New synonyms of two Arabian ants of the genus Monomorium Mayr, 1855 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).

Synonymy of two Arabian Monomorium Mayr, 1855 species is proposed: Monomoriumexiguum Forel, 1894 = Monomoriumdesertorum Collingwood & Agosti, 1996, syn. n.; Monomoriumsubopacum Smith, 1858 = Monomoriummintiribe Collingwood & Agosti, 1996, syn. n. A lectotype for Monomoriumvenustum Smith, 1858 is designated. Information on nesting habits of Monomoriumexiguum and Monomoriumvenustum in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are provided for the first time. Recently collected records for Monomoriumexiguum, Monomoriumsubopacum, and Monomoriumvenustum from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates are listed.

Introduction

The first published work on the ant genus PageBreak Mayr, 1855 for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) was by Collingwood (1985), who listed and keyed 20 species from the country. The genus was subsequently treated comprehensively for the Arabian Peninsula by Collingwood and Agosti (1996). The authors reported 53 species, 32 of which were described as new, (including 15 from the KSA, 10 from Oman, five from Yemen, and two from Kuwait). Collingwood et al. (2011) treated the myrmecofauna of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and reported 29 species. Three species were recorded from Socotra Island (Collingwood et al. 2004) and a new species, Collingwood, 2004 was described.

Recently the fauna of KSA has received renewed attention, with the first record of Forel, 1894 (Aldawood and Sharaf 2009) and descriptions of three new species, Sharaf & Collingwood, 2010 (Aldawood et al. 2010); Aldawood & Sharaf, 2011 (Aldawood and Sharaf 2011) and Sharaf & Aldawood, 2013 (in El-Hawagry et al. 2013). During two visits to the World Museum, Liverpool, United Kingdom, two new synonyms were discovered for Arabian .

Materials and methods

Abbreviations of museums

BMNH

The Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom.

MHNG

Museum d’Histoire Naturelle, Geneva, Switzerland.

NHMB

Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel, Switzerland.

WMLC

World Museum Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.

The numbers between parentheses in material examined refer to individual workers.

Results and discussion

Forel, 1894

Figs 1–4

Figures 1–4.

(worker), CASENT0101870. 1 Body in profile 2 Body in dorsal view 3 Head in full-face view 4 specimen label. Photo Zach Lieberman, http://antweb.org/

For full synonymy see

Forel, 1894: 85. (lectotype worker) Ethiopia. Afrotropic. “Ethiopia, Sudabessinien.” (MHNG),

Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 344 (w.) Saudi Arabia. Afrotropic.” (WMLC),

Material examined.

Saudi Arabia, Baha, Dhi Ayn Archeological Village, 18.v.2010, 20.132°, 41.004°, 741m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (21); Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Oyaina, 28.iv.2010; 25.011°, 46.493°, 749m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (3); Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Qarina Valley, 5.xi.2009, 25.273°, 46.289°, 761m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (3); Saudi Arabia, Baha, Dhi Ayn Archeological Village, 20.ix.2011, 20.132°, 41.004°, 744m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (10); Saudi Arabia, Almajardah, wadi Khat, 10.xi.2012, 19.001°, 41.016°, 513m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (6); Saudi Arabia, wadi Shahdan (Jizan), 13.xi.2012, 17.472°, 42.856°, 200m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (8); Saudi Arabia, Wadi Aljora near Abadan, 12.xi.2012, 17.005°, 43.001°, 465m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (6); Saudi Arabia, Baha, Wadi Elzaraeb, 9.v.2011, 20.073°, 41.387°, 2086m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (1); Saudi Arabia, Abu Arish, 10.iv.2012, 17.013°, 42.802°, 90m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (6); Saudi Arabia, Dhi Ayn Archeological Village, 11.v.2011, 19.929°, 41.442°, 741m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (3); Saudi Arabia, Baha, Dhi Ayn Archeological Village, 7.iv.2013, 19.929°, 41.442°, 744m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (4); Saudi Arabia, AlUrdiyah gov., Wadi Gonouna, 12.v.2011, 19.429°, 41.605°, 353m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (20); Saudi Arabia, Al Bahah, Wadi Turabah, AlMandaq, 14.v.2011, 20.211°, 41.288°, 1793m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (7); Saudi Arabia, Dhi Ayn Archeological Village, 15.v.2011, 19.929°, 41.442°, 741m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (1); Saudi Arabia, Al Bahah, Wadi Turabah, AlMandaq, 10.v.2011, 20.211°, 41.288°, 1793m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (1); Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Hawtet Bani Tamim, 20.i.2014, 23.480°, 46.844°, 597m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (3); Saudi Arabia, Al Qatif, El Naft, 23.iii.2012, 26.510°, 49.969°, 30m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (2); UAE, Khor al-Khwair, 25.57.56.03, 8.iii.2007, (M. Hauser et al.) (1); UAE, Sharjah, 25.21.55.24, 28.ii–12.iv.2011, (M. Hauser et al.) (1); UAE, Wadi Bih dam, 25.48.56.04, 16–31.xii.2009, (M. Hauser et al.) (1).

Remarks.

Only a single paratype specimen with the same data as the holotype exists at WMLC. The holotype and other paratypes are considered lost.

