Monomorium
From Radchenko, (1997)[1]
Genus Holcomyrmex was first described by Mayr (1879). Later Emery considered it as species group (Emery, 1908) and as subgenus of the genus Monomorium (Emery, 1921). Ettershank (1966) synonymised Holcomyrmex with Monomorium, and reduced all subgenera in this genus. Bolton (1987) proposed a new system of Monomorium and defined in it 8 species groups for Afrotropical region.
From Colligwood, (1979)[2].
This is a worldwide genus with several hundred species mainly occurring in the tropics. There are several cosmopolitan tramp species one of which is well established in North Europe.
From Bolton, (1987) [3].
Monomorium is a large and extremely diverse genus which contains at present some 300 valid species, of which about half occur in the Afrotropical zoogeographical region. The estimate of the world fauna is very much a guess as the species of most zoogeographical regions have never been revised or subjected to any synthesizing taxonomic treatment. As the genus is defined here the vast majority of Monomorium species inhabit the Old World, particularly the tropics. Very few endemic species occur in North America (DuBois, 1986), and even fewer in the neotropical region where Monomorium is mostly replaced by an extensive Solenopsis fauna (Kempf, 1972). The main centres of speciation of Monomorium include Africa and Australia, with secondary centres in the Oriental region (Bingham, 1903) and Madagascar. The Malagasy fauna is particularly interesting as it contains some small endemic species-groups, one of which (with two indeterminate species) shows the highest and hence most primitive PF count (5,3) yet encountered in the genus. In general the species-groups of Monomorium are not restricted to a single zoogeographical region but tend to be widely distributed. However, some small specialized groups have a much more restricted range. Most species-groups remain to be defined on a world-wide basis. The groups occurring in the Afrotropical region, revised below, are so defined, but the large and fascinatingly diverse Australasian fauna contains a good number of endemic species-groups which await accurate delineation. After Africa Australia contains the most diverse and widely radiated fauna of the genus and a taxonomic study of it is long overdue, especially in the light of the fact that the Neotropical genera Nothidris and Antichthonidris appear to be nothing more than isolated fractions of this fauna.
References
- , “Review of the ants of scabriceps group of the genus Monomorium Mayr (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).”, in Annales Zoologici , vol. 46, Warsaw, Polland: , 1997, pp. 211-224.
- , The Formicidae (Hymenoptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark, vol. 8. Klampenborg, Denmark: Scandinavian Science Press Ltd., 1979, p. 156.
- , “A review of the Solenopsis genus-group and revision of Afrotropical Monomorium Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History)”, Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology, vol. 54, pp. 263-452, 1987.
From Colligwood, (1979)[1].
Worker. Head longer than broad, clypeus bicarinate. Palp formula 1:2 or 2:2. Antennae 11 or 12 segmented with distinct 3 segmented club as long as rest of funiculus - intermediate segments transverse. Mesopropodeal suture deeply marked; propodeum smoothly rounded, unarmed. Gaster basally emarginate with distinct anterior angles.
Queen. Head as in worker. Mesonotum long, overhanging pronotum. Wings with 1 cubital cell and no discoidal cell.
From Bolton, (1987) [2] .
Workers of Monomorium show a striking morphological diversity from group to group but within species-groups tend to be relatively uniform in structure. The most strongly modified forms include the large granivores of the scabriceps-group, but these constitute only a small fraction of the fauna, most, species of which are scavengers or active predators.
Male. Head in front of ocelli flat and broad; mandibles dentate. Antennae 13 ', segmented without distinct club; scape not as long as first 3 funicular segments. Mesonotum high, arched without notauli. Males remain poorly known in the genus but for the most part present a fairly uniform habitus except in the scabriceps- and destructor-groups where they have convergently come to resemble the males of Solenopsis.
Females for the most part share the characters exhibited by the workers. In some groups, particularly the salomonis- and monomorium-groups, there is a marked tendency for the females to become apterous and ergatoid. It has been postulated (Bolton, 1986b) that this phenomenon is associated with a shift in dispersal strategy from mating flight followed by claustral nest founding to autoparasitism followed by colony fission.
References
- , The Formicidae (Hymenoptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark, vol. 8. Klampenborg, Denmark: Scandinavian Science Press Ltd., 1979, p. 156.
- , “A review of the Solenopsis genus-group and revision of Afrotropical Monomorium Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History)”, Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology, vol. 54, pp. 263-452, 1987.