First record of the myrmicine ant genus Carebara Westwood, 1840 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Saudi Arabia with description of a new species, C. abuhurayri sp. n.

Abstract

The myrmicine ant genus Carebara is recorded for the first time in Saudi Arabia from the Arabian Peninsula as a whole. A new species Carebara abuhurayri sp. n. is described based on workers collected from Al Bahah region. One of the smallest ant species known to occur in Arabia, C. abuhurayri is found in an area inhabited by many ant species including Tetramorium sericeiventre Emery, 1877, Pheidole minuscula Bernard, 1952, Pheidole sp., Monomorium destructor (Jerdon, 1851), Monomorium exiguum (Forel, 1894) and Monomorium sp. and Crematogaster sp

The genus Enicospilus Stephens, 1835 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Ophioninae) in Saudi Arabia, with twelve new species records and the description of five new species

“…Conversely, the four species collected in Riyadh are Afrotropical, Palaearctic or widely distributed. This is closely correlated with the floristic composition of this area as has been reported by several authors (e.g., Eig 1938;Bolton 1994;Aldawood et al 2011;Sharaf et al 2012aSharaf et al , 2012bSharaf et al , 2014El-Hawagry et al 2013, 2015.…”

The Tetramorium squaminode species group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula, with a new record from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and keys to Arabian species

“…It is anticipated that the Arabian Tetramorium squaminode -group members have a broader distribution in the region than currently known, and will be found in additional localities at higher elevations, as well as in the Yemeni regions of these mountains. In addition, the record of Tetramorium squaminode in the Mountains of southwestern KSA, as well as other Afrotropical faunal elements recorded in the region, provides additional confirmations of the similarity of the entomofauna with the Afrotropical Region (Eig 1938; Zohary 1973; Bolton 1994, Lehrer and Abou-Zied 2008; Doha 2009; Aldawood et al 2011; Sharaf and Aldawood 2011, 2012; Sharaf et al 2012a, b, c; El-Hawagryi et al 2013; Sharaf and Aldawood 2013; Sharaf et al 2014). …”

“…Therefore, it is not surprising that the faunal composition of the southwestern region of the Arabian Peninsula is similar to the Afrotropical region. Several works have confirmed the mentioned faunal similarity (Eig 1938; Zohary 1973; Bolton 1994, Lehrer and Abou-Zied 2008; Doha 2009; Aldawood et al 2011; Sharaf and Aldawood 2011, 2012; Sharaf et al 2012a, b, c; El-Hawagryi et al 2013; Sharaf and Aldawood 2013; Sharaf et al 2014). Consequently, the biogeography of Tetramorium squaminode in the southwestern Mountains of the Arabian Peninsula is obviously similar to that of East African specimens.…”

Ants of the Monomorium monomorium species-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula with description of a new species from southwestern Saudi Arabia

“…11B) appears to be confined to the southwestern region of the KSA. The latter region is known for its Afrotropical affinities (Bolton, 1994; Eig, 1938; Zohary, 1973; Aldawood, Sharaf & Taylor, 2011; Sharaf & Aldawood, 2012; Sharaf, Aldawood & El-Hawagry, 2012a; Sharaf, Aldawood & El-Hawagry, 2012b; El-Hawagryi et al, 2013; Sharaf & Aldawood, 2013), and the newly recorded Monomorium holothir , a species previously only known from Kenya, emphasizes this Afrotropical influence.…”