Monomorium niloticum Emery

Type location Egypt (Monomorium niloticum n. sp., Emery, 1881b: 533, worker; see Santschi,1936a: 37) - see below
subspecies
gracilicorne (Monomorium niloticum Em. r. gracilicorne n. stirps, Stitz, 1917: 346, worker) from Algeria - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0913820
niloticoides (Monomorium venustum Smith v. niloticoides n. var., Forel, 1910a: 6, worker; stirps of niloticum Santschi, 1936a: 37) from Israel, Jerusalem - no images on Antweb (February 2015).

Emery's (1881b) description is at . Stitz's (1917) description of gracilicorne is at . Santschi's (1936a) notes are at .

Wheeler & Mann (1916: 170) listed "19. Monomorium venustum F Smith subsp. niloticum Emery, Wadi Gazelle (Wadi Ghazala), Sinai Peninsula".

Santschi (1936a) revived and separated the species as -
Scape surpasses occiput by more than twice its own width; all segments of funiculus much longer than wide; club quite slender, the middle segment more than twice as long as it is wide; alitrunk weakly pilose; mostly yellow but at least gaster dull. His illustrations (right) have no scale lines.

On niloticoides, he stated the head and gaster shiny.  From the photographs of the  types (below), the shiny form is the type species and niloticoides has a dull head

His key couplet gave At least the gaster dull. Nile Valley (fig. 10) sp. niloticum Em. Sahara and Algeria (fig. 7, 24) stirps gracilicorne Stitz

Forel (1910a) noted on niloticoides - head as niloticum but the antennae and preapical segment of funiculus are as venustum (see photograph of a cotype at the bottom of this page); metanotal groove intermediate, pedicel also, Jerusalem (Schmitz); he regarded niloticum as a subspecies of venustum. His statement on the antennae is not borne out by the photographs of the type collections, see my compilation, below.

Stitz's (1917) description of gracilicorne has the head brown, allitrunk and legs red brown and all parts of the body matt.

The photomontage is of the type worker collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0905755

TL ca 3.3 mm HL 0.83 HW 0.63 EL 0.20 SL 0.82 PW 0.39 CI 79 SI 130 EI 32

Collingwood (1985) distinguished it by - penultimate funiculus segment more than twice as long as broad, head relatively long, widening anteriorly (CI 75-81); head finely sculptured, unicolorous red with alitrunk, propodeum with flattened or incavate median area; metanotal groove deep (in profile a right angle); antennal scape surpassing occiput; ultimate funiculus segment shorter than combined length of preceding two segments. He noted - one of the larger Monomorium similar to M. venustum but generally of a brighter colour and with both head and antennal segments more elongate.
Globally in salomonis-group with species such as bicolor and pharaonis (Bolton, 1987). Known from Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The photomontage collates the antennae of niloticoides, niloticum and venustum (from the syntype worker at casent0902221)

Oxford University Museum specimens

Monomorium niloticum B Taylor det.	Egypt M James 2002	iii.2002 Sinai 28°33' N 33°56' E	St Katherine protectorate around the town of St Katherine, in mountains above 1500m	1
Monomorium niloticum B Taylor det.	Egypt A Shepherd mid striga	2010 Sinai 28°33' N 33°56' E	St Katherine protectorate around the town of St Katherine, in mountains above 1500m	2
Monomorium niloticum B Taylor det.	Egypt A Shepherd Alcohol E	2010 Sinai 28°33' N 33°56' E	St Katherine protectorate around the town of St Katherine, in mountains above 1500m	2

Photomontage of a worker from Egypt, Sinai, M James

TL ca 2.8 mm HL 0.80 HW 0.56 EL 0.17 SL 0.80 PW 0.38 CI 73 SI 128 EI 25

The photomontage is of specimens from Egypt, Sinai; collector Amy Shepherd (Alcohol E).

The photomontage is of specimens from Egypt, Sinai; collector Amy Shepherd (mid Striga).

The photomontage is of specimens from Jordan, Wadi Rum; A Lenoir (Lenoir 150c).