Messor aegyptiacus (Emery)

Type location Egypt (Aphaenogaster barbara var aegyptiaca, Emery, 1878b: 57, worker & queen; Emery, 1908e: 452, male; raised to species Santschi, 1923f: 320); subspecies brevispinosus (stirps in Santschi, 1923f: 322, worker) from Morocco, canaliculatus (Donisthorpe, 1944a: 1, illustrated, soldier & worker) from Algeria, felah (variety, Santschi, 1923f: 321, illustrated, soldier & worker) from Egypt, fossulatus (Santschi, 1923f: 321, illustrated, all forms; ssp status Menozzi, 1940: 267) from Tunisia, hoggarensis (stirps in Santschi, 1929c: 98, illustrated, worker & queen [unavailable pages in HNS 3635]; ssp status Bernard, 1953a: 142, in key) from Algeria, phasianicus (variety, Bernard, 1953a: 143, in key) from Algeria, striatulus (Emery, 1891b: 11, worker [unavailable in HNS]; unavailable name curvispina, Karavaiev, 1912a: 10, soldier & worker; Santschi, 1923f: 321; variety in Santschi, 1936c: 200, as striatus), surcoufi (variety, Santschi, 1923f: 324, worker) from Algeria, and tunetinus (Messor barbarus ssp aegyptiacus var tunetinus, Emery, 1922c: 96; Santschi, 1923f: 321, worker; Finzi, 1930b: 14, queen) .

Emery's (1878b) description is at . Emery's (1908e) description is at . Santschi's (1923f) review is at . with illustrations at . Donisthorpe's (1944) description of canaliculatus and a review is at .

Bondroit's (1918) description of Messor minor is at .

Recorded by André (1884b: 245) from Sudan, collected by Dr Paolo Magretti, workers; by Santschi (1928f: 203) from Arabia, Aqaba, collector A Reichensperger.

Egypt records - in HNS as Messor aegyptiacus var. felah Santschi. André (1881b) reported it (as Aphaenogaster arenaria Fab) - collected from Alexandria by M Abeille de Perrin; Mayr (1904b: 6) had a record from Cairo. Karavaiev (1911: 4) had major and minor workers from Caoro, Marge; nest under palm plants; Wheeler & Mann (1916) reported it from Wadi Feran, Wadi Gazelle & Mt Sinai, Sinai Peninsula. Alfieri (1931) had 50 findings from Cairo and four provinces in the survey of October-November 1925; Donisthorpe (1942a) recorded 6 soldiers & 9 workers from Siwa & Maragi, collector J Omer-Cooper; type form in El-Moursy et al (2001). Donisthorpe (1947e) Siwa Oasis, 1 worker, El Arig, 8.vi.1935.
With reference to the Finzi (1936) report of questionable Messor minor aralocaspius tamerlani from Egypt (Alexandria), it seems possible given the description by Bondroit (1918: 155) of minor that the specimens were aegyptiacus.

Mohamad thesis (1979) had - Pyramids,19.xii.1951; Pyramids, 20.viii.1952; Ain Shams,19.vii.1952; Kom Osheim (Fayium), 4.iv.1953; Wadi El-Tih (Sinai), 26.ii.1954; Wadi Degla (Helwan), 13.iii.1955; 2.iii.1956; Durunka, 4.ii.1975; El-Hawawish, 5.ii.1975; Kom Osheim (Fayium), 28.ii.1975; Heliopolis (Cairo),1-24.iii-,12,13,21.iv.1975; Burg El-Arab (Alexandria), 26.iii.1975; Alexandria, 27.iii.1975; Fayium, 4.iv.1975; Suez, 25.iv.1975; Gebel Asfar (Qaliobyia), 3.v.1975; Zeitoun (Cairo),11.v.1975; Mariut,17.x.1975; Ghardaqa (Red Sea), 20.xi.1975; Pyramids, 5.xii.1975; Tanta (Nile Delta), 7.xii.1975; El-Mahalla El-Kobra (Nile Delta), 8.xii.1977; Kafr El-Sheikh (Nile Delta), 22.xii.1977; Belbis (Sharqyia), 21.i.1978; Kharga oasis (Western desert), 22.i.1978; quiesna (Nile Delta), 23.i.1978; Baharyia oasis (Western desert), 6.iii.1979 (Coll.Ain.)

Sharaf list - type form - material examined: Wadi Salat (G. Elba), 25.i.2001 (1), Leg. Dr. Hasan H.Fadl; Gebel Asfar, 29.iv.2003 (20); Khniza (Nubaria), 21.ix.2002 (2); Abuzabal (Qalyubiya), 22.x.1998 (1) (SHC); Kom Oshim, 4.iv.1953 (8) Aly; Pyramids (Giza), 20.viii.1952 (1) Aly; Wadi Digla (Cairo), 2.iii.1956 (1) P.H.P. (ASUC).

Mohamad thesis (1979) had - felah - Alexandria, 19.xii.1913, 4.i.1933; Fleming, 29.xi.1914; Cairo, 23.vii.1918; Gezira, 19.v.1920; Mansura (Nile Delta), 2.ix.1925, 10,18.xii.1928 (Coll.Alf.) Marsa Matrouh, vii.1952; Durunka, 14.ii,1975; Heliopolis (Cairo), 1, 16, 24.iii.12, 13, 20.iv., 8.vii.1975; Alexandria, 27.iii.1975; Zeitoun (Cairo), 19, 25.iv, 7.vii.1975; Cairo, 21.iv.1975; Suez, 25.iv.1975; Gebel Asfar (Qaliobyia), 3.v.1975; Mariut,17.x.1975; Siwa oasis (Western desert), 10.iv.1976; El-Mahalla El-Kobra (Nile Delta), 8.xii.1977; Kafr El-Sheikh (Nile Delta), 22.xii.1977 (Coll.Ain)

Photomontages of specimens from Egypt, taken by Mostafa Sharaf (DSCN2141-4) can be seen on the linked page.

The photomontage is of a major specimen from Egypt, El Minia, sent to BT by Dr Mahmoud Fadl Ali, 2008. This appears to match the type form description and media and minor specimens are shown below. Other images can be seen in the folder at -

The photomontage is of a media specimen.

The photomontage is of a minor specimen.