Monomorium esharre

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Monomorium esharre
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Solenopsidini
Genus: Monomorium
Species: M. esharre
Binomial name
Monomorium esharre
Bolton, 1987

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Specimen Labels

Besides the Namibia type collection, the only other specimens are from South Africa. These are noted as being collected from a garden. No other biological information is known about this species.

Identification

Bolton (1987) - A member of the M. mediocre complex in the M. salomonis species group. All six small species in the complex show relatively feeble or very reduced cephalic sculpture and almost non-existent dorsal pilosity. Of the six nirvanum retains a single pair of backward directed hairs on the petiole, which is absent in the remainder. Monomorium rabirium, Monomorium osiridis and Monomorium zulu have eyes which are situated distinctly in front of the midlength of the sides of the head. The two remaining, mediocre and esharre, are separated by the characters noted in the key and under Monomorium mediocre.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -21.15° to -23.06666667°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Namibia (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.
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Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.
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Biology

Castes

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

  • esharre. Monomorium esharre Bolton, 1987: 343 (w.) NAMIBIA.
    • Type-material: holotype worker, 2 paratype workers.
    • Type-locality: holotype Namibia: Namib Desert, 23°04’S, 15°36’E, sample P 17,1984, pitfall (A.C. Marsh); paratypes with same data.
    • Type-depositories: BMNH (holotype); BMNH, MCZC (paratypes).
    • Status as species: Bolton, 1995b: 261.
    • Distribution: Namibia.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Holotype. TL 1.9, HL 0.52, HW 0.40, CI 77, SL 0.38, SI 95, PW 0.27, AL 0.56. Paratypes. TL 1.9-2.0, HL 0.52-0.54, HW 0.40-0.42, CI 77-78, SL 0.38, SI 90-95, PW 0.26-0.27, AL 0.56 (2 measured). Maximum diameter of eye 0.24-0.25 x HW and with 7 ommatidia in the longest row. Otherwise as holotype.

Median portion of clypeus with anterior margin shallowly convex. Eyes situated slightly in front of midlength of sides; maximum diameter of eye 0.25 x HW and with 7 ommatidia in the longest row. In full-face view the sides of the head weakly convergent behind the eyes and the occipital margin shallowly concave. Promesonotal dorsum evenly feebly convex in profile, the metanotal groove not impressed but the propodeal dorsum on a lower level than that of the mesonotum. Dorsum of head without standing hairs behind the level of the frontal lobes. Dorsal alitrunk without standing hairs. Petiole node without hairs but postpetiole with a single backward directed pair. First gastral tergite with an apical transverse row of hairs but without standing hairs on the tergite in front of this. Cephalic dorsum sculptured with faint superficial reticular patterning only. Pronotal dorsum finely reticulate to reticulate-shagreenate, the mesonotal dorsum similar; propodeal dorsum finely reticulate-punctulate to reticulate-granular. First gastral tergite with superficial reticular patterning only. Head and gaster blackish brown, the alitrunk somewhat lighter brown. Non-paratypic material. As holotype but lighter in colour, medium brown with the gaster darker. The head and alitrunk are approximately the same shade.

Type Material

Holotype worker, Namibia: Namib Desert, 15° 36' E, 23° 04' S, pitfall, sample P 17, 1984 (A. C. Marsh) (The Natural History Museum). Paratypes. 2 workers with same data as holotype (BMNH; Museum of Comparative Zoology).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • IZIKO South Africa Museum Collection
  • Robertson H. G. 2000. Formicidae (Hymenoptera: Vespoidea). Cimbebasia Memoir 9: 371-382.