Taxonomic Studies of Ants Species Collected in Khartoum State By: Awatif Khidir Omer Yousif El Hag A Thesis Submitted to the Department of Zoology infulfillment Master of Science in Zoology Zoology Department, Faculty of Science University of Khartoum December, 200 © Awatif Khidir Omer Dedication To soul of my brother To my Beloved Family Awatif I Acknowledgements It gives me a great pleasure to thank all those who contributed advice and help in this work. It is appropriate to mention several people who made suggestions, and provided editing. Deep gratitude is due to my supervisor Dr. Tigani M.H.Allam for his help, discussions and encouragement, thanks go to Dr. Sumaia Abukashwa for her help and advice. I would like to express my gratitude to Al-Zubair Mohammed Salih Prize for Innovation and Scientific Excellence for generous financial support. I am greatly indebted to Marcus Stuben (University of Wurzburg Germany, for providing me with some books and articles which were not available in Sudan. Many thanks to Dr. Mustafa Rizig from Egypt for his kind assistance, provision of books, and journals, for his keen guidance encouragement and his promise to help to put in the name of Sudan at the website of ants, thanks go to Dr. Collingwood of Liverpool Museum who identified some of the ants to species level. Of the all, thanks are especially extending to Dr. Brian Taylor (University of Nottingham- UK) for his great assistance in identification some of the ants to species level. II Also thanks to Dr. Brian Fisher (California Academy of Sciences-USA), who identified some ants to the species level and imaged the ants to put it at the website www.antweb.org as ants of Sudan. I thank also Dr. Donat Agosti (American Musem of Natural History and Smithsonian Institution) who sent me the satellite map of Khartoum State, and thanks to his wife Livia Agosti (Deputy Head of the Political Affairs Division II African/Middle East) for delivering my specimens to Dr. Brain Fisher. Thanks to the Remote Sensing Centre (University of Khartoum) for locating collection site of the specimen in satellite map. Thanks to Dr. Abdullah Gomaa who gave me the GPS (Global Position System), to Dr. Zuhair Nour Eldeim for his advice and to Dr. Omran Fadl for his help. Not least but last, thanks are due to my colleagues in the Sudan Institute for Natural Sciences (SIFNS) for their encouragement and help with typing the thesis. III Table of Contents Contents Page Dedication……………………………………………………..……. I Acknowledgements………………………..…………………….….. II Table of Contents……………………………………………………. IV List of Tables…………………………………………..………........ IX List of Figures……………………………………..…………….….. X List of Plates………………………………………………………… XI list of Appendices XIII ................................................................................ Abstract………………………………………….…………….……. XIV Chapter 1: Introduction………………...…………………….… 1 1.1. Social Organization…………………….………………..…….. 1 1.2. Feeding ………………………………………………...…. 2 1.3. Objective of this study ……………………………………..….. 3 Chapter 2: Literature Review…………………………..…………..... 4 2.1. The Importance of ants ………………………………………… 4 2.2. Family Formicidae 5 ……………………………………………. 