Slender medium-sized workers with long legs; exact measurements vary among worker sizes.
Fine-art photographic collection
Cataglyphis pallida
A heat-adapted runner navigating open Central Asian ground.
About this species
Pale desert ant
Cataglyphis pallidaMayr, 1877
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Cataglyphis pallida is a pale desert ant of Central Asia. Like other Cataglyphis, it forages individually across exposed ground, using visual compass information and path integration to return directly to the nest.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Formicidae · Formicinae · Cataglyphini · Cataglyphis
Source checked · checked 2026-07-15
Central Asian arid zoneBroad documented localities — not a complete range map.
Central Asian arid regions.
Desert, semi-desert, saline steppe and sparsely vegetated open ground.
Diurnal and heat tolerant, though activity remains restricted by extreme surface temperature.
Mostly scavenged arthropods, particularly insects disabled or killed by heat.
Subterranean nests protect brood and workers from rapid surface-temperature changes.
What makes this species remarkable?
Workers can return by a direct route after a winding search.
Long legs raise the body above the hottest air immediately next to the ground.
Pale coloration reduces absorption of solar radiation.
Sources and scientific references
More photographs
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