Monomorium aeyade

Nothing is known of the biology or ecology of this species, which remains known only from the original type material.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Oman.

Nomenclature

 * . Monomorium aeyade Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 341 (w.) OMAN.
 * Type-material: neotype worker (by designation of Sharaf, Al Dhafer, et al. 2018: 6).
 * [Note: originally described from 2 workers (holotype + paratype), the neotype is apparently the original paratype, as Sharaf, Al Dhafer, et al. 2018: 9, point out that the original holotype has been lost.]
 * Type-locality: neotype Oman: Wadi Aeyad, 20.iii.1990 (M.D. Gallagher).
 * Type-depository: WMLC.
 * Status as species: El-Hawagry, et al. 2013: 73 (in key); Borowiec, L. 2014: 115; Sharaf, Al Dhafer, et al. 2018: 6 (redescription).
 * Distribution: Oman.

Worker
Holotype: TL 1.5; HL 0.38; HW 0.31; CI 81.5; 51 96.8; HW/EL 0.24. Des c rip t ion: These two tiny ants were taken from under a stone in sandy terrain. They resemble Monomorium guillarmodi from Lesotho by their small size and total absence of dorsal alitrunk hairs unlike all other known Monomorium species with 11-segmented antennae. The Arabian species differs from M. guillarmodi by the smaller eyes, the rounded anterior margin of the clypeus and the more rounded promesonotal dorsum. M guillarmodi has 1-2 pairs of hairs on the occipital margin which are absent in M. aeyade. These two, somewhat unique, species are otherwise very similar both being glossy brown with very little sculpture.

Type Material
Holotype: worker, Oman, Wadi Aeyad, 20.III.1990, M.D. Gallagher. - Paratype: 1 worker, same series as holotype.



Sharaf, Al Dhafer et al. (2018): This species was originally described based on two worker specimens, the holotype and one paratype. During an extensive search in the WMLC collection it was not possible to locate the holotype, which is presumably lost. However, the paratype specimen was available for examination and we designate it as a neotype to unequivocally ascertain the identity of the species.

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.
 * Collingwood, C. A. and D. Agosti. 1996. Formicidae (Insects: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2) Fauna of Saudi Arabia 15: 300-385.
 * Collingwood, C. A., and Donat Agosti. "Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2)." Fauna of Saudi Arabia 15 (1996): 300-385.
 * Sharaf M. R., B. L. Fisher, H. M. Al Dhafer, A. Polaszek, and A. S. Aldawood. 2018. Additions to the ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Oman: an updated list, new records and a description of two new species. Asian Myrmecology 10: e010004
 * Sharaf M., H. M. Al Dhafer, A. S. Aldawood, and F. Hita Garcia. 2018. Ants of the Monomorium monomorium species-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula with description of a new species from southwestern Saudi Arabia. PeerJ 6:e4277; DOI 10.7717/peerj.4277