwood, C. A. and Agosti, D. 1996. Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2). Fauna of Arabia, 15: 300 - 385.","Collingwood, C. A., Agosti, D., Sharaf, M. R. & A. van Harten. 2011. Order Hymenoptera, family Formicidae. Arthropod Fauna of the UAE, 4: 405 - 474.","Sharaf, M. R., Fisher, B. L., Collingwood, C. A. and S. A. Aldawood. 2017. Ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Socotra Archipelago (Yemen): zoogeography, distribution and description of a new species. Journal of Natural History, 51: 317 - 378.","Lachaud, J. P. and A. Dejean. 1994. Predatory behavior of a seed-eating ant: Pachycondyla sennaarensis. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 72: 145 - 155.","Levieux, J. and T. Diomande. 1978. La nutrition des fourmis granivores. II. Cycle d'activite & regime alimentaire de Pachycondylas ennaarensis (MAYR). Insectes Sociaux, 25: 187 - 196."]}

Camponotus aegyptiacus Emery, 1915 Figure 3. Tapinoma simrothi, worker, A, body in profile B, body in dorsal view C, head in full-face view, CASENT0263927 (Estella Ortega), www.AntWeb.org. (Fig. 5 A–C) Camponotus maculatus subsp. aegyptiacus Emery, 1915: 79 (w.) Egypt. Palearctic. Diagnosis. Worker. Like many species of the genus, C. aegyptiacusis a strongly polymorphic species; small workers are clear yellow; large workers are dark brown to black-brown. The species can be separated from other Arabian species and specifically from its congener C. maculatus (Fabricius, 1782) by the presence of three yellow blotches on each side of the gaster that merge laterally; underside of head with few gular setae (6–10), whereas C. maculatushas two to three discretegastral blotches on each side and underside of head with numerous setae (more than 10) Previous records. Doha, 25°17.124’N, 51°31.86’E, 05.x.1982, 8 w; Doha, 25°17.124’N, 51°31.86’E, 03.iv. 1983, 6 w; Al Zubarah, 25°58.794’N, 51°1.602’E, 11.iii. 1984, 15 w; Al Khor, 25°40.824’N, 51°29.814’E, 02.iv. 1985, 7 w, (Abdo and Shaumer 1985). . Geographic distribution. This species was originally described from Egypt and is known from West, East and Northeast Africa (Sharaf 2006) and the Arabian Peninsula, including KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen (Collingwood and Agosti 1996), and Qatar (Abdo and Shaumer 1985, Abdel-Dayem 2007). Ecological and biological notes. This species is omnivorous (Sharaf 2006), frequently foraging at night (Collingwood 1985)., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on pages 537-539, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Emery, C. 1915. Sur le type de Camponotus maculatus (Formica maculata F.) (Hym. Formicidae). Bulletin de la Societe Entomologique de France, 1915: 79 - 80.","Fabricius, J. C. 1782 (\" 1781 \"). Species insectorum exhibentes eorum differentias specificas, synonyma, auctorum loca natalia, metamorphosin adiectis observationibus, descriptionibus. Tome I. Hamburgi et Kilonii [= Hamburg and Kiel]: C. E. Bohn, 552 pp.","Sharaf, M. R. 2006. Taxonomic and ecological studies on family Formicidae (Order: Hymenoptera) in Egypt including some protectorates with a study of some insect fauna associated with ant species [unpublished thesis]. Cairo: Ain Shams University, Faculty of Science, Entomology Department, 340 pp.","Collingwood, C. A. and Agosti, D. 1996. Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2). Fauna of Arabia, 15: 300 - 385.","Abdel-Dayem, M. S. 2007. Plant-Insect Relationship in Prosopis cineraria. P. 69 - 126. In: Abdel Bary EMM, Fahmi GM, Althani NJ, Althani RF and Abdel-Dayem MS (eds) The Ghaf Tree Prosopis cineraria in Qatar. National Council for Culture, Arts and Heritage; Doha, Qatar. 1 st. ed., 165 pp.","Collingwood, C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 7: 230 - 302."]}

