taxonID	type	description	language	source
202B87DFFF9C6644E2CB8A8253B74515.taxon	materials_examined	Holotype worker. Oman: Dhofar: Dhalkout, 16.70703 ◦ N, 53.25068 ◦ E, 34 m, 19. xi. 2017, SF, (M. R. Sharaf), CASENT 0845901, [KSMA]. Paratype workers. 12 w, same data as the holotype, 1 aberrant worker with reduced postpetiole, KSMA; 1 w, [WMLC], 1 w, CASENT 0922861, [CASC]; Dhofar: Agdaroot, 17.088833 ◦ N, 54.442 ◦ E, 18. xi. 2017, SW, (A. Mostafa), (3 w), [KSMA].	en	Sharaf, Mostafa R., Aldawood, Abdulrahman S. (2019): Review of the ant genus Meranoplus Smith, 1853 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula with description of a new species M. mosalahi sp. n. from Oman. PeerJ 7, No. e 6287: 1-20, DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6287, URL: http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6287
202B87DFFF9C6644E2CB8A8253B74515.taxon	diagnosis	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.	en	Sharaf, Mostafa R., Aldawood, Abdulrahman S. (2019): Review of the ant genus Meranoplus Smith, 1853 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula with description of a new species M. mosalahi sp. n. from Oman. PeerJ 7, No. e 6287: 1-20, DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6287, URL: http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6287
202B87DFFF9C6644E2CB8A8253B74515.taxon	description	Holotype worker. Measurements. ATL 1.10; ATW 0.87; CDD 0.20; CW 0.27; EL 0.17; EW 0.12; HL 0.65; HLA 0.30; HW 0.62; PML 0.65; PPH 0.25; PPL 0.20; PTH 0.30; PTL 0.20; PWA 0.65; PWP 0.42; SL 0.60; SPL 0.20; TL 3.12; WL 0.80. Indices. CI 95; CS 0.63; EYE 46; OMI 57; PMI 100; PPI 80; PTI 67; PWI 65; SEI 28; SI 97. Paratype workers. Measurements. ATL 1.03 1.37; ATW 0.87 1.37; CDD 0.12 0.25; CW 0.22 0.30; EL 0.17 0.27; EW 0.12 0.17; HL 0.62 0.82; HLA 0.25 0.30; HW 0.62 0.75; PML 0.57 0.80; PPH 0.22 0.32; PPL 0.12 0.25; PTH 0.25 0.42; PTL 0.12 0.20; PWA 0.62 0.82; PWP 0.30 0.50; SL 0.50 0.62; SPL 0.20 0.30; TL 2.92 3.85; WL 0.75 0.87. Indices. CI [85 108]; CS 0.63 0.78; EYE 41 61; OMI 57 108; PMI 89 132; PPI 50 100; PTI 32 - 80; PWI 40 74; SEI 27 45; SI 73 100 (n = 15). Description. Worker (Figs. 3 A 3 C). 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 areolaterugose; 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. 4 A 4 C). 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. Queen and male. Unknown.	en	Sharaf, Mostafa R., Aldawood, Abdulrahman S. (2019): Review of the ant genus Meranoplus Smith, 1853 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula with description of a new species M. mosalahi sp. n. from Oman. PeerJ 7, No. e 6287: 1-20, DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6287, URL: http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6287
202B87DFFF9C6644E2CB8A8253B74515.taxon	etymology	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.	en	Sharaf, Mostafa R., Aldawood, Abdulrahman S. (2019): Review of the ant genus Meranoplus Smith, 1853 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula with description of a new species M. mosalahi sp. n. from Oman. PeerJ 7, No. e 6287: 1-20, DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6287, URL: http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6287
202B87DFFF9C6644E2CB8A8253B74515.taxon	discussion	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. 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.	en	Sharaf, Mostafa R., Aldawood, Abdulrahman S. (2019): Review of the ant genus Meranoplus Smith, 1853 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula with description of a new species M. mosalahi sp. n. from Oman. PeerJ 7, No. e 6287: 1-20, DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6287, URL: http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6287
