- Anterior clypeal margin shallowly concave or straight with one pair of reduced tubercles ( Fig. 2D ); clypeal surface unsculptured, or with two pairs of less distinct longitudinal rugae ( Fig. 2E ); the eye merely abuts the scrobal cavity and, in full-face view, the scrobe is narrowly visible; in full-face view, cephalic surface to posterior level of eyes with irregular interrupted longitudinal rugae (about 12 rugae) ( Fig. 2E ); cephalic surface with distinct fine ground sculpture between rugae; anterior face of petiolar node smooth ( Fig. 2F ); posterior face of petiolar node feebly sculptured with about five longitudinal rugae; distinctly bicolored, head, and gaster brown, antennae, mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole light brown, legs yellow (Oman).............................................................. M. mosalahi sp. n.

Anterior clypeal margin strongly concave with a single pair of well-developed blunt teeth ( Fig. 2A ); clypeal surface distinctly sculptured, with 3 pairs of longitudinal rugae ( Fig. 2A ); the inner bulge of the eye extends well into the scrobal cavity, and, in full-face view, the scrobe is broadly visible; in full-face view, cephalic dorsum to posterior level of eyes with relatively dense, continuous longitudinal rugae (about 20 rugae) ( Fig. 2B ); cephalic surface between rugae unsculptured; anterior face of petiolar node finely superficially punctate; posterior face of petiolar node distinctly longitudinally rugulose ( Fig. 2C ); uniform yellow, rarely some specimens with postpetiole and posterior margin of first gastral tergite brown (KSA).......................................................... M. pulcher Sharaf

Meranoplus mosalahi Sharaf sp. n.

Holotype worker. Oman: Dhofar: Dhalkout, 16.70703°N, 53.25068°E, 34 m, 19.xi.2017, SF, (M. R. Sharaf), CASENT0845901, [KSMA].

Paratype workers. 12 w, same data as the holotype, 1 aberrant worker with reduced postpetiole, KSMA; 1 w, [WMLC], 1 w, CASENT0922861, [CASC]; Dhofar: Agdaroot, 17.088833°N, 54.442°E, 18.xi.2017, SW, (A. Mostafa), (3 w), [KSMA].

Diagnosis. Meranoplus mosalahi sp. n. can be diagnosed by the following characters: Anterior clypeal margin shallowly concave or straight with one pair of reduced tubercles; clypeal surface smooth, or with two pairs of indistinct longitudinal rugae; the eye merely abuts the scrobal cavity and, in full-face view, the scrobe is narrowly visible; cephalic surface to posterior level of eyes with irregular interrupted longitudinal rugae (about 12 rugae); ground surface between rugae finely punctate; anterior face of petiolar node smooth; posterior face feebly sculptured with about five longitudinal rugae; bicolored species with head, and gaster brown, antennae, mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole light brown, legs yellow.

Holotype worker.

Measurements. ATL1.10;ATW0.87;CDD0.20;CW0.27;EL0.17;EW0.12;HL0.65; HLA0.30;HW0.62;PML0.65;PPH0.25;PPL0.20;PTH0.30;PTL0.20;PWA0.65;PWP0.42; SL0.60;SPL0.20;TL3.12;WL0.80. Indices. CI95;CS0.63;EYE46;OMI57;PMI100;PPI80; PTI67;PWI65;SEI28;SI 97.

Paratype workers. Measurements. ATL1.03–1.37;ATW0.87–1.37;CDD0.12–0.25;CW0.22–0.30;EL0.17–0.27;EW0.12–0.17;HL0.62–0.82;HLA0.25–0.30;HW0.62–0.75;PML 0.57–0.80;PPH0.22–0.32;PPL0.12–0.25;PTH0.25–0.42;PTL0.12–0.20;PWA0.62–0.82;PWP0.30–0.50;SL0.50–0.62;SPL0.20–0.30;TL2.92–3.85;WL0.75–0.87. Indices. CI [85–108];CS0.63–0.78;EYE41–61;OMI57–108;PMI89–132;PPI50–100;PTI32-80;PWI40–74;SEI27–45;SI73–100 (n = 15).

Figure 3: Meranoplus mosalahisp. n., paratype worker, (A) body in profile; (B) body in dorsal view; (C) head in full-face view, (CASENT0922861, http://www.AntWeb.org, Michele Esposito).

Description.

