Ants of the species-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula with description of a new species from southwestern Saudi Arabia.

We revise the taxonomy of the myrmicine ants of the species-group for the Arabian Peninsula. Six species are recognized:  Collingwood & Agosti, 1996,  André, 1881,  Forel, 1894, .  Bolton, 1987, sp. n., and Sharaf & Aldawood, 2013. On the basis of the worker caste, we describe sp. n. from the southwestern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). We designate a neotype for Collingwood & Agosti and redescribe and illustrate the worker caste. Furthermore, we provide a worker-based species identification key, distribution maps for the treated species, and ecological and biological notes, if available. is recorded for the first time from the KSA. Also, we propose var. Santschi, 1915a as a junior synonym of , as well as  Aldawood & Sharaf, 2011 and  Collingwood & Agosti, 1996 to be treated as junior synonyms of .