Pheidole sinaitica Mayr, 1862 (Fig. 21 A–C, 22 A–C) Pheidole sinaitica Mayr, 1862: 745 (s.w.) Egypt. Palearctic. Diagnosis. Major worker. Color uniform brown to light brown; posterior margin of head deeply emarginated in full-face view; second funicular segment slightly longer than broad; metanotal groove welldeveloped and broad; propodeal spines short and acute; cephalic surfaces longitudinally rugulose running posteriorly to two-thirds of head length; posterior corners of head without striae; body surfaces with abundant long hairs. Material examined. Qatar, Al-Dohuil (Doha), 8-18.iii.2005; 25°22’N, 51°29’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 4w, (KSMA). Geographic distribution. This species was described from Egypt and is known from East Africa: Eritrea, Kenya, Sudan; Morocco; Levant: Egypt, Israel, Iraq (Sharaf 2006, Vonshak and Ionescu 2009); the Arabian Peninsula: KSA, Oman, UAE, Yemen (Collingwood 1985, Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Collingwood et al. 2011); and Iran (Paknia et al. 2008). This material represents a new record for Qatar., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on page 550, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Mayr, G. 1862. Myrmecologische Studien. Verhandlungen der Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 12: 649 - 776.","Sharaf, M. R. 2006. Taxonomic and ecological studies on family Formicidae (Order: Hymenoptera) in Egypt including some protectorates with a study of some insect fauna associated with ant species [unpublished thesis]. Cairo: Ain Shams University, Faculty of Science, Entomology Department, 340 pp.","Collingwood, C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 7: 230 - 302.","Collingwood, C. A. and Agosti, D. 1996. Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2). Fauna of Arabia, 15: 300 - 385.","Collingwood, C. A., Agosti, D., Sharaf, M. R. & A. van Harten. 2011. Order Hymenoptera, family Formicidae. Arthropod Fauna of the UAE, 4: 405 - 474.","Paknia, O., Radchenko, A. and H. Alipanah. 2008. A preliminary checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Iran. Myrmecologische Nachrichten, 11: 154 - 159."]}

Tapinoma simrothi Krausse, 1911 (Fig. 3 A–C, 4 A–C) Tapinoma erraticum var. simrothi Krausse, 1911: 18 (w.) Italy (Sardinia). Palearctic. Diagnosis. Worker. Anterior clypeal margin with a slit-like median notch; scapes relatively long, when laid back from their insertions surpass posterior margin of head by about one third of scape length; funicular segments at least twice as long as broad; body surfaces covered with dense appressed pubescence; body color uniformly dark brown to black with legs including tarsi uniformly brownish. Material examined. Qatar, Doha, Al-Rayyan, 12.iii.2005, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 8w, (KSMA). Geographic distribution. A Palearctic species, distributed across northern and southern Mediterranean Basin (Sharaf 2006) and eastwards to most of Arabian Peninsula (Collingwood 1985, Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Collingwood et al. 1997), Iran and Afghanistan. This material represents the first record for Qatar. Ecological and biological notes. Tapinoma simrothi was observed in Riyadh Province (KSA) nesting among roots of graminae plants, attending unidentified mealybugs under a discarded carpet, and coexisting with Solenopsis abdita Thompson, 1989 (Senior synonym of S. saudiensis Sharaf and Aldawood, 2011 (Sharaf et al. 2020 c)). The species is also known to attend aphids, protecting these insects from predators (Karami-jamour et al. 2018)., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on page 537, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Krausse, A. H. 1911. Uber Messor structor Ltr. und einige andere Ameisen auf Sardinien. Bollettino della Societa Entomologica Italiana, 41: 14 - 18.","Sharaf, M. R. 2006. Taxonomic and ecological studies on family Formicidae (Order: Hymenoptera) in Egypt including some protectorates with a study of some insect fauna associated with ant species [unpublished thesis]. Cairo: Ain Shams University, Faculty of Science, Entomology Department, 340 pp.","Collingwood, C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 7: 230 - 302.","Collingwood, C. A. and Agosti, D. 1996. Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2). Fauna of Arabia, 15: 300 - 385.","Collingwood, C. A., Tigar, B. J. and Agosti, D. 1997. Introduced ants in the United Arab Emirates. Journal of Arid Environments, 37: 505 - 512.","Sharaf, M. R. and A. S. Aldawood. 2011. First occurrence of Solenopsis Westwood 1840 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with description of a new species S. saudiensis n. sp. Annales de la Societe Entomologique de France, 47: 474 - 479.","Sharaf, M. R., Gotzek, D., Guenard, B., Fisher, B. L., Aldawood, A. S., Al Dhafer, H. M., A. A. Mohamed. 2020 c. Molecular phylogenetic analysis and morphological reassessments of thief ants identify a new potential case of biological invasions. Scientific Reports, 10: 12040, https: // doi. org / 10.1038 / s 41598 - 020 - 69029 - 4."]}