Worker (Figs. 3A–3C). Head. Head slightly longer than broad with feebly convex sides and posterior margin; anterior clypeal margin shallowly concave or straight with one pair of short and blunt tubercles; clypeal surface smooth, or with two pairs of indistinct longitudinal rugae; the eye merely abuts the scrobal cavity and, in full-face view, the scrobe is narrowly visible; mandibles armed with four teeth; eyes relatively large (EYE 41–61) with about 12 ommatidia in the longest row; scapes when laid back from their insertions just reach posterior margin of eyes; scrobal carinae well-developed. Mesosoma. Anterior pronotal corners armed with a pair of short acute teeth seen from dorsal view; promesonotal shield distinctly broader than long (PMI 64–132) widening behind pronotum; promesonotal suture absent; posterior corners of mesonotum armed with a pair of sharp spines; posterior mesonotal margin between spines strongly concave and without secondary armament; propodeal spines long and sharp originating at level of propodeal spiracles and curved upwards; propodeal lobes well-developed. Petiole. Cuneate in profile, sessile, with a feebly convex anterior margin and a straight posterior margin and acute dorsum; petiolar and postpetiolar anteroventral processes well-developed. Postpetiole. Nodiform, distinctly higher than long in profile. Sculpture. Mandibles longitudinally striated; clypeus with three feebly distinct clypeal carinae; cephalic surface to posterior level of eyes with irregular interrupted longitudinal rugae (about 12 rugae), ground surface between rugae finely punctate; cephalic surface from midline of eyes to posterior margin of head distinctly areolate-rugulose or with numerous cross-meshes; antennal scrobes in front of eyes finely transversely rugulose; promesonotal shield reticulate-rugose; postpetiolar node areolate-rugose; anterior face of petiolar node smooth, sides transversally rugulose; posterior face of petiolar node feebly sculptured with about five superficial longitudinal irregular rugae; first gastral tergite finely and densely shagreened. Pilosity. All body surface covered with fine, pale, profuse hairs. Color. Distinctly bicolored, head, and gaster brown, antennae, mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole light brown, legs yellow.

Aberrant worker (Figs. 4A–4C). A single worker was collected from the type locality with a reduced postpetiole in the form of a small bud attached to the anterior part of the first gastral tergite.

Figure 4: Meranoplus mosalahisp. n., Aberrant paratype worker, (A) body in profile; (B) body in dorsal view; (C) head in full-face view, (CASENT0922862, http://www.AntWeb.org, Michele Esposito).

Queen and male. Unknown.

Etymology. We dedicate this species to Mohammed Salah (Mo Salah), the Egyptian professional soccer player of the English club Liverpool and the Egyptian national team.

Remarks

Meranoplus mosalahi sp. n. is a member of the M. magrettii-group as defined by Bolton (1981) for the Afrotropical fauna and the workers described above from Oman, could not be successfully determined using the keys of Bolton (1981) for the Afrotropical Meranoplus fauna. The new species is most similar to the sole known Arabian species, M. pulcher, especially in relative size, the well-developed anterior, posterior promesonotal and propodeal spines, the sculpture of the promesonotal shield, and the petiole and postpetiole profiles. Moreover, M. mosalahi can be easily distinguished by the bicolored body, the shallowly concave or straight anterior clypeal margin, the comparatively reduced anterior clypeal teeth, the weakly sculptured clypeal surface, the fewer irregular interrupted longitudinal cephalic rugae (12), and the smooth anterior face of the petiolar node. Meranoplus pulcher has a uniformly yellow body, rarely some specimens with postpetiole and posterior margin of first gastral tergite brown, a strongly concave anterior clypeal margin with a well-developed pair of clypeal teeth, dense longitudinal continuous cephalic rugae (20), and a finely punctate anterior face of petiolar node.

Superficially, M. mosalahi is similar also to M. magrettii André, 1884 from Sudan but the new species can be separated by the distinctly bicolored body and the strongly concave posterior margin of the promesonotal shield seen in dorsal view, which makes the posterior spines more acute, whereas M. magrettii has a uniform yellow to yellow-brown body, and the posterior margin of the promesonotal shield is feebly concave in dorsal view which makes the posterior spines short and blunt.

Ecological and biological notes. The type locality (Fig. 5) of the new species is a shaded area with ample small shrubs and grasses. Most of the type series were relatively slow moving and were foraging on the ground where the soil was moderately humid. Some workers were collected by sweeping net.

Figure 5: Type locality of M. mosalahisp. n., (M. Sharaf photo).

Geographic range. Meranoplus is recorded for the first time from the Arabian Peninsula by the species M. pulcher from the Asir Mountains, KSA (Sharaf, Al Dhafer & Aldawood, 2014). Meranoplus mosalahi currently is known only from Oman and represents the first record of the genus from that country.