Monomorium cryptobium (Santschi)

Type location Zaïre (Syllophopsis cryptobia nov. sp., Santschi, 1921c: 119, illustrated, worker) collected by Le Moult; worker only described (see Bolton, 1995) .

Santschi's (1921c) description is at . Bolton's modern description (1987) is at

WORKER - TL 1.3-1.7 mm; colour usually dull yellow to light brownish yellow, some Cameroun specimens darker medium brown (Bolton, 1987: 421).

Listed by Bolton (1987) as a minute leaf litter species found at IITA, Nigeria (A. Russell-Smith). In earlier versions of this website, I referred to finding it ground nesting and foraging at CRIN (specimen in my voucher collection apparently missed by Bolton; in my guide as Syllophopsis species 2), that identification (by me) clearly was wrong.

From Ghana, at Mampong (P.M. Room; D. Leston), CRIG (B. Bolton) and Axim (C.A. Collingwood) (Bolton, 1987). It was described as widespread by Belshaw & Bolton (1994b), who found 1475 workers from leaf litter samples, and 242 in soil samples, at sixteen locations in the semi-deciduous forest zone. In Ivory Coast, at Dropleu, Issoneu and Man (V. Mahnert & J.-L. Perret in October 1980); Cameroun at Nko'emvon (D.A. Jackson); also Gabon.

The photomontage of the holotype (colour adjusted) is collated fromhttp://www.antweb.org/description.do?name=cryptobium&genus=monomorium&rank=species&project=.

See http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0235522 for a worker from Tanzania.

Oxford University Museum specimens

Monomorium cryptobium B Taylor det.	Gabon Y Braet Gabon 186	17-22.v.2006 Pongara 00°34' N 09°19' E	Leaf litter, winkler funnel	1
Monomorium cryptobium B Taylor det.	Gabon Y Braet Gabon 181	8.vi-20.vi.2006 Pongara 00°34' N 09°19' E	Pongara Base; winkler funnel	1

The photomontage is of a worker from Gabon, Pongara National Park; Camp Base; 9-20.vi.2006; Winkler Funnel of leaf litter; collected by Yves Braet, 2006.