Monomorium sarawatensis Sharaf & Aldawood

El-Hawagry, Magdi S., Khalil, Mohammed W., Sharaf, Mostafa R., Hassan H. Fadl, & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2013, A preliminary study on the insect fauna of Al-Baha Province, Saudi Arabia, with descriptions of two new species, ZooKeys 274, pp. 1-88 : 63-66

Monomorium sarawatensis Sharaf & Aldawood sp. n. Figs 5-15

Measurements and indices:

TL Total Length; the outstretched length of the ant from the mandibular apex to the metasomal apex.

HW Head Width; the maximum width of the head behind eyes in full face view.

HL Head Length; the maximum length of the head, excluding the mandibles.

CI Cephalic Index (HW × 100/HL).

SL Scape Length, excluding basal neck.

SI Scape Index (SL × 100/HW).

EL Eye Length; the maximum diameter of the eye.

ML Mesosoma Length; the length of the mesosoma in lateral view, from the point at which the pronotum meets the cervical shield to the posterior base of the propodeal lobes or teeth.

PRW Pronotal width, maximum width in dorsal view.

PL Petiole Length; the maximum length measured in dorsal view, from the anterior margin to the posterior margin.

PW Petiole Width; maximum width measured in dorsal view.

PPL Postpetiole Length; maximum length measured in dorsal view.

PPW Postpetiole Width; maximum width measured in dorsal view.

All measurements are in millimeters and follow the standard measurements (Bolton 1987).

This new species is a member of the Monomorium monomorium -group as defined by Bolton (1987), but it does not fit any of the Monomorium species in Bolton’s key to the Afrotropical species or the key to the Arabian species given by Collingwood and Agosti (1996). Monomorium sarawatensis superficially seems to be similar to Monomorium affabile Santschi and Monomorium malatu Bolton described from Zaire. The three species share the following characters: dorsum and sides of propodeum and waist blanketed everywhere with dense reticulate-punctate sculpture; fourth (basal) tooth of mandible slightly smaller than the third, and not broadly separated; genae faintly longitudinally striated; body pilosity clubbed. However, sarawatensis can be easily separated by the uniform yellow color, whereas the color of the latter species is dark brown to blackish-brown. In comparison with affabile, sarawatensis is consistently larger (TL 1.77-2.13), versus (TL 1.5) and the eyes are smaller (EL 0.17-0.22 × HW, versus EL 0.24 × HW).

The type locality is a farm planted with Annona squamosa L. ( Annonaceae ), Prunus persica (L.), Prunus Amigdalus (Mill.) ( Rosaceae ), Psidium guajava L. (Family: Myrtaceae ), Zea mays ssp. mays L. (Family: Poaceae ), in addition to banana, and mango. The new species was found nesting inside a woody fruit of Annona squamosa . No males or queens were seen.

Diagnosis:

This new species is characterized by a combination of the following characters: eyes with five-six ommatidia in the longest row; genae faintly longitudinally striated; metanotal groove deep and broad; propodeal dorsum making a weak obtuse angle with propodeal declivity; mesosoma and waist densely reticulate-punctate; body pilosity clubbed.

Key to the Arabian species of the Monomorium monomorium -group

Description.

Measurements: Holotype worker.TL1.98, HL 0.52, HW 0.42, SL 0.38, ML 0.56, EL 0.08, PRW 0.25, PL 0.14, PW 0.12, PPL 0.11, PPW 0.14, SI 90, CI 81.

Paratypes.TL1.77-2.13, HL 0.48-0.53, HW 0.36-0.42, SL 0.30-0.39, ML 0.45-0.56, EL 0.07-0.08, PRW 0.21-0.25, PL 0.09-0.14, PW 0.09-0.12, PPL 0.08-0.11, PPW 0.11-0.14, SI 81-95, CI 75-84.

(N=12).

Holotype worker. Head distinctly longer than broad, with a nearly straight posterior margin and shallowly convex sides; head dorsum smooth and shining with few scattered hair-pits; anterior clypeal margin feebly concave between a pair of obtusely projecting angles which separate anterior and lateral margins; clypeal carinae broadly separated and subparallel; eyes with five-six ommatidia in the longest row (EL 0.17-0.22x HW). With head in profile the posterior margins of eyes at the midlength of sides; antennal scapes, when laid back from their insertions, failing to reach posterior margin of head; genae faintly longitudinally striate. Mesosoma in lateral view with the promesonotum straight or feebly convex; metanotal groove deep and broad; propodeal dorsum making a weak obtuse angle with propodeal declivity; mesosomal pilosity few and sparse, two pairs of erect setae on pronotum, five or more on mesonotum, three on propodeum; propodeal spiracle small and pinhole-like; mesosoma densely reticulate-punctate except for pronotal sides which are nearly smooth and shining. Petiolar node high and acuminatein profile, usually with two pairs of erect setae, petiolar peduncle thick and short. Postpetiole in dorsal view clearly broader than long. Petiole and postpetiole densely reticulate-punctate. Color uniformly yellow. Body pilosity clubbed.

Distribution.

Holotype worker, Aqabet Al-Baha-Tihama, Al-Baha Province, Saudi Arabia (20.00000°N, 41.43758°E, 1300 m.a.s.l.), 19.IV.2012 (M. R. Sharaf), deposited in King Saud Museum of Arthropods (KSMA), College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Paratypes. 33 workers, same locality and data as holotype; 1 deposited in the Muséum ďHistoire Naturelle, Geneva, Switzerland (Dr Bernhard Merz); 1 in Naturhis torisches Museum, Basel, Switzerland (Mrs. Isabelle Zürcher-Pfander); 1 in California Academy of Science (Dr Brian Fisher); 1 in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA (Prof. E. O. Wilson); 1 in the Division of Entomology (Snow Entomological Collections), University of Kansas Natural History Museum, Lawrence, Kansas, USA (Prof. Michael S. Engel); 1 in World Museum Liverpool, Liverpool, U.K (Mr. Tony Hunter), 1 in The Natural History Museum, London (Mr. Barry Bolton); the remaining paratypes are in the King Saud Museum of Arthropods, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Note.

Specimens were photographed by Erin Prado using a JVC KY-F70B 3CCD digital camera attached to a Leica M420 stereomicroscope. All digital images were processed using Auto-Montage (Syncroscopy, Division of Synoptics Ltd, USA) software. Images of the specimens are available in full color on www.antweb.org.