Cardiocondyla mauritanica (Forel)

Type location Tunisia (Cardiocondyla nuda var mauritanica, Forel, 1890a: lxxv, worker; Forel, 1901e: 378, queen; Forel, 1904c: 6, ergatoid male; raised to species, Ortiz & Tinaut, 1987: 32); junior synonym nitida (Bernard, 1948: 142, worker; synonymy by Bernard, 1956c: 305) from Algeria; and ectopia (Snelling, 1974: 76, illustrated, worker, queen & ergatoid male) from USA; synonymy by Seifert, 2003: 222).

Forel's (1890a) description simply noted that mauritanica differed from the type form (of nuda) by having a deeper, more distinct metanotal groove, the alitrunk dorsum being somber red and the antero-lateral margins of the pronotum being more marked. Forel's (1904c) description is at . Finzi's (1936) illustrated note is at . Otiz & Tinaut's (1967) description (not listed by Seifert, 2003) is at .

Forel's (1904c) report was of specimens collected in Mauritania, at Biskra, and in Tunisia by F Santschi. Donisthorpe (1947e) had J Omer-Cooper collections of 1 worker, Siwa gardens, 18-19.iv.1935; Zegawa, workers & queens, 8.vi & 14.vi.1935.

The photomontage is collated from the www.hormigas.org website on ants from Spain.

Seifert's (2003: 248) revisionary description is at .

Egypt records - Karavaiev (1911: 8) found workers in the Municipal Garden in Aswan, nesting in the earth around a flower bed; Forel (1911h: 457) recorded mauritanica from Cairo, coll E Gräter; Donisthorpe (1942a), two dealated queens & 42 workers from Siwa, collector J Omer-Cooper, June-August 1935; Finzi (1936) from Aswan, Cairo, Khartoum, series of workers & alate queens from Wadi Isla, Sinai, 28.ii.1933; the report by Mohamed et al (2001) of nuda seems more likely to be mauritanica, especially as they described their specimens (in key) as having the head, alitrunk, nodes and appendages brown, gaster black, whereas the original nuda description has the alitrunk as fuscous and the head and gaster blackish, Mayr also described the petiole nodes as being punctate.

Mohamad (1979) thesis had - Sakkara road (Giza) (Coll.Min.) Alexandria, 5.viii.1975; Pyramids, 18.v.1976; Benimazar (El-Menyia), 28.i.1978; Menyia el-Qamh (Sharqyia), 30.i.1978 (Coll.Ain.)
Seifert (2003) lists the Karavaiev finding and adds - Gizeh, gyne, 27.iv.1994, and Hurghada Gifthun, worker, 12.ix.1992, and, Cairo, worker, 30.x.1957.

The photomontage of what appear a fair match to the type form is of specimens from Egypt, Kaseh Tourism Village, Marsa Matrouh; 31°21' N 27°14' E; collected by Mostafa Sharaf, 17.iii.2007. Other images can be seen in the folder at - .

Cardiocondyla mauritanica morph B - Seifert (2003: 250)

Seifert examined a worker from Egypt, 23.iv.1968, Sinai, Ein Chadjiah; also from Spain, Granada, Motril, iv.2004, collector Heinze, 11 workers out of four nests of typical Cc. mauritanica.
Sharaf list - Material examined: Sahab (South Sinai), 5.iii.1998 (3); Salhyia, 17.iii.2002 (1); Abu-Swelam (El-Minyia), 29.vi.2003 (2); Elqasmia (Belbis), 21.ii.2003 (1); Sahab (South Sinai), 8.iii.1998 (1) (SHC).

The photomontage of what appear a fair match to the Seifert morph B is of specimens from Egypt, Mafareq, S Sinai; 28°42' N 33°19' E; collected by Mostafa Sharaf, 8.iii.1998. Other images can be seen in the folders at - and .

The photomontage is of specimens from Egypt, taken by Mostafa Sharaf.