Lepisiota aegyptiaca (Finzi) - new status

Type location Egypt (Acantholepis frauenfeldi var aegyptiaca, Finzi, 1936: 185, illustrated, worker)

Finzi's (1936) description of aegyptiaca is on From Egypt, it appears to have been illustrated by Savigny (Audouin, J.-V. 1825-27: Plate 20 Fig 11) - below.

Egypt records - Lepisiota frauenfeldi ssp aegyptiaca ( Finzi, 1936: 184, illustrated, worker) - in HNS as Acantholepis frauenfeldi var. aegyptiaca Finzi
also in HNS as Acantholepis frauenfeldi var. opaciventris Finzi = Lepisiota frauenfeldi ssp opaciventris (Finzi, 1936: 187, illustrated, worker) Forel (1886f: 215) noted it as found by Ehrenberg in Egypt, as a variety with specimens with propodeal spines longer than the width of their base. Donisthorpe (1942a) recorded var variabilis (Santschi, 1917d: 43, type location Tunisia) from Siwa, three workers; and saharensis (Santschi, 1917d: 44, worker, illustrated, type location Algeria) 6 workers from Siwa, all collected by J Omer-Cooper; Donisthorpe (1947e) recorded variabilis from Siwa, Baharein, 1 worker, 9-10.v.1935.

Sharaf list - aegyptiaca Kom Ombo (Aswan), 29.i.1954 (1); Luxor, 3.viii.1954 (2); Abu-Mena, 8.iv.1954 (1) (ASUC).

The photomontage is of specimens from Egypt, Sinai, Nakeb, 13.iii.1982, collector J Kugler; sent to BT by Armin Ionescu, Tel Aviv University. The gaster is fully shiny, the specimen shown has a small amount of glue on the first tergite. Other images can be seen in the folder at -

The small illustration shows the Savigny specimen and the dorsal view of one of these, on the same scale, for comparison.

From Egypt, a male appears to have been illustrated by Savigny (Audouin, J.-V. 1825-27: Plate 20 Fig 12).