''Cataglyphis'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of ...

, desert ants, in the subfamily

Formicinae The Formicinae are a subfamily within the Formicidae containing ants of moderate evolutionary development. Formicines retain some primitive features, such as the presence of cocoons around pupae, the presence of ocelli in workers, and lit ...

. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several other ''Cataglyphis'' species, sustain body temperatures up to 50°C. Cataglyphis is also the name of an autonomous rover that won the NASA Sample Return Robot Centennial Challenge inspired by the navigation approaches used by desert ants.

Name

It was named in 1850, with reference to the impressions of its abdomen: "Von χατά und γλυψίς der Einschnitt. Eine Andeutung auf die vielen Einschnitte oder vielmehr Eindrücke de Hinterleibs."

Description

Species of this genus are behaviourally, morphologically, and

physiologically Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical a ...

adapted to dry and hot habitats.

Navigational behaviour

In the Sahara, ants live where no bushes or clumps of grass are available to protect them, and where tracks are covered by wind-blown sand in seconds. The midday sun is so hot that even the permanent residents, sand lizards, insects, and a few birds, have to take shelter, but this is when, for not much more than an hour, ''Cataglyphis'' spp. are to come out of their underground nests and forage. They can withstand higher temperatures than any other insects. They pour out on to the sand and search for insects that have died of heat stress. Each ant dashes about in zigzag patterns, but as soon as one is lucky enough to find a tiny insect corpse, it has to get it back to the nest fast before the ant dies of the heat. It does not retrace the zig-zagging path of its outward journey; even if a scent trail made this possible, such a route would be time-wasting. Instead, it runs in a straight line directly back to its nest hole. On its outward journey, it zig-zags right and left. Every time it changes direction, it lifts its head and wheels around to take a bearing on the sun. In addition, it has to remember how far it went on each straight run. When time to head for home, it has to sum all these data and come out with the precise direction needed. Some outward journeys take an ant a quarter of an hour, with sun sightings every few seconds. In an experiment, individual ants were fitted with an apparatus that blocked direct sight of the sun, while giving a false impression of where the sun was, using a mirror. When these ants headed for home, they dashed off to a point in the desert displaced by just the amount that the mirror had shifted the sun's position.

Distribution

At least five different species of ''Cataglyphis'' occur in the

Sahara Desert , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

, which may be considered the center of distribution for this genus. Five species also occur in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. Some species reach into southern

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

, southern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

, the former

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

, the European part of

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

, and the Aral- Caspian area near Tijanchan.

Parthenogenesis

Queen ants of the species ''C. cursor'' can produce female reproductive progeny (i.e. potential new queens or

gyne The gyne (, from Greek γυνή, "woman") is the primary reproductive female caste of social insects (especially ants, wasps, and bees of order Hymenoptera, as well as termites). Gynes are those destined to become queens, whereas female workers ...

s) by

parthenogenesis Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek grc, παρθένος, translit=parthénos, lit=virgin, label=none + grc, γένεσις, translit=génesis, lit=creation, label=none) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which growth and developmen ...

. Parthenogenesis, in this case, involves, a process (automictic thelytoky) by which two haploid products of

meiosis Meiosis (; , since it is a reductional division) is a special type of cell division of germ cells in sexually-reproducing organisms that produces the gametes, such as sperm or egg cells. It involves two rounds of division that ultimately ...

fuse to form a diploid

zygote A zygote (, ) is a eukaryotic cell formed by a fertilization event between two gametes. The zygote's genome is a combination of the DNA in each gamete, and contains all of the genetic information of a new individual organism. In multicell ...

that develops into a gyne. Queens can also produce female worker ants by sexual reproduction involving

fertilisation Fertilisation or fertilization (see spelling differences), also known as generative fertilisation, syngamy and impregnation, is the fusion of gametes to give rise to a new individual organism or offspring and initiate its development. Pro ...

of eggs.

Species

*''

Cataglyphis abyssinica ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several ot ...

