DOI: 10.13102/sociobiology.v63i2.981Sociobiology 63(2): 800-803 (June, 2016) Open access journal: http://periodicos.uefs.br/ojs/index.php/sociobiology ISSN: 0361-6525 First occurrence of the ant genus Brachymyrmex Mayr, 1868 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Introduction The ant genus Brachymyrmex was established by Mayr in 1868 for the type species B. patagonicus from Argentina. The genus is included in the Formicinae and the Myrmelachistini (Blaimer et al., 2015; Ward et al., 2016). Currently 61 species and subspecies are recognized (Bolton, 2015). The genus is distributed in the Nearctic (Creighton, 1950) and primarily in the Neotropical regions (Brown, 2000; Wild, 2007; Ortiz & Fernández, 2014). There are records from the Afrotropical Region as introductions including B. cordemoyi Forel, 1895 from Tanzania, and an unidentified species from Gabon, South Africa, São Tome and Principe, and the Malagasy Region (http://www.antweb.org/, accessed 20 September 2015). Few treatments of the genus are presently available. Santschi (1923) published the last revision of the genus. Creighton (1950) reviewed the species for North America. Abstract The formicine ant genus Brachymyrmex Mayr, 1868 is recorded for the first time from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and from the Arabian Peninsula by the species Brachymyrmex cordemoyi Forel, 1895. A brief description and automontage images of the species are presented including ecological observations. Sociobiology An international journal on social insects MR Sharaf1, S Salman1, HM Aldhafer1, AFA_Yousef2, AS Aldawood1 Article History Edited by John Lattke, UFPR, Brazil Received 12 January 2016 Initial acceptance 18 March 2016 Final acceptance 04 April 2016 Publication date 15 July 2016 Keywords New record, Arabian Peninsula, Palearctic Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh Province, Formicinae. Corresponding author Mostafa R. Sharaf Economic Entomology Research Unit (EERU) Plant Protection Department College of Food and Agriculture Science King Saud University Riyadh 11451, P. O. Box 2460 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia E-Mail: antsharaf@gmail.com Quirán et al. (2004) and Quiran (2005, 2007) have provided limited synopses of this genus for Argentina, but much additional revisionary work is required for the Neotropical Region. Recently, Brachymyrmex and Myrmelachista Roger, 1863 were transferred from the Plagiolepidini and placed into the resurrected tribe Myrmelachistini by Ward et al. (2016). The majority of species of Brachymyrmex are considered generalized foragers with a broad range of nesting habitats including the soil, decaying wood, leaf litter, under loose bark at the base of tree trunks (MacGown et al., 2007), in seeds, and trees or fallen fruits (Brown, 2000). The genus includes species that are known as successful invasive such as B. patagonicus having successfully established in many areas of the United States and has become a serious pest in both natural and disturbed habitats (MacGown et al., 2007). Two key morphological features distinguish workers of Brachymyrmex from other formicine genera, a 9-segmented 1 - King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2 - Princess Nora Bint Abd-Elrahman University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia RESEARCH ARTICLE - ANTS Sociobiology 63(2): 800-803 (June, 2016) 801 antennae and lacking a differentiated antennal club (Bolton, 1994). Herein, the ant genus Brachymyrmex is recorded from the first time from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and from the Arabian Peninsula by the species B. cordemoyi. Materials and methods A sifting tray was used to collect the specimens. Digital color images of lateral and dorsal views of the entire body and full-face views of the head of each species were made at the California Academy of Sciences and were created using a Leica DFC450 digital camera with a Leica Z16 APO microscope and LAS (v3.8) software. These images are also available online on AntWeb (www.antweb.org, Accessed 29 December 2015) and are accessible using the unique identifying specimen code. Measurements and Indices: Measurements: All measurements are in millimeters. Eye length (EL): Maximum diameter of eye. Head length (HL): Length of head, excluding mandibles, measured from mid-point of anterior clypeal margin to mid- point of posterior head margin, in full-face view. Head width (HW): Maximum width of head in full-face view, measured behind eyes. Interocular distance (IOD): Measured on the straight line between inner margins of eyes. Mesosomal length (ML): Diagonal length of mesosoma in profile from point at which pronotum meets the cervical shield to posterior base of metapleuron. Pronotal width (PW): Maximum width of pronotum measured in dorsal view. Scape