Workers are slender, long-legged ants roughly 8–12 mm long.
Fine-art photographic collection
Cataglyphis bombycina
The silver desert ant that runs across sand near the upper thermal limit of animal life.
About this species
Saharan silver ant
Cataglyphis bombycina(Roger, 1859)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Cataglyphis bombycina is a Sahara specialist whose silvery hairs reflect sunlight and radiate heat. Workers make rapid solitary searches for arthropods killed by the desert surface.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Formicidae · Cataglyphis
Source checked · checked 2026-07-15
Sahara, Sinai and Arabian desertsBroad documented localities — not a complete range map.
Sahara, Sinai and arid parts of the Arabian Peninsula.
Open sand desert and sparsely vegetated dune systems.
Extremely heat-tolerant and active during brief periods when the surface is hot enough to suppress many predators.
Mainly scavenged arthropods that have died or become incapacitated by heat.
Subterranean nests protect the colony from daytime extremes; workers forage individually without persistent pheromone trails.
What makes this species remarkable?
Triangular silver hairs reflect visible and near-infrared light while improving thermal radiation.
Long legs elevate the body above the hottest air immediately next to the sand.
Workers navigate rapidly using celestial cues and path integration so exposure time remains short.
Sources and scientific references
More photographs
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