'' (Forel, 1904) *''

Cataglyphis acutinodis ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several ot ...

'' Collingwood & Agosti, 1996 *''

Cataglyphis adenensis ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several o ...

'' (Forel, 1904) *''

Cataglyphis aenescens ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several o ...

'' (Nylander, 1849) *''

Cataglyphis agostii ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several ot ...

'' Sharaf, 2007 *''

Cataglyphis albicans ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several oth ...

'' (Roger, 1859) *''

Cataglyphis alibabae ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several othe ...

'' Pisarski, 1965 *''

Cataglyphis altisquamis ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several othe ...

'' (André, 1881) *'' Cataglyphis arenaria'' Finzi, 1940 *''

Cataglyphis argentata ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several o ...

'' (Radoszkowsky, 1876) *''

Cataglyphis asiriensis ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several othe ...

'' Collingwood, 1985 *'' Cataglyphis aurata'' Menozzi, 1932 *''

Cataglyphis bellicosa ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several othe ...

'' (Karavaiev, 1924) *'' Cataglyphis bergiana'' Arnol'di, 1964 *''

Cataglyphis bicolor ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several ot ...

'' (Fabricius, 1793) — Sahara Desert ant *''

Cataglyphis bicoloripes ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several othe ...

'' Walker, 1871 *'' Cataglyphis bombycina'' (Roger, 1859) — Saharan silver ant *'' Cataglyphis bucharica'' Emery, 1925 *'' Cataglyphis cana'' Santschi, 1925 *'' Cataglyphis cinnamomea'' (Karavaiev, 1910) *'' Cataglyphis cugiai'' Menozzi, 1939 *''

Cataglyphis cuneinodis ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several o ...

'' Arnol'di, 1964 *''

Cataglyphis cursor ''Cataglyphis cursor'' is a species of ant in the genus '' Cataglyphis''. Described in 1846, it is known only from the Mediterranean parts of France. Reproduction Parthenogenesis is a natural form of reproduction in which growth and developmen ...

'' (Fonscolombe, 1846) *'' Cataglyphis diehlii'' (Forel, 1902) *''

Cataglyphis douwesi ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several othe ...

'' De Haro & Collingwood, 2000 *''

Cataglyphis elegantissima ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several othe ...

'' Arnol'di, 1968 *''

Cataglyphis emeryi ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several othe ...

'' (Karavaiev, 1911) *''

Cataglyphis emmae ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several othe ...

'' (Forel, 1909) *''

Cataglyphis espadaleri ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several ot ...

'' Cagniant, 2009 *'' Cataglyphis flavitibia'' Chang & He, 2002 *'' Cataglyphis flavobrunnea'' Collingwood & Agosti, 1996 *''

Cataglyphis floricola ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several o ...

'' Tinaut, 1993 *'' Cataglyphis foreli'' (Ruzsky, 1903) *''

Cataglyphis fortis ''Cataglyphis fortis'' is a species of ant in the subfamily Formicinae. Found in Tunisia, the ants inhabit salt pans where they forage dead arthropods. Navigation skills and internal pedometer Measuring the sun's angle This ant ventures far f ...

'' (Forel, 1902) — Sahara desert *'' Cataglyphis fossilis'' Cagniant, 2009 *'' Cataglyphis frigida'' (André, 1881) *'' Cataglyphis gadeai'' De Haro & Collingwood, 2003 *'' Cataglyphis gaetula'' Santschi, 1929 *''

Cataglyphis glabilabia ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several othe ...

'' Chang & He, 2002 *'' Cataglyphis gracilens'' Santschi, 1929 *''

Cataglyphis hannae ''Cataglyphis hannae'' is a species of ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. ...

'' Agosti, 1994 —

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*'' Cataglyphis harteni'' Collingwood & Agosti, 1996 *'' Cataglyphis helanensis'' Chang & He, 2002 *'' Cataglyphis holgerseni'' Collingwood & Agosti, 1996 *''

Cataglyphis humeya ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several othe ...