length (SL): Maximum straight line length of antennal scape excluding basal constriction or neck to condylar bulb. Total length (TL): Outstretched body length from mandibular apex to gastral apex. Indices: Cephalic index (CI): HW x 100/HL. Occular index (EI): EL x 100/HW. Scape index (SI): SL x 100/HW. Museum abbreviations. CASC: California Academy of Sciences Collection, San Francisco, California, USA. KSMA: King Saud University Museum of Arthropods, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Results and discussion Brachymyrmex cordemoyi Forel, 1895 (Figs 1-3) Brachymyrmex patagonicus var. cordemoyi Forel, 1895: 49 (w.) Reunion, Malagasy. Raised to species: Emery, 1906: 179. Subspecies of Brachymyrmex patagonicus: Forel, 1908: 399; Forel, 1912: 165; Santschi, 1912: 533. Revived status as species: Wheeler, 1922: 1036; Emery, 1925: 41. Current subspecies: nominal plus Brachymyrmex cordemoyi distinctus. Fig 1. Brachymyrmex cordemoyi, Habitus. casent 0922067, Photographer: Michele Esposito, available from http://www. antweb.org. Accessed 01 December 2015. Fig 2. Brachymyrmex cordemoyi, Lateral view, casent 0922067, Photographer: Michele Esposito, available from http://www.antweb. org. Accessed 01 December 2015. Fig 3. Brachymyrmex cordemoyi, Frontal view, casent 0922067, Photographer: Michele Esposito, available from http://www.antweb. org. Accessed 01 December 2015. MR Sharaf et al. – First occurrence of the ant genus Brachymyrmex Mayr Saudi Arabia802 Material examined. Saudi Arabia, 8 workers, Riyadh, King Saud University campus, 24.71383°N, 46.62557°E, 02.ii.2014, 660 m (S. Salman leg.); 6 workers, 20.ix.2014; 6 workers, 15.iii.2015, KSMA; 1 workers, 14.iii.2015, CASC, (casent0922067). All the above material has identical locality and collector information. Diagnosis. Worker. Head distinctly longer than broad with a straight posterior margin and clearly convex lateral sides; eyes with nine ommatidia in the longest row; scapes when laid back from their insertions just reach posterior margin of head. Mesosoma. Metanotal groove impressed; propodeal dorsum short descending abruptly into long declivity; propodeal spiracle small, circular, situated at middle of propodeal declivity. Sculpture. Body smooth and shining. Pilosity. Cephalic dorsum with abundant appressed pubescence; two pairs of long setae on anterior and posterior clypeal margins; one pairs of setae on frontal carinae, one pair on posterior margin of head; mesosoma with one pair of long setae on pronotal and promesonotal dorsum; gaster with many scattered long setae and some appressed pubescence. Color. Head and body uniform brown with the antennae and legs yellowish. Measurements: EL 0.08–0.11, HL 0.40–0.55, HW 0.35– 0.51, IOD 0.30–0.41, ML 0.34–0.51, PW 0.25–0.35, SL 0.34–0.45, TL 1.16–1.92, Indices: CI 84–94, OI 20–28, SI 87–100 (n=19). Diagnostic notes: The short scapes of B. cordemoyi separate it from B. patagonicus. Brachymyrmex obscurior Forel, 1893 has short scapes and appressed pubescence on the gaster, but the appressed hairs are distinctly denser. Ecological notes: This species was found nesting in soil at the base of a date palm tree (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in King Saud University campus (Fig 4), Riyadh. Specimens were collected by sifting the soil which was a mixture of sandy clay, with much decaying organic material. Workers were found about 8 cm deep in the soil. Other ant species collected with B. cordemoyi included: Solenopsis saudiensis Sharaf & Aldawood 2011, Nylanderia jaegerskioeldi (Mayr, 1904), Tapinoma simrothi Krausse, 1911, and Cardiocondyla mauritanica Forel, 1890. Geographic range. Neotropical (Wild, 2007), and Afrotropical (Mauritius) (Forel, 1907) regions. Brachymyrmex patagonicus is an example of a successful invasive ant species. This species has the ability to survive in a wide range of habitats and the capacity to coexist with various dominant ant species (MacGown et al., 2007). Colonies of this species can be established in relatively small areas and are apparently transported easily by human activities from site to site. King Saud University is the home for many students from different countries in Africa (Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, Mali, Senegal and Guinea), and perhaps B. cordemoyi was incidentally introduced by students with their belongings. Another possibility is by the numerous imported cosmopolitan horticultural plants and irrigated lawns that are planted throughout the campus. This introduction may have recently occurred. The senior author has been collecting ants for ten years on the campus and in many other regions of KSA and this species has not been observed. Additional studies will indicate the extent of the distribution of this ant species in KSA and the impact on native fauna. Acknowledgements The project was funded by the National Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation (MAARIFAH), King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, award number 12-ENV2804-02. We are most grateful to two anonymous reviewers for valuable suggestions. The authors are grateful to Dr. B. Kondratieff for useful comments and to Dr. Brian Fisher and Mrs. Michele Esposito (California Academy of Sciences) for photographing the species. References Blaimer, B. B.; Brady, S. G.; Schultz, T. R.; Lloyd, M. W.; Fisher, B. L.; Ward, P. S. (2015). Phylogenomic methods outperform traditional multi-locus approaches in resolving deep evolutionary history: a case study of formicine ants. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 15: 257. Bolton, B. (1994). Identification guide to the ant genera of the world. Harvard University Press,Cambridge, Mass., 222 pp. Bolton, B (2015). An online catalogue of the ants of the world. http://antcat.org [accessed December, 20, 2015]. Brown, W.L. Jr. (2000). Diversity of ants. Pp 45–79. In: Agosti et al. (eds.) Ants. Standard methods for measuring and monitoring biodiversity, Biological diversity hand book series. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D. C. 280 pp. Creighton, W.S. (1950). The ants of North America. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College, 104: 1–585. Fig 4. Habitat of Brachymyrmex cordemoyi, King Saud University Campus, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. (Photo: S. Salman). Sociobiology 63(2): 800-803 (June, 2016) 803 Emery, C. (1906). Studi sulle formiche della fauna neotropica. XXVI. Bullettino della Società Entomologica Italiana, 37: 107–194. Emery, C. (1925). Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Formicinae. Genera Insectorum, 183:1–302. Forel, A. (1895). Nouvelles fourmis de diverses provenances, surtout d’Australie. Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique, 39: 41–49. Forel, A. (1907). Ameisen von Madagaskar, den Comoren und Ostafrika. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse. Reise in Ostafrika, 2: 75–92. Forel, A. (1908). Ameisen aus Sao Paulo (Brasilien), Paraguay etc. gesammelt von Prof. Herm. v. Ihering, Dr. Lutz, Dr. Fiebrig, etc. Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch- Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 58: 340–418. Forel, A. (1912). The Percy Sladen Trust Expedition to the Indian Ocean in 1905, under the leadership of Mr. J. Stanley Gardiner, M.A. Volume 4. No. XI. Fourmis des Seychelles et des Aldabras, reçues de M. Hugh Scott. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. Zoology, (2)15: 159–167. MacGown, J. A., Hill, J.G., Deyrup, M. A. (2007). Brachy- myrmex patagonicus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), an emerging pest species in the southeastern United States. Florida Entomologist, 90: 457-464. Mayr, G. (1868). Formicidae novae Americanae collectae a Prof. P. de Strobel. Annuario della Società dei Naturalisti e Matematici, Modena, 3: 161-178. Ortiz, C.M. & Fernández, F. (2014). Brachymyrmex species with tumuliform metathoracic spiracles description of three new species and discussion of dimorphism in the genus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys, 371: 13–33. Quirán, E. (2005). El género neotropical Brachymyrmex Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) en la Argentina. II: redescripción de las especies B. admotus Mayr, de B. brevicornis emery y B. gaucho Santschi. Neotropical Entomology, 34(5): 761-768. Quirán, E. (2007). The Neotropical genus Brachymyrmex Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Argentina. III. Redescription of species: B. aphidicola Forel, B. australis Forel & B. constrictus Santschi. Neotropical Entomology, (5): 699-706. Quirán, E.M., Martinez J.J., Bachmann, A.O. (2004). The Neotropical genus Brachymyrmex Mayr, 1868 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Argentina. Redescription of the type species, B. patagonicus Mayr, 1868; B. bruchi Forel, 1912 and B. oculatus Santschi, 1919. Acta Zoologica Mexicana (n.s.), 20: 273-285. Santschi, F. (1912). Quelques fourmis de l’Amérique australe. Revue Suisse de Zoologie, 20: 519–534. Santschi, F. (1923). Revue des fourmis du genre Brachymyrmex Mayr. Anales del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Buenos Aires, 31: 650–678. Ward, P.S., Blaimer, B.B., Fisher, B.L. (2016). A revised classification of the ant subfamily Formicinae (Hymenopter: Formicidae), with the resurrection of the genera Colbopsis and Dinomyrmex. Zootaxa, 40723: 343–357. Wheeler, W. M. (1922). Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. New York: Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 1139. Wild, A.L. (2007). A catalogue of the ants of Paraguay (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa, 1622: 1–55.