Monomorium niloticoides Forel

Type location Israel Monomorium venustum Smith v. niloticoides n. var., Forel, 1910a: 6, worker; stirps of niloticum Santschi, 1936a: 37) from Jerusalem - see below.

junior synonyms (here)
gracilicorne (Monomorium niloticum Em. r. gracilicorne n. stirps, Stitz, 1917: 346, worker) from Algeria - see below
grandis (Monomorium venustum Smith subsp. niloticum Em. v. grandis n. var, Forel 1910a:6, worker) from Oman, Muscat, by Biro - see below.

Forel's (1910a) description of niloticoides and grandis is at . Stitz's (1917) description of gracilicorne is at . Santschi's (1936a) notes are at .

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=casent0908748

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

The photomontage of a cotype of niloticoides is collated from The Smithsonian Institute images at http://ripley.si.edu/ent/nmnhtypedb/public/specimeninfopage.cfm?publicconsumption=1&typespecimenID=1325

TL ca 2.8 mm HL 0.86 HW 0.67 EL 0.20 SL 0.72 PW 0.38 CI 78 SI 110 EI 30

The photomontage is of the gracilicorne type worker collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent091382

The photomontage is of the grandis type worker collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0908752

Oxford University Museum specimens

Sudan 2009.d.1 is niloticoides

Sudan 2009.37 is niloticoides

Sudan 2009.30 is niloticoides

Need to check phoenicium - seems even smaller

Monomorium niloticoides B Taylor det.	Sudan A Omer S 1-20-2	2005-6 Kosti 13.2° N 32.7° E	(western bank of White Nile, 280 km S of Khartoum)	4
Monomorium niloticoides B Taylor det.	Sudan Z Mahmoud 2009-41	Dinder 11°21' N 35°02' E	(Aldinder) National Park Centre along Sudan-Ethiopian Boundary Hand collected	2
Monomorium niloticoides B Taylor det.	Egypt M Sharaf	2.v.2002 Aswan 24°05' N 32°53' E	Saloga Is	2
Monomorium niloticum - ? phoenicium B Taylor det.	Egypt M Sharaf	6.vii.2003 Mansurah 31°10' N 31°35' E	Sallant	1
Monomorium niloticum - ? phoenicium B Taylor det.	Egypt M Sharaf	29.xii.1997 Mansurah 31°10' N 31°35' E	Ezbet Debbana	1

Egypt records - probably includes some listed as Monomorium niloticum Emery; record in Wheeler & Mann (1916) from Wadi Gazelle, Sinai; also in Mohamed et al (2001) from Gebel Elba and Sinai; & in El-Moursy et al (2001). The photomontage is of a worker from Egypt, collector Mostafa Sharaf.