202B87DFFF936642E2CB880054604048.taxon	materials_examined	Meranoplus pulcher Sharaf, 2014: 4, figa. 1 11 (w.), Holotype worker, KSA, Shada Al Ala, 19 ◦ 51.0660 N, 41 ◦ 18.0370 E, 1,325 m, 23. iv. 2014, PT, (Al Dhafer et al.), [KSMA], Afrotropic, [examined].	en	Sharaf, Mostafa R., Aldawood, Abdulrahman S. (2019): Review of the ant genus Meranoplus Smith, 1853 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula with description of a new species M. mosalahi sp. n. from Oman. PeerJ 7, No. e 6287: 1-20, DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6287, URL: http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6287
202B87DFFF936642E2CB880054604048.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. Meranoplus pulcher is diagnosed by the following characters: anterior clypeal margin strongly concave with one pair of well-developed blunt teeth; clypeal surface distinctly sculptured, with 3 pairs of longitudinal rugae; the inner bulge of the eye extends well into the scrobal cavity, and, in full-face view, the scrobe is broadly visible; cephalic surface to posterior level of eyes with relatively dense, longitudinally continuous rugae (about 20 rugae); cephalic surface between rugae unsculptured; anterior face of the petiolar node finely superficially punctate; posterior face of the petiolar node distinctly longitudinally rugulose; color uniform yellow.	en	Sharaf, Mostafa R., Aldawood, Abdulrahman S. (2019): Review of the ant genus Meranoplus Smith, 1853 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula with description of a new species M. mosalahi sp. n. from Oman. PeerJ 7, No. e 6287: 1-20, DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6287, URL: http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6287
202B87DFFF936642E2CB880054604048.taxon	description	Worker. Measurements. ATL 0.97 1.15; ATW 1.02 1.22; CDD 0.12 0.15; CW 0.22 0.30; EL 0.17 0.22; EW 0.12 0.15; HL 0.77 0.87; HLA 0.25 0.30; HW 0.67 0.82; PML 0.40 0.52; PPH 0.25 0.35; PPL 0.15 0.22; PTH 0.30 0.42; PTL 0.12 0.20; PWA 0.62 0.75; PWP 0.37 0.47; SL 0.47 0.62; SPL 0.17 0.22; TL 3.20 3.70; WL 0.75 0.87. Indices. CI [87 94]; CS 0.72 0.84; EYE 38 47; OMI 63 - 80; PMI 144 155; PPI 60 - 80; PTI 40 - 54; PWI 82 96; SEI 28 43; SI 67 83 (n = 6). Worker (Figs. 6 A 6 C). Head. Head slightly longer than broad with convex sides and straight posterior margin; anterior clypeal margin strongly concave with one pair of long and acute teeth; the inner bulge of the eye extends well into the scrobal cavity, and, in full-face view, the scrobe is broadly visible; mandibles armed with four teeth; eyes relatively large (EYE 38 47) with 12 ommatidia in the longest row; scapes when laid back from their insertions just reach posterior margin of eyes; scrobal carinae welldeveloped. Mesosoma. Anterior pronotal corners armed with a pair of short triangular teeth; promesonotal shield distinctly broader than long (PMI 144 155) 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 broad anterior margin and a narrow acute dorsum; petiolar and postpetiolar anteroventral processes present. Postpetiole. Nodiform, higher than long in profile. Sculpture. Mandibles longitudinally striated; cephalic dorsum densely and finely longitudinally regularly rugulose, with about 20 rugae; cephalic surface between rugae unsculptured; posterior margin areolate-rugose or with numerous cross-meshes; promesonotal shield, anterior face of petiolar node finely superficially punctate, sides transversally rugulose; posterior face of petiolar node distinctly longitudinally rugulose (more than 10 rugae); postpetiolar node reticulate-rugulose; first gastral tergite finely and densely shagreened. Pilosity. Whole body surface covered with fine, pale, profuse hairs. Color. Uniform yellow, in some specimens, postpetiole and posterior margin of first gastral tergite brown. Queen (Figs. 7 A 7 C). Measurements. ATL 2.05; ATW 1.55; CDD 0.12; CW 0.37; EL 0.30; EW 0.17; HL 0.95; HLA 0.25; HW 1.07; PML 1.37; PPH 0.42; PPL 0.35; PTH 0.50; PTL 0.32; PWA 1.15; SL 0.70; SPL 0.25; TL 5.5; WL 1.55. Indices. CI 113; CS 1.01; OMI 120; PMI 84; PPI 83; PTI 64; SEI 43; SI 65 (n = 1). Head. Head distinctly broader than long with straight posterior margin in full-face view; eyes large (EL 0. 