2.2.1. Main Differential Anatomical Features of 5 Formicidae…….. 2.2.2. Taxonomy …………………………………………….…… 10 2.2.3. The Classification and Origin 10 ……………………………… 2.2.4. Subfamilies 11 ………………………………………………… IV 2.3. The Ants of Sudan 15 ……………………………………………… 2.3.1. History and Geography 15 ………………………………….. 2.4. Genera 18 …………………………………………………………. 2.4.1. Cardiocondyla …………………………………………….. 18 2.4.2. 18 Crematogaster……………………………………………… 2.4.3. 18 Monomorium……………………………………………………… 2.4.3.1. Monomorium bicolor Emery 19 (1877)………………………. 2.4.3.2. Monomorium areniphilium Santschi 19 (1911)…………….. 2.4.3.3. Monomorium destrctor Jerdon (1851) ……………….. 19 2.4.3.4. Monomorium mayri Forel (1902) …………………….. 19 2.4.3.5. Monomorium salomonis Linnaeus (1758) ……………. 20 2.4.4. Pheidole …………………………………………………… 20 2.4.5. Tetramorium …………………………………………………….. 20 2.4.5.1. Tetramorium sericeiventris Emery 21 (1877)………….…….. 2.4.6. Camponotus …………………………………………….….. 21 2.4.6.1.Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) maculates Fabricius (1781) 21 2.4.6.2.Camponotus (Orthonotomyrmex)sericeus Fabricius 21 (1798)………………………………………………… … V 2.4.7. Cataglyphis 22 ………………………………………………………. 2.4.8. Lepisiota 22 …………………………………………………………. 2.4.9. Paratrechina 22 …………………………………………………….. 2.4.10. Anochetus 22 ………………………………………………………. 2.4.1.1. Pachycondyla ………………….………………………… 23 2.5. 23 Karyotyping……………………………………………………… 2.5.1. Chromosomes 23 ……………………………………………… 2.5.2. Somatic chromosomes 24 …………………………………….. 2.5.3. Karyotypes ………………………………………………… 24 2.5.3.1. Karyotpye Study of Ants 24 Chromosomes………………... 2.5.3.2. Karyotpye study of Genus Camponotus 24 …………………. Chapter 3: Material and Methods…………………..………………… 30 3.1. Collection 30 Sites……………………………………………...…… VI 3.2. Specimen collection 32 ……………………………………….……. 3.3. Key used in identification 32 ………………………………..……… 3.4. Karyotyping 32 …………………………………………….……….. Chapter 4: 34 Results……………………………………….…..…………. 4.1. Subfamily: Myrmicinae 37 …………………………………….…… 4.1.1. Genus: Cardiocondyla ………………..…………………… 37 4.1.1.1. Characteristics 37 …………………………………….……. 4.1.1.2. Cardiocondyla emeryi Forel (1881) 37 ……………………. 4.1.1.3. Cardiocondyla elegans Emery (1969) 37 ……………….… 4.1.2. Genus: Crematogaster ……... 39 ……………….…………….. 4.1.2.1. Characteristics 39 ………………………………………………. 4.1.2.2. Crematogaster mimosae Santschi 1914 39 …………….….. 4.1.3. Genus: Monomorium 39 ………………………………………. 4.1.3.1. Characteristics 39 ………………………………………………. 4.1.3.2. Monomorium bicolor Emery (1877) 39 VII …………………… 4.1.3.3. Monomorium areniphilum Santschi 41 (1911)…………..… 4.1.3.4. Monomorium destructor Jerdon 41 (1851)…………….….. 4.1.3.5. Monomorium mayri Forel (1902) 41 ………………….….. 4.1.3.6. Monomorium salomonis Linnaeus (1758) 41 …………….. 4.1.4. Genus: Pheidole 41 ……………………………………….…… 4.1.4.1.Characteristics 41 ……………………………………………….. 4.1.4.2. Pheidole sinaitica Mayr (1862) 42 ……………………….. 4.1.4.3. Pheidole pallidula Nylander (1849) 42 ……………………. 4.1.4.4. Pheidole indica Mayr 42 1879………………….………… 4.1.5.Genus: Tetramorium 44 ……………………………….……….. 4.1.5.1.Characteristics 44 ……………………………………………….. 4.1.5.2. Tetramorium sericeventre Emery 44 (1877)……………….. 4.2. Subfamily: Formicinae 44 ……………………………………..…… 4.2.1. Genus: 44 Camponotus……………………………………….…….. VIII 4.2.1.1.Characteristics 44 ………………………………………………. 