Monomorium minor

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Monomorium minor
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Solenopsidini
Genus: Monomorium
Species: M. minor
Binomial name
Monomorium minor
Stitz, 1923

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Specimen Labels

A specimen from South Africa was collected from a pitfall trap in Acacia mellifera - Rhigozum trichtomum veld.

Identification

Bolton (1987) - A member of the M. australe complex in the M. salomonis species group.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -28.4193° to -28.4193°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Angola, 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.

  • minor. Monomorium salomonis var. minor Stitz, 1923: 156 (w.) NAMIBIA.
    • Type-material: 6 syntype workers.
    • Type-localities: Namibia: Farm Neudamm (42 km. ENE Windhoek), 10-15.v.1911 (W. Michaelsen); Namibia: Kuibis, 15.vii.1911 (W. Michaelsen).
    • Type-depository: unknown (not in MNHU, presumed lost).
    • [Note: Bolton, 1987: 351, says, “As far as can be ascertained no syntypes of this species remain in existence”.]
    • [Misspelled as minus by Ettershank, 1966: 90.]
    • Subspecies of salomonis: Ettershank, 1966: 90.
    • Status as species: Bolton, 1987: 350 (redescription); Bolton, 1995b: 264.
    • Distribution: Angola, Namibia.

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

Bolton (1987) - As far as can be ascertained no syntypes of this species remain in existence. The original description of minor is short and quite vague, saying merely, '2mm. Smaller than typical form [i.e. salomonis]. Head narrower; antennal scape overreaching occipital margin by its own thickness. Petiole node with peduncle somewhat shorter. Yellow with brownish tint, the gaster in some samples somewhat darkened.'

I have not seen any Namibian specimens matching this description but a series from Porto Alexandre, in south-eastern Angola, fits fairly well and so I have applied the name minor to this series.

Description

Worker

Bolton (1987) - TL 2.6-2.9, HL 0.68-0.70, HW 0.49-0.51, CI 70-74, SL 0.54-0.58, SI 112-116, PW 0.34-0.37, AL 0.78-0.84 (8 measured).

Median portion of clypeus with anterior margin transverse to very shallowly concave, sometimes with a minute notch medially. Maximum diameter of eye 0.28-0.30 x HW, and with 8-9 ommatidia in the longest row. Sides of head weakly convergent behind the eyes and the occipital margin shallowly concave medially in full-face view. Promesonotum shallowly convex in profile, the mesonotum sloping weakly to the very feebly impressed metanotal groove. Propodeal dorsum flattened to weakly impressed, the lateral margins bluntly indicated. Dorsum of head with 2 pairs of standing hairs present behind the level of the frontal lobes; the first pair situated just behind the level of the eyes, the second pair at the occipital margin. Dorsal alitrunk without standing hairs; the petiole with one pair and the postpetiole with two pairs of backward directed hairs. First gastral tergite with hairs evenly distributed over the sclerite in front of the apical transverse row. Cephalic dorsum opaque and with a roughened and silky appearance, the sculpture finely reticulate-shagreenate to punctulate-shagreenate, usually mid-dorsally with superimposed extremely fine scratch-like longitudinal striolae. Dorsal alitrunk finely reticulate-shagreenate on pronotum, grading to feebly punctulate-shagreenate on the propodeum. Colour uniform dull yellow, often with the sides and posterior margin of the first gastral tergite, and the succeeding tergites, slightly darker.

Type Material

Bolton (1987) - Syntype workers, Namibia: Farm Neudamm, 10-15.v.1911 (Michaelsen); Kuibis, 15.vii.1911 (Michaelsen) (not found in Berlin Museum für Naturkunde der Humboldt-Universität, presumed lost).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Bolton B. 1987. A review of the Solenopsis genus-group and revision of Afrotropical Monomorium Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 54: 263-452.
  • Stitz H. 1923. Hymenoptera, VII. Formicidae. Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Land- und Süsswasserfauna Deutsch-Südwestafrikas 2: 143-167.