Monomorium salomonis (Linnaeus)

Type location Egypt (Formica salomonis, Linnaeus, 1758: 580, worker; André, 1883a: 342, male; Emery, 1908h: 674, all forms) - no type images on Antweb (February 2015)
subspecies
bedui (Santschi, 1936a: 50; Santschi, 1936c: 201, worker & queen) from Morocco  - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0913836
didonis (Monomorium (Xeromyrmex) Salomonis L., v. didonis, Santschi, 1921b: 425, worker; Santschi, 1921e: 168, queen & male) from Tunisia - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0913837
molestum (Santschi, 1936a: 55; Santschi, 1936c: 201, worker & queen) from Algeria - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?name=casent0913839
obscuriceps (Monomorium (Xeromyrmex) Salomonis L., v. tobscuriceps n.var., Santschi, 1921e: 169, worker & queen - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0913840; junior synonym pestiferum, Santschi, 1936a: 57, illustrated, all forms) - from Algeria - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0913842
scipionis (Santschi, 1921e: 169, worker & queen; Santschi, 1936a: 60, male) from Tunisia - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0913843
sommieri (Emery, 1908h: 676, worker; junior synonym atrata, Santschi, 1912c: 147, worker) from Tunisia - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0913844
subnitidum (Emery, 1895b: 66, worker & queen) from Algeria - see below
targui (Santschi, 1936a: 53, worker) from Algeria - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0913847
transversale (Monomorium (Xeromyrmex) Salomonis L., v. transversalis n. var., Santschi, 1921e: 169, worker & queen) from Morocco - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0913849
volubile (Santschi, 1936a: 56; Santschi, 1936c: 201, worker & queen) from Morocco - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0913850
zanoni (Emery, 1924a: 9; Monomorium (Xeromyrmex) subopacum Sm., v. Zanoni Em. Santschi, 1927d: 242, all forms) from Libya - no images on Antweb (February 2015)
junior synonyms
debilis (Walker, 1871: 11, worker & queen) from Egypt - no images on Antweb (February 2015)
thorense (Mayr, 1862: 753, queen) from Egypt - no images on Antweb (February 2015)
obscuratum (Monomorium salomonis L. v. obscuratum n.v., Stitz, 1917: 346, illustrated, worker; Santschi, 1921e: 169, male; Emery, 1924a: 9, queen) from Algeria - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0913835
(see Bolton, 1995) .

Bolton (1987) refers only to Monomorium salomonis as extra-limital to his study of Afrotropical members of the Genus and gave no description of the species.

Linnaeus' (1758) description is at Arnold (1916: 219) provided a summary; this is at . Stitz's (1917) illustrated description of obscuratum is at . Santschi (1921e) summarised the descriptions of a number of the then varieties; this is at . Santschi (1930a) reported zanoni from Koulouba, Mali, see . Santschi (1936a) gave a further illustrated consideration, this is at . Later, Arnold (1944) attempted to elucidate the efforts of Santschi (1927d); see . See also under Monomorium subopacum.

Egypt records - in HNS as Aphaenogaster debilis Walker; as Formica salomonis Linnaeus and as Monomorium thorense Mayr; reported by Emery (1877b) as collected at Kantara, Suez, by Issel; in Mayr (1904b: 4) from in sand at Wadi Half on Nile; from a river boat at Suez recorded by Forel (1907a) from Alexandria by Biró; widespread in Egypt in Karavaiev (1911: 4); Wheeler & Mann (1916) from Wadi Gharandel, Sinai; Viehmeyer (1923: 87) as Monomorium salomonis var atrata, collected from the Arabian Desert near Cairo, by F Werner, 4.ii.1914; Menozzi (1929e: 125) reported several workers of sommieri, collected in Sinai, at Wadi Feran & Wadi Scheich, by F S Bodenheimer. Alfieri (1931) listed findings at Gizeh, 24.xi.1925, and Charkeih Province, Abou Soueir and Ismailieh, 4-5.xi.1925; and by Donisthorpe (1942a) two alate queens & 45 workers from Siwa, collector J Omer-Cooper, June-August 1935. Santschi (1936a) gave M. salomonis st. didonis, var pictum n var, with examples of all forms from Ismailia, collector E Bugnion. Donisthorpe (1947e) reported J Omer-Cooper collection of workers from Siwa gardens, 18-19.iv & 1.vi.1935

The photomontage is of specimens from Egypt, taken by Mostafa Sharaf.
Sharaf list - material examined: type form - El-Sabah Emarat, 50 km Ismailia-Cairo, 14.iii.2002 (9); Cairo, 14.viii.2002 (12); 20 km Alexandria-Cairo, 8.iv.2001 (16); Gebel Asfar (Qalyubiya), 29.iv.2003 (19); El-Nagdein (Siwa) (3); El-Karnak temple (Luxor), 4.iii.2003 (5); Khniza (Nubaria), 21.ix.2002 (11); Zaranik (North Sinai), 11.viii.2000 (7); Alag, 27.ii.2003 (17); Kharga oasis, 7.xi.1997 (3); El-Taifa (Kafr El-Sheikh), 27.viii.2003 (14); Mafareq (South Sinai), 12.vii.1998 (2); Hawamdyia (Giza), 2.xi.2002 (2); Zaranik (North Sinai), 30.viii.2000 (3) (SHC); Mafareq (South Sinai), 12.vii.1998 (1) Leg.M.R.Sharaf; Mafareq (South Sinai), 10.viii.1998 (1) Leg.M.R.Sharaf. (ASUC); Giza, 5.i.1953 (CUC).

sommieri form - material examined: Ein Sokhna, 13.ii.1999 (1); Wadi El-Arish, 14.iii.2002 (8); El-Sabah Emarat, 50 km El-Arish -Ismailia road, 14iii.2002 (12); Salhyia, 14.iii.2002 (5); El-Tor (South Sinai), 9.iii.1999 (3) (Leg. M.S.Abdel-Dayem); Salhyia, 14.iii.2002 (13); Wadi El-Rayan (Faiyum), 7.xi.2001 (1); Ismailia, 13.xii.1997 (5); Zaranik (North Sinai), 11.viii.2000 (5); Abu-Madi, Zaranik (North Sinai), 6.v.2003 (5); Wadi El-Arish, 14.iii.2002 (5) (SHC); Sahab (South Sinai), 18.xi.1999 (2) Leg.M.R.Sharaf; Sahab (South Sinai), 10.viii.1998 (1) Leg.M.R.Sharaf; Wadi El-Arbaein, St.Catherine (South Sinai), 1.iv.1998 (1) Leg.M.R.Sharaf (ASUC).

The photomontage is of a worker from Sudan, Khor Tagat, collector Awatif Omer, 2006.

Mandibles smooth; clypeal carinae quite sharply defined; overall sculpturation of dense fine spiculation; general colour dark red-brown
TL ca 3.5 mm, HL 0.96, HW 0.80, CI 0.83, SL 0.80, SI 100, PW 0.42; eye length 0.32 X HW

The photomontage is of a worker from Sudan, Al Fasher; Darfour, West Sudan; collector Awatif Omer.

The photomontage of the type worker of subnitidum is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0904595.
This seems to be much lighter than the type form and probably also has a relatively long head.