Monomorium pallidipes Forel

Type location Eritrea (Monomorium minutum Mayr var. pallidipes n. var., Forel, 1910c: 252, worker; Forel, 1913d: 430, queen)
worker & queen only described (see Bolton, 1995, who has Ethiopia as the type location) .

Forel's (1910c) two line description simply compared the form to the European species Monomorium minutum except pallidipes had pale yellow femora and antennae and light brown legs - this conflicts with Bolton's modern description as the species being uniform medium to dark brown. Santschi (1926b: 234, Fig 3) provided comparative images, including one of pallidipes, from Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Bolton's modern description (1987) is at .

WORKER - TL 1.5 mm; (in Bolton, 1987: 405, not illustrated).

The photomontage of the type worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0908702

The photomontage of a cotype worker (colour adjusted) is collated from The Smithsonian Institute images at http://ripley.si.edu/ent/nmnhtypedb/public/specimeninfopage.cfm?publicconsumption=1&typespecimenID=963

Oxford University Museum specimens

Monomorium pallidipes B Taylor det.	Tanzania G McGavin tree 2-15	7.iv.1995 Mkomazi 4°02.37' S 37°49.34' E	Zange Gate; pkd collection from Grewia sp	1
Monomorium pallidipes B Taylor det.	Tanzania G McGavin tree 5-55	12.i.1997 Mkomazi	pkd collection from Acacia nilotica; 37M 0375378 UTM 9571003	1
Monomorium pallidipes B Taylor det.	Tanzania G McGavin tree 5-63	13.i.1997 Mkomazi 3°54.75' S 37°48.58' E	pkd collection from Acacia nilotica; 37M 0375103 UTM 9570896	1
Monomorium pallidipes B Taylor det.	Tanzania G McGavin tree 5-64	13.i.1997 Mkomazi 3°54.75' S 37°48.58' E	pkd collection from Acacia nilotica; 37M 0375103 UTM 9570896	1

The photomontage is of a worker from Tanzania, Zange Gate, Mkomazi Game Reserve; collector G McGavin (tz 2-15-04).
This specimen appears a good match for the Forel description, with pale legs and funiculi. Obviously it is much darker than the cotype shown below but other ant specimens of that age, almost 100 years old, show similar fading.

The photomontage is of a worker from Tanzania, Zange Gate, Mkomazi Game Reserve; collector G McGavin (tz 5-64-01).