Monomorium subopacum (Smith, 1858)

Sharaf, Mostafa R., Collingwood, Cedric A., Al Dhafer, Hathal M., Al mutairi, Mohammed S. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2015, New synonyms of two Arabian ants of the genus Monomorium Mayr, 1855 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), ZooKeys 505, pp. 51-58 : 52-53

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Formicidae

Monomorium subopacum (Smith, 1858) Figs 5-8

Monomorium subopacum For full synonymy, see Heterick (2006), p. 103.

Myrmica subopaca 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), http://www.antweb.org/specimen/CASENT0010949 [Image of type specimen examined].

Monomorium mintiribe 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.

Material examined.

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).

Remarks.

The holotype and 10 paratypes of Monomorium mintiribe 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 Monomorium mintiribe did not compare this taxon with related congeners. The single paratype is identical to the paralectotypes of Monomorium subopacum and the original description agrees with this. Therefore, Monomorium mintiribe is treated here as a junior subjective synonym of Monomorium subopacum .