28 × HW); scapes short (SI 65) when laid back from their insertions just reach posterior level of eye midlength; antennal scrobes deep; anterior clypeal margin distinctly concave with prominent pair of blunt denticles. Mesosoma. Propodeal spines well-developed and sharply pointed. Petiole. Sessile, cuneate in profile, 1. 5 × higher than long in profile. Postpetiole. Postpetiole 1. 2 × higher than long in profile; petiole and postpetiole each without ventral processes. Sculpture. Cephalic surface longitudinally regularly rugulose, with interspaces between rugulae densely punctate and dull; clypeus smooth; mandibles longitudinally rugulose; three distinct oblique rugae at the middle of antennal scrobes; pronotum punctate and dull; mesosomal dorsum faintly but distinctly longitudinally rugulose; mesopleura smooth and shining; propodeal dorsum and sides transversally rugulose; anterior face of petiole unsculptured; posterior and lateral faces of petiole, entire postpetiole, and gaster densely punctate and dull. Pilosity. Cephalic pilosity profuse and relatively long; anterior clypeal margin and mandibles with dense long hairs; mesosomal dorsum with profuse hairs; anterior face of petiole without hairs; petiole and postpetiole dorsum with dense hairs. Color. Uniformly yellow.	en	Sharaf, Mostafa R., Aldawood, Abdulrahman S. (2019): Review of the ant genus Meranoplus Smith, 1853 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula with description of a new species M. mosalahi sp. n. from Oman. PeerJ 7, No. e 6287: 1-20, DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6287, URL: http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6287
202B87DFFF936642E2CB880054604048.taxon	biology_ecology	Habitat. Meranoplus pulcher was collected near Acacia trees in the southwestern mountains of the KSA where soil is typically dry in an area with abundant grasses and shrubs. Material examined.	en	Sharaf, Mostafa R., Aldawood, Abdulrahman S. (2019): Review of the ant genus Meranoplus Smith, 1853 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula with description of a new species M. mosalahi sp. n. from Oman. PeerJ 7, No. e 6287: 1-20, DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6287, URL: http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6287
202B87DFFF936642E2CB880054604048.taxon	distribution	Saudi Arabia: Asir Province, Raydah: 18 ◦ 11.7490 N, 42 ◦ 23.3450 E, 1614 m, 26. viii. 2014, 1 paratype w., unique specimen identifier CASENT 0914336, in CASC; 18 ◦ 11.7490 N, 42 ◦ 23.3450 E, 1614 m, 28. iv. 2014, 1 w; 18 ◦ 11.6180 N, 42 ◦ 23.4200 E, 1772 m, 26. viii. 2014, 4 w; Al Baha Province, Shada Al Ala: 19 ◦ 50.5750 N, 41 ◦ 18.6910 E, 1666 m, 23. viii. 2014, 3 w; 19 ◦ 50.4110 N, 41 ◦ 18.6860 E, 1611 m, 23. viii. 2014, 9 w; 19 ◦ 50.3290 N, 41 ◦ 18.6040 E, 1563 m, 23. vii. 2014, 3 w, 1 q (CASENT 0922279); 19 ◦ 50.7100 N, 41 ◦ 18.2670 E, 1474 m, 23. viii. 2014, 5 w; 19 ◦ 51.0660 N, 41 ◦ 18.0370 E, 1,325 m, 23. viii. 2014, 5 w, all previous material are collected by Al Dhafer et al. by using PT and deposited in KSMA.	en	Sharaf, Mostafa R., Aldawood, Abdulrahman S. (2019): Review of the ant genus Meranoplus Smith, 1853 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula with description of a new species M. mosalahi sp. n. from Oman. PeerJ 7, No. e 6287: 1-20, DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6287, URL: http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6287