4.2.1.2. Camponotus oasium Forel (1890)……………………… 45 4.2.1.3.Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) maculatus Fabricius 45 (1781). ………………………………………………… 4.2.1.4.Camponotus (Orthonomyrmex)sericeus Fabricius 45 (1798). 4.2.1.5. Camponotus (Myrmopiromis) niveoetosus Mayr (1862). 45 4.2.1.6. Camponotus species 45 5.………………………………….. 4.2.1.7. Camponotus species 6. 45 …………………………………. 4.2.2. Genus: 47 Cataglyphis…………………………………………. 4.2.2.1. Characteristics ………………………………………….. 47 4.2.2.2. Cataglyphis desertorum Forel 47 (1894)……………………... 4.2.2.3. Cataglphis lividus Andre (1881) …………….………… 47 4.2.3. Genus: Lepisiota………………………………………………… 47 4.2.3.1. 47 Characteristics……………………………………………….. 4.2.3.2. Lepisiota gracilicornis Forel 1892 48 …………………….. 4.2.3.3. Lepisiota semenovi Ruzsky (1905) ……………………. 48 4.2.4. Genus: Paratrechina 48 ………………………..……………… 4.2.4.1. Characteristics ………………………………………….. 48 4.2.4.2. Paratrechina longicornis Latreille (1802) ………..……. 48 4.3. Subfamily: Ponerinae 51 IX ……………………………………………. 4.3.1. Genus: Anochetus 51 ……………………………………………….. 4.3.1.1. Characteristics …………………………………………. 51 4.3.1.2. Anochetus traegaordhi Mayr (1904) 51 …………………… 4.3.2. Genus: 51 Pachycondyla……………………………………………. 4.3.2.2. Pachycondyla sennaarensis Mayr 52 (1862)………………. 4.4. Karyotypes of Camponotus (Myrmopiromis) niveoetosus and 52 Camponotus species 6 ………………………………………… 4.4.1.Camponotus (Myrmopiromis) niveoetosus 52 ………………… 4.4.2. Camponotus sp6 …………………………………………. 52 Chapter 5: Discussion ………………..……………..……………….. 56 References ………………………………..…………………………… 58 Appendices ……………………………………..…………………….. 66 X List of Tables Table Page Table I: Imatong Mountain Ants…………………………….. 17 Table II: Species of Ants Recorded From Northern Sudan…… 26 Table III: GPS reading of collection sites …………………….. 33 Table IV: Species of Ants found in Khartoum 34 State…………… List of Figures Figure Page Figure 1: Main Features of the Head of Formicidae ……………. 6 Figure. 2: Anatomical Features of a Generalized Ant…………… 7 Figure. 3: Anatomical Features of a Generalized Ant …………… 8 Figure. 4: Anatomical Features of a Generalized Ant……………. 9 Figure (5): Genus: Cardiocondyla ……………………………… 37 Figure (6): Genus: Crematogaster ………………………………. 39 Figure (7): Genus: Monomorium ………………………………… 39 Figure (8): Genus: Phediole ……………………………………... 42 Figure (9): Genus: Tertamorium ………………………………… 45 Figure (10): Genus: Camponotus ……………………………….. 45 Figure (11): Genus: Cataglyphis ………………………………… 48 Figure (12): Genus : Lepisiota…………………………………… 48 Figure (13): Genus : Paratrechina ……………………………… 49 Figure (14): Genus: Anochetus………………………………...... 52 Figure (15): Genus : Pachycondyla……………………………. 53 Figure (16 a): A spread metaphase plate. The number of 53 chromosomes was 2n=21……………………… Figure (16 b): An Idiogram of Somatic Chromosomes of 53 Camponotus niveoetosus arranged in pairs……. Figure (17 a): A spread metaphase plate. The number of 54 chromosomes was 2n=25 XI Figure (17b): An Idiogram of Somatic Chromosomes of 54 Camponotus species6 arranged in pairs……. XII List of Plates Plate (I): Acacia fistula Tree……………………………… Plate (Π): Nest of Aphenomyrmex sp……………………………………… Plate (III): Map Showing Location of Khartoum State……………… Plate (IV): Satellite Map