Plagiolepis (Plagiolepis) maura Santschi

Type location Morocco (Plagiolepis maura n. sp., Santschi, 1920g: 169, illustrated, all forms; subspecies/stirps of pallescens - Emery, 1924a: 8 [name only] & Santschi, 1936c: 206, as Plagiolepis pallescens For. stirps maura Sants. records only)
variety kabyla (Plagiolepis maura Sants. var kabyla n. var., Santschi, 1920g: 170, illustrated, worker & male) from Tunisia.

Santschi's (1920g) description is at . Santschi's (1936c) illustrated note is at .

In Bolton's Catalogue (1995: 335) this is given as a subspecies of pallescens despite Collingwood (1985: 297) regarding it as a definitive species. Collingwood, on the other hand, gives Santschi (1920) as the defining reference and does not mention the later Emery (1924a: 8) and Santschi (1936c: 206) reduction in status. The later Collingwood & Agosti (1996) paper has the same situation. P. pallescens s.s. is not among the species listed from Saudi Arabia.

With the fresh specimen that clearly is distinct from maura, we support this as a separate species.

Egypt records - record in Donisthorpe (1942a), one male, one delate queen & 75 workers from Khamissa, Siwa & Gara, collector J Omer-Cooper, June-August 1935; Donisthorpe (1947e) recorded sordida from Siwa (gardens), 1 worker, 18-19.iv.1935, and 2 workers, 29.iv-1.v.1935, also Siwa in moth trap. Additionally in Mohamed et al (2001). Sharaf list - Material examined: Abu-Madi, Zaranik (North Sinai), 5.v.2003 (4); Gebel Asfar (Qalyubiya), 29.iv.2003 (7) (SHC); Ebn Salam (Daqahliya, Egypt), 13.iv.1999 (4) Leg.M.R.Sharaf; Mafareq (South Sinai), 5.iii.1998 (4) Leg. M.R.Sharaf; Wadi Firan (South Sinai), 3.v.1998 (1) Leg.M.R.Sharaf (ASUC).

The photomontage is of specimens collected in Egypt, Kaseh Tourism Village, Marsa Matrouh, 31°21' N 27°14' E; 17.viii.2007; Mostafa Sharaf. Other images can be seen in the folder at .

The photomontage compares a specimen collected in Egypt, Kaseh, by Mostafa Sharaf, as above, with the Santschi (1936c) drawing (adjusted to match sizes but scale not definite).

The photomontage is of specimens collected in the Sinai Desert, Egypt, St Katherine protectorate around the town of St Katherine, in mountains above 1500m, in early 2002, by Mike James, a research student of Francis Gilbert. Other images can be seen in the folders at . and, collected by Mostafa Sharaf, at St Katherine's at .