The description of in Collingwood and Agosti’s (1996) indicated that the eyes are located anterior to the midlength of head, the scapes when retracted back do not reach the posterior margin of head, the antennae are 11 segmented, and the body is not sculptured except for the metanotal cross-ribs. Comparison was made of the single available paraype worker of with the lectotype worker of was carried out. We here treat as a junior subjective synonym of .

Habitat.

The vast majority of nests that were collected in KSA were found to be associated with leaf litter and topsoil layers where workers foraged. Frequently nests were directly in the soil. The nesting habits of however, are diverse. In a site located in the southwestern mountains of the KSA, the species was found nesting in loose sandy soil with high moisture content and among roots of small L. () plants beneath a date palm tree, L. (). Several worker series were nesting in a humid clay soil under banana trees. Other worker series were collected under a rock next to Hochst. ex Endlicher () and spp. () trees. Another nest was found in thick layer of leaf litter under a large and old L. () tree where the soil was rich in decayed organic matter. Some nests were found in leaf litter under (Aiton) W.T.Aiton ( )and next to a mango tree ( sp., ).

(Smith, 1858)

Figs 5–8

Figures 5–8.

(paralectotype worker), CASENT0010949. 5 Body in profile 6 Body in dorsal view 7 Head in full-face view 8 specimen label Photo April Nobile, http://antweb.org/

For full synonymy, see

Smith, 1858: 127 (w.q.) (paralectotype worker, designated by B. E. Heterick, September, 2004) Portugal (Madeira Is.). Afrotropic. “Portugal (Madeira Island), coll. T.V. Wollaston. (BMNH),

Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 350, fig. 23 (w.q.m.) Oman. Palearctic. Bilad Ban. 17.i.1986, coll. W. Buttiker. (WMLC), Paratype worker [examined]. Syn. n.

UAE, Ar-Rafah, 25.43.55.52, 1–8.iii.2011, (M. Hauser et al.) (1); UAE, Ar-Rafah, 25.43.55.52, 1.ii–31.iii.2010, (M. Hauser et al.) (1); UAE, Ar-Rafah, 25.18.56.07, 22.vi–2.vii.2010, (M. Hauser et al.) (1); UAE, Jebel Jibir, 25.39.56.07, 11–13.iv.2011, (M. Hauser et al.) (1).

The holotype and 10 paratypes of PageBreak seem to be lost. Extensive searches at both WMLC and NHMB failed to locate type material except for a single paratype specimen labeled in red at the WMLC. In addition, despite the fact that the label information for the paratype specimen in WMLC does not exactly match the information in Collingwood and Agosti (1996), we consider this specimen as part of the original type series. Collingwood and Agosti (1996) indicated the following paratypes: 1 male, 2 queens, 2 workers, “Oman, Bilad Bani, 20°03'N, 59°17'E, coll. W. Buttiker”, whereas the data on the paratype specimen in WMLC is “Bilad Ban, Oman, W. Buttiker, 17.i.1986.” The second author (C. A. Collingwood) confirms that the single remaining specimen is an originally designated paratype. The original description of did not compare this taxon with related congeners. The single paratype is identical to the paralectotypes of and the original description agrees with this. Therefore, is treated here as a junior subjective synonym of .

(Smith, 1858)

Figs 9–12

Figures 9–12.

(Lectotype worker), CASENT0902221. 9 Body in profile 10 Body in dorsal view 11 Head in full-face view 12 specimen label. Photo Will Ericson, http://antweb.org/

Smith, 1858: 126 (w.) (lectotype worker) Syria. Palaearctic. (BMNH “E” 1015257) [

Saudi Arabia, Al Atawla (Baha-Taif RD), Wadi Bawah, 8.xi.2012, 21.004°, 41.247°, 1310m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (10); Saudi Arabia, Baha, Wadi Elzaraeb, 9.v.2011, 20.073°, 41.387°, 2086m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (3); Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Dirad, 30.xii.2009, 24.409°, 46.662°, 588m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (6); Saudi Arabia, Al Bahah, Wadi Turabah, AlMandaq, 19.ix.2011, 20.242°, 41.262°, 1751m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (6); Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Alhota, 19.iv.2008, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (7); Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Wadi Hanifa, 11.iv.2013, 24.671°, 46.595°, 641 (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (14); Saudi Arabia, Al Bahah, Wadi Turabah, AlMandaq, 10.v.2011, 20.211°, 41.288°, 1751m, (M. R. Sharaf, leg.) (4).

Originally, was described based on syntypes of the worker caste from Syria. Here we designate a lectotype with the following data, “ Smith, type, BMNH (E), 1015257”. The Lectotype is deposited at BMNH.

Workers of PageBreak build nests directly into the ground under stones and rocks, directly into the ground. This species apparently prefers to nest in soil with high moisture content as observed in many locations in KSA. In the southwestern mountains of the KSA, nests were constructed next to Hochst. ex Endlicher () and spp. () trees. In addition, the species is usually foraging in areas with dense green flowering grasses that covering the ground. A single nest was found existing next to (L.) Huds. (). Myrmecophilous arthropods (e.g. small beetles, isopods and millipedes) were found inside some nests.