Lepisiota gracilicornis (Forel, 1892) (Fig. 12 A–C) Acantholepis gracilicornis Forel, 1892: 42 (diagnosis in key) (w.) Yemen. Afrotropic. Diagnosis. Worker. This species is easily diagnosed from other members of the Arabian Lepisiota by the distinctly long antennae (SI 175–195) and legs, the smooth and shining body surfaces, and the bare mesosoma. Material examined. Qatar, Doha, 08.iii.2005, 25°18’N, 51°25’E, (M.S. Abdel–Dayem leg.), 31w; Doha, 02.iv.2005, 25°18’N, 51°25’E, 6 w, 3 q, 6 m, (KSMA). Geographic distribution. Afrotropical species known from west and east Africa: Senegal, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia; Levant: Egypt, Israel, Jordan (Sharaf 2006, Ionescu and Eyer 2016, Borowiec and Salata 2020); and the Arabian Peninsula: KSA (Collingwood 1985), UAE (Collingwood et al. 2011), Oman (Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Sharaf et al. 2018), Yemen (Sharaf et al. 2020 a). This species is a new record for Qatar., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on page 543, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Forel, A. 1892. Notes myrmecologiques. Annales de la Societe entomologique de Belgique, 36: 38 - 43.","Sharaf, M. R. 2006. Taxonomic and ecological studies on family Formicidae (Order: Hymenoptera) in Egypt including some protectorates with a study of some insect fauna associated with ant species [unpublished thesis]. Cairo: Ain Shams University, Faculty of Science, Entomology Department, 340 pp.","Ionescu, A. and P. A. Eyer. 2016. Notes on Cataglyphis Foerster, 1850 of the bicolor species-group in Israel, with description of a new species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Israel Journal of Entomology, 46: 109 - 131.","Borowiec L, S. Salata. 2020. Review of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Jordan. Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom, Entomology, 29: 1 - 26.","Collingwood, C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 7: 230 - 302.","Collingwood, C. A., Agosti, D., Sharaf, M. R. & A. van Harten. 2011. Order Hymenoptera, family Formicidae. Arthropod Fauna of the UAE, 4: 405 - 474.","Collingwood, C. A. and Agosti, D. 1996. Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2). Fauna of Arabia, 15: 300 - 385.","Sharaf, M. R., Fisher, B. L., Al Dhafer, H. M., Polaszek, A. and A. S. Aldawood. 2018. Additions to the ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Oman: an updated list, new records and a description of two new species. Asian Myrmecology, 9: e 010004: 1 - 38.","Sharaf, M. R., Aldawood, A. S., Mohamed, A. A. and F. Hita Garcia. 2020 a. The genus Lepisiota Santschi, 1926 of the Arabian Peninsula with the description of a new species, Lepisiota elbazi sp. nov. from Oman, an updated species identification key, and assessment of zoogeographic affinities. Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 76: 127 - 152. https: // doi. org / 10.3897 / jhr. 76.50193."]}

Camponotus oasium Forel, 1890 (Fig. 6 A–C) Camponotus rubripes r. oasium Forel, 1890: lxv (s.w.q.) Algeria. Palearctic. Diagnosis. Worker. Underside of head with one or two setae; mesosomal dorsum with about ten erect setae; dorsum of petiole steeply rounded; first gaster tergite with basal two thirds testaceous; large workers with head, mesosoma, and dorsum dark brown to black, head brown, lower half of mesosoma usually yellow and distinctly paler than mesosomal dorsum, gaster and appendages yellow; small workers uniform yellow with end of gaster brown. Material examined. Qatar, Doha, Al-Dohuil, 14.iii.2005, 25°22’N, 51°29’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 4w (KSMA). Geographic distribution. A species described from Algeria and distributed in the west Africa (Benin, Mali, Niger, Senegal), Horn of Africa (Ethiopia), and North Africa [Algeria, Egypt (Sharaf 2006)]; eastwardly from Arabian Peninsula to Afghanistan and north to Turkey (Karaman and Aktaç 2013) and Central Asia [Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan (Radchenko 1997a)]. In the Arabian Peninsula, it is recorded from the UAE (Collingwood et al. 2011), KSA, Oman (Collingwood 1985). It is recorded for the first time from Qatar. Ecological and biological notes. This species was collected from a tamarisk tree, Tamarix nilotica (Ehrenb.) Bunge, in the Nile Delta (Egypt) and was observed attending the membracids (Sharaf 2006)., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on page 539, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Forel, A. 1890. Fourmis de Tunisie et de l'Algerie orientale. Annales de la Societe entomologique de Belgique, 34: lxi-lxxvi.","Sharaf, M. R. 2006. Taxonomic and ecological studies on family Formicidae (Order: Hymenoptera) in Egypt including some protectorates with a study of some insect fauna associated with ant species [unpublished thesis]. Cairo: Ain Shams University, Faculty of Science, Entomology Department, 340 pp.","Karaman, C. and N. Aktac. 2013. Descriptions of four new species of Camponotus Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a key for the worker caste of the Camponotus of Turkey. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 86: 36 - 56.","Radchenko, A. G. 1997 a. Review of ants of the subgenera Tanaemyrmex, Colobopsis, Myrmamblis, Myrmosericus, Orthonotomyrmex and Paramyrmamblis of the genus Camponotus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the Asian Palearctic. Zoologicheskii Zhurnal, 76: 806 - 815.","Collingwood, C. A., Agosti, D., Sharaf, M. R. & A. van Harten. 2011. Order Hymenoptera, family Formicidae. Arthropod Fauna of the UAE, 4: 405 - 474.","Collingwood, C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 7: 230 - 302."]}

Strumigenys membranifera Emery, 1869 (Fig. 23 A–C) Strumigenys (Trichoscapa) membranifera Emery, 1869: 24, fig. 11 (w.) Italy. Palearctic. Diagnosis. Worker. Dull yellow to yellow-brown; masticatory margin of mandibles armed with 12 teeth; anterior clypeal margin broadly and weakly convex; eyes minute, with few ommatidia, located at ventral margin of antennal scrobes; metanotal groove absent; spongiform appendages of petiole and postpetiole massively developed; cephalic surfaces reticulate-punctate; sides of mesosoma smooth; propodeal dorsum and declivity smooth; cephalic pilosity restricted to one pair of hairs situated at highest point of vertex; cephalic dorsum with sparse, minute, appressed pubescence; lateral margins of head, clypeus with its anterior and lateral margins, and humeral pronotal angles all without projecting hairs; dorsal surfaces of petiole, postpetiole, and gaster bare. Material examined. Qatar, Rawdat Al Faras, Qatar University Farm for Training and Research, 25°48’N, 51°20.4’E, 21.v.2015 (M. R. Sharaf leg.), 1w; Saudi Arabia, Qassim, Buraydah, 26.36°N, 44.03°E, 653 m a.s.l., 19.x.2013 (S. Salman leg.), (2 workers CASENT0914337, CASENT0914338). Geographic distribution. A successful, broadly spread, pantropical tramp species originally described from Italy, introduced into most zoogeographical regions worldwide by human commerce (Bolton 1983, Bolton 2000, Wetterer 2011). In the Arabian Peninsula, the species is known from KSA, UAE (Sharaf et al. 2014), and Qatar (Sharaf et al. 2015). Ecological and biological notes. Strumigenys membranifera seems to prefer habitats with some degree of ecological disturbance (Wetterer 2011, Tang et al. 2019) where nests are built in the dry or semidry soil of lawn and pastures (Wilson and Hunt 1967, Deyrup 1997, OrdÓÑez-Urbano et al. 2008) and in the soil of date palm plantations (Sharaf et al. 2015)., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on pages 550-551, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Emery, C. 1869. Enumerazione dei formicidi che rinvengonsi nei contorni di Napoli con descrizioni di specie nuove o meno conosciute. Annali dell'Accademia degli Aspiranti Naturalisti. Secunda Era, 2: 1 - 26.","Bolton, B. 1983. The Afrotropical dacetine ants (Formicidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology, 46: 267 - 416.","Bolton, B. 2000. The ant tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, 65: 1 - 1028.","Wetterer, J. K. 2011. Worldwide spread of the membraniferous dacetine ant, Strumigenys membranifera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News, 14: 129 - 135.","Sharaf, M. R., Fisher, B. L. and S. A. Aldawood. 