Cataglyphis bombycinus (Roger)

Type location Libya (Formica bombycina, Roger, 1859: 232, illustrated, all forms); junior synonym phaeogaster (Camponotus phaeogaster, Walker, 1871: 10, worker; synonymy Dalla Torre, 1893: 217) from Saudi Arabia; subspecies bruneipes (Santschi, 1911i: 287, worker) from Tunisia; all forms known.

With the fresh specimens, especially a major, Cataglyphis bombycinus subspecies sinaiticus (Wheeler & Mann, 1916: 173, soldier & worker) from Egypt is elevated here to species status as Cataglyphis sinaiticus.

Roger's (1859) description is at and . Walker's (1871) description of phaeogaster is at . Santschi's (1911i) description of bruneipes is at .

Agosti (1990a) synonymised "Camponotus phaenogaster" (Walker, 1871: 10) with bombycinus (based on the description apparently as he did not find the original specimens in London; the name is mis-spelt, as Walker used phaeogaster).

A desert species (Finzi, 1940). Bernard (1951, cited by Wilson, 1953) reported the major as being most active in nest excavation, with the greatly elongated mandibles used in conjunction with the maxillary palps in carrying large pellets of sand [Bernard, F. 1951. Adaptations au milieu chez les fourmis sahariennes. Bull. Soc. Hist. nat. Toulouse, 86, 161-168.

Agosti (1990a) listed syntype workers from Sudan (Red Sea & Nubia, legs. Schaum, Ehrenberg, Sichel).

From Egypt, it was illustrated by Savigny (Audouin, J.-V. 1825-27: Plate 20 Fig 5); referred to by Roger (1859: 32).

Egypt Records - Cataglyphis bombycinus (as Formica bombycina, Roger, 1859: 232, illustrated, all forms; type location Libya, syntypes from Egypt - illustration unavailable).
Donisthorpe (1947e) recorded the J Omer-Cooper expedition to Siwa Oasis as collecting 12 workers at El Arig, 8.v.1935, 84 workers at El Arig, 18.vi.1935, and 2 workers at Gabel Khamissa, 4-6.v.1935.
Sharaf list - Material examined: Wadi Allaqi (Eastern desert), Aswan, N 23°07' E 32°45', 23.xii.1997 (10); El-Kharga oasis, 6.xi.1997, M.R.Sharaf (SHC); Kharga, 16.ii.1937, Efflatoun (9) (CUC). Photographs of specimens collected from Wadi Allaqi, 23.xii.1997 (major) and Zaranik, N Sinai, E 34°26' N 30°39'; 7.v.2003 (minor) by Mostafa Sharaf.

Mohamad thesis (1979) had - Kharga oasis (Western desert), 10.xi.1924; Wadi Safsaf, 23.i.1928; Bir Kassab, 26.i.1928; Wadi Silsila, 2.iii.1928 (Coll.Alf.). E.Romani, 27.xi.1916; Wadi Safsaf, 23i.1928; Bir Kassab, 26.i.1928; Kharga oasis (Western desert), 21.i.1921; Pyramids (Giza), 18.xii.1930; Kom Ombo (Aswan), 4.iii.1931 (Coll.Min.). Khatatba, 23.v.1952; Kharga oasis (Western desert),10.ii.1953; Kom Ombo (Aswan), 29.i.1954; Aswan, 8.iii.1976; Siwa oasis (Western desert), 9, 14.iv.1976 (Coll.Ain.). Kharga oasis (Western desert), 16.ii.1937 (Coll.Car.).

The photomontage is of specimens from Israel, sent to BT by Armin Ionescu. For photographs of specimens from Egypt and the various morphs as shown below go to Polymorphism examples.