'' Tinaut, 1991 *'' Cataglyphis iberica'' (Emery, 1906) *'' Cataglyphis indica'' Pisarski, 1962 *'' Cataglyphis isis'' (Forel, 1913) *''

Cataglyphis israelensis ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several o ...

'' Ionescu & Eyer, 2016 *''

Cataglyphis italica ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several o ...

'' (Emery, 1906) *''

Cataglyphis karakalensis ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several ot ...

'' Arnol'di, 1964 *''

Cataglyphis kurdistanica ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several ot ...

'' Pisarski, 1965 *'' Cataglyphis laevior'' Santschi, 1929 *'' Cataglyphis laylae'' Collingwood, 2011 *''

Cataglyphis livida ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several ot ...

'' (André, 1881) *''

Cataglyphis longipedem ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several ot ...

'' (Eichwald, 1841) *''

Cataglyphis lunatica ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several ot ...

'' Baroni Urbani, 1969 *'' Cataglyphis machmal'' Radchenko & Arakelian, 1991 *'' Cataglyphis marroui'' Cagniant, 2009 *''

Cataglyphis mauritanica ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several o ...

'' (Emery, 1906) *''

Cataglyphis minima ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several ot ...

'' Collingwood, 1985 *'' Cataglyphis nigra'' (André, 1881) *'' Cataglyphis nigripes'' Arnol'di, 1964 *''

Cataglyphis nodus ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several o ...

'' (Brullé, 1833) —

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see names in other languages) is one of the four historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, str ...

*''

Cataglyphis oasium ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several o ...

'' Menozzi, 1932 *''

Cataglyphis opacior ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several othe ...

'' Collingwood & Agosti, 1996 *'' Cataglyphis otini'' Santschi, 1929 *''

Cataglyphis oxiana ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several ot ...

'' Arnol'di, 1964 *'' Cataglyphis pallida'' Mayr, 1877 *''

Cataglyphis piligera ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several o ...

'' Arnol'di, 1964 *'' Cataglyphis piliscapa'' (Forel, 1901) *''

Cataglyphis pilisquamis ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several othe ...

'' Santschi, 1929 *''

Cataglyphis pubescens ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several o ...

'' Radchenko & Paknia, 2010 *''

Cataglyphis rosenhaueri ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several ot ...

'' Santschi, 1925 *'' Cataglyphis rubra'' (Forel, 1903) *'' Cataglyphis sabulosa'' Kugler, 1981 *''

Cataglyphis saharae ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several o ...

'' Santschi, 1929 *'' Cataglyphis savignyi'' (Dufour, 1862) — Sahara desert *'' Cataglyphis semitonsa'' Santschi, 1929 *'' Cataglyphis setipes'' (Forel, 1894) *'' Cataglyphis shuaibensis'' Collingwood & Agosti, 1996 *'' Cataglyphis stigmata'' Radchenko & Paknia, 2010 *''

Cataglyphis tartessica ''Cataglyphis tartessica'' is an ant species of the genus ''Cataglyphis'', it is endemic to Spain, mostly Western Andalucia, in the provinces of Huelva Huelva (, ) is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in th ...

'' Amor & Ortega, 2014 *'' Cataglyphis takyrica'' Dlussky, Soyunov & Zabelin, 1990 *'' Cataglyphis theryi'' Santschi, 1921 *''

Cataglyphis urens ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several ot ...

'' Collingwood, 1985 *'' Cataglyphis vaucheri'' (Emery, 1906) *''

Cataglyphis velox ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several o ...

'' Santschi, 1929 *'' Cataglyphis viatica'' (Fabricius, 1787) *''

Cataglyphis viaticoides ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several othe ...

'' (André, 1881) *'' Cataglyphis zakharovi'' Radchenko, 1997

References

External links

* * YouTube
Video of ''Cataglyphis'' catching prey in the Sahara desert
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2514739 Formicinae Ant genera Taxa named by Arnold Förster Taxonomy articles created by Polbot