2014. Notes on ants of the genus Strumigenys F. Smith, 1860 (Hymeno- ptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula, with a key to species. Sociobiology, 61: 293 - 299.","Sharaf, M. R., Al-Hajri, S. H. and A. S. Aldawood. 2015. First record of the ant genus Strumigenys S. Smith, 1860 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Qatar by the invasive species S. membranifera Emery, 1869. Zoology in the Middle East, 61: 362 - 367.","Tang, K. L., Pierce M. P. and B. Guenard. 2019. Review of the genus Strumigenys (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae) in Hong Kong with the description of three new species and the addition of five native and four introduced species records. ZooKeys, 831: 1 - 48.","Wilson, E. O. and G. L. Hunt. 1967. Ant fauna of Futuna and Wallis Islands, stepping stones to Polynesia. Pacific Insects, 9: 563 - 584.","Deyrup, M. 1997. Dacetine ants of the Bahamas. Bahamas Journal of Science, 5: 2 - 6.","OrdONez-Urbano, C., Reyes-LOpez, J. and Carpintero-Ortega, S. 2008. Una especies alOctona puede ser \" rara \"? El caso de Pyramica membranifera (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). BoletIn de la Sociedad EntomolOgica Aragonesa, 42: 321 - 323."]}

Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius, 1793) (Fig. 2 A–C) Formica melanocephala Fabricius, 1793: 353 (w.) French Guiana. Neotropical. Diagnosis. Worker. This species is easily recognized among the members of the genus by its small size (1.20–1.90 mm) and bicolored body. Head and mesosoma brown to dark brown, antennae, maxillary palps and mandibles pale brown to yellow, gaster and legs pale yellow; prothorax laterally compressed, broadening anteriorly; mesosoma without erect hairs. Material examined. Qatar, Rawdet Rashed, 12.iii.2005, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 25°14.006’N, 51°12.286’E, 1 w, (KSMA). Geographic distribution. This successful invasive species has a remarkable worldwide spread (Wetterer 2009). On the Arabian Peninsula it was collected from KSA and Oman (Collingwood 1985), Yemen (Collingwood and Agosti 1996) including the Socotra Archipelago (Sharaf et al. 2017), and UAE (Collingwood et al. 1997). The present collection represents the first record for Qatar. Ecological and biological notes. This species has remarkably diverse habitat preferences (Wetterer 2009, Sharaf et al. 2017) that range from humid and dry soil of wild vegetation to urban sites rich in organic matter, under bark and stones, in leaf litter, and sometimes nests in walls and potted plants indoors (Ellison et al. 2012)., Published as part of Sharaf, Mostafa R., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Mohamed, Amr A., Fisher, Brian L. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2020, A Preliminary Synopsis of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Qatar with Remarks on the Zoogeography, pp. 533-560 in Annales Zoologici 70 (4) on pages 536-537, DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2020.70.4.005, http://zenodo.org/record/4433537, {"references":["Fabricius, J. C. 1793. Entomologia systematica emendata et aucta. Secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, adjectis synonimis, locis observationibus, descriptionibus. Tome 2. Hafniae [= Copenhagen]: C. G. Proft, 519 pp.","Wetterer, J. K. 2009. Worldwide spread of the ghost ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News, 12: 23 - 33.","Collingwood, C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 7: 230 - 302.","Sharaf, M. R., Fisher, B. L., Collingwood, C. A. and S. A. Aldawood. 2017. Ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Socotra Archipelago (Yemen): zoogeography, distribution and description of a new species. Journal of Natural History, 51: 317 - 378.","Collingwood, C. A., Tigar, B. J. and Agosti, D. 1997. Introduced ants in the United Arab Emirates. Journal of Arid Environments, 37: 505 - 512.","Ellison, A. M., Gotelli, N. J., Farnsworth, E. J. and G. D. Alpert. 2012. A field guide to the ants of New England. New Haven (CT): Yale University Press; xv + 398 pp."]}