Cataglyphis savignyi (Dufour)

Type location Egypt (Formica savignyi, Dufour, 1862: 141, worker & male; in Cataglyphis Roger 1863b: 12; confirmed status Billen, 1989: 301; Agosti 1990a: 1490).

Dufour's (1862) description is at , with the worker as Fig 2 and the male as Fig 1 from the Savignyi Plate 20. Santschi (1929b) gave a fresh description this is at .

In HNS as Formica savignyi Dufour. Agosti (1990a: 1490) appears to have decided upon only the male, belonging to the bicolor species-group, as being known under this name, worker specimens (from Gizeh) labelled as the species belong to the alitisquamis species-group.

Egypt records - illustrated by Savigny (Audouin, J.-V. 1825-27: Plate 20 Fig 2) and referred to by Dufour (1862). Note - according to Agosti (1990a: 1490) the surviving workers in the Dufour collection, in Paris, are of a Cataglyphis species within the mauritanicus complex of the altisquamis species-group. The attribution of the drawing as being savignyi seems wrong to me as the head has a Camponotus shape and no ocelli, which are distinct in Cataglyphis - possibly it is an example of Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) sylvaticus, with the all dark gaster.

Santschi (1929b) noted a specimen in Paris collected near the pyramids by Alluaud, the same location as Savigny's; Finzi (1936: 192) reported several findings from northern Egypt - Alexandria, Cairo, Heliopolis, etc. Billen (1989) studied workers collected near their nest entrance at the base of fence walls surrounding the Faculty of Science buildings at El Minya University, Egypt. He described it as a desert ant which is active only during the heat of the day.

Sharaf list - Port Said, 26.viii.2003 (4); Salhyia, 17.iii.2002 (1); Elqasmia (Belbis), 21.ii.2003 (2); Nagh El-Ghalalab (Aswan), 7.iii.2003 (12); Saloga Island (Aswan), 2.v.2002 (1); El-Sabah Emarat, 50 km Ismailia-Cairo, 14.iii.2002 (1); Sallant (Daqahliya, Egypt), 28.iii.2003 (3); Nagh El-Ghalalab (Aswan), 8.iii.2003 (1); Hatshibsut temple (Luxor), 4.iii.2003 (4); Khniza (Nubaria), 21.ix.2002 (1); Wadi El-Rayan (Faiyum), 7.xi.2001 (2) (SHC).

Mohamad thesis (1979) had Kafr Hakim, 11.xi.1925 (Coll.Alf.).

The photomontage is of a specimen from Port Said, E 32°18' N 31°16'; 26.viii.2003; collected by Mostafa Sharaf. Other images can be seen in the folders at - and .

Wehner, Wehner & Agosti (1994) established that savignyi inhabits primarily dry sandy areas; variably alongside bicolor, with the latter being predominant in agricultural soils. It has to be said, however, that their illustration (right) does not show the darker areas of the alitrunk described by Santschi, link above and in his description of Cataglyphis oasium (Santschi, 1929b: 46) and also shown in our specimens (e.g above).