Monomorium sarawatense

The type locality is a farm planted with Annona squamosa L. (Annonaceae), Prunus persica (L.), P. 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. (Sharaf & Aldawood 2013)

Identification
Sharaf & Aldawood (2013) - 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.

Monomorium sarawatensis superficially seems to be similar to Monomorium affabile and Monomorium malatu 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).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia.

Castes
Known only from the worker caste.

Nomenclature

 *  sarawatense. Monomorium sarawatensis Sharaf & Aldawood in El-Wawagry et al., 2013: 70, figs. 5-15 (w.) SAUDI ARABIA.

Description
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.

Type Material
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 Naturhistorisches 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.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.