Monomorium pharaonis (L.)

Iran list Type location Egypt (Formica pharaonis, Linnaeus, 1758: 580, worker; Mayr, 1865: 90, male; André, 1883a: 338, queen; Forel, 1891b: 164, all forms) - no type images on Antweb (February 2015)
junior synonyms
antiguensis (Formica antigueensis, Fabricius, 1793: 357, worker) from West Indies, Antigua - no images on Antweb (February 2015)
contigua (Myrmica contigua, F Smith, 1858b: 125, queen) from Sri Lanka - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?name=casent0102682
domestica (Myrmica domestica, Shuckard, 1838: 627, worker & queen; F Smith, 1851: 119, male) from Great Britain - no images on Antweb (February 2015)
fragilis (Myrmica fragilis, F Smith, 1858b: 124, worker) from Singapore - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0102330
vastator (Myrmica vastator, F Smith, 1857a: 71, worker) from Singapore - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?name=casent0008625
minuta (Atta minuta N.S., Jerdon, 1851: 105,worker & queen) from India- no images on Antweb (February 2015)
(see Bolton, 1995) .

The Linnaeus (1758) description is at . Mayr's (1865) description of the male is at . Jerdon's (1851) description of minuta is at Arnold (1916: 228) gave a fuller description, based apparently on the F Smith descriptions (1851 & 1855), this is at Bolton's modern description (1987) is at .

Nigeria specimen (Monomorium prossae/?pharonis in Taylor, 1980a: 29). WORKER. TL 2.52 mm, HL 0.57, HW 0.44, SL 0.49, PW 0.28
Colour yellow-orange, apex of gaster dark. Head, alitrunk and pedicel finely and densely reticulopunctate. Erect hairs relatively long and moderately abundant on the head and gaster. Antennae 12-segmented. Sides of head convex in front view with a smooth curve to a slightly convex occipital margin.
Collected in buildings and "sweeping grass" at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Idi Ayunre, by B. Bolton.

Others TL 2.2-2.4 mm (Bolton, 1987: 356, illustrated, full-face view, body profile).

Bernard (1952) described it as cited from all of West Africa, even in forest. In Guinea it was abundant at Camp IV (forest, 1000m) of Mt. Nimba; and in the leaf litter sampling of the north-east forest area of the massif (Villiers). Apparently, Lamotte found it near villages and in savanna, and as the related members of the group Pharaophanes were essentially African, there were grounds for believing the ubiquitous pharaonis has its origins in the West African forests, not from Egypt or the Indies as other authors had suggested. (note Bolton, 1987, discarded the name Pharaophanes as nomen nudum).

In Ghana it was found on cocoa mistletoe by Room (1975). Bolton (1987) gave findings from Kibi (D. Leston), Mole Game Reserve (J.C. Grieg), CRIG (A.H. Strickland) and Aburi (P.M. Room). It was described as widespread by Belshaw & Bolton (1994b), who found 17 workers from leaf litter samples at six locations in the semi-deciduous forest zone. Interestingly, Strickland (1948) described it as tending the mealybug, Planococcoides njalensis, but only in the laboratory.

A very successful tramp species with a world-wide distribution, including in heated buildings in temperate countries (Bolton & Collingwood, 1975). Bradshaw & Howse (1984) described it as a mass-recruiting species, using glandular secretions to repel larger ant species.

Oxford University Museum specimens

Monomorium pharaonis B Taylor det.	Mali David King King 101	9.ii.2009 Bamako 12.37.11° N 08.0056° W	323 m asl; residential area near Niger River	1
Monomorium pharaonis B Taylor det.	Ghana S Sky Stephens 06G0023	2006	In personal collection of S Sky Stephens	1
Monomorium pharaonis B Taylor det.	Ghana S Sky Stephens 06G0053	2006	In personal collection of S Sky Stephens	1
Monomorium pharaonis B Taylor det.	Cameroun G Debout & A Dalecky Cameroon 96	10.iv.2001 Kribi 2°56' N 9°55' E	from bread and black chocolate bait on soil worker & queen	2
Monomorium pharaonis B Taylor det.	Cameroun G Debout & A Dalecky Cameroon 95	15.iv.2001 Kribi 2°56' N 9°55' E	with Solenopis geminata in herbaceous vegetation about 20 cm tall (garden of the catholic mission)	1
Monomorium pharaonis B Taylor det.	Cameroun A Fotso Kuate Sample 64	28.vii.2010 Nko’ondo 03°54'30" N 11°25'58" E		1
Monomorium pharaonis B Taylor det.	Cameroun A Fotso Kuate Sample 29	31.vii.2008 Balangue 03°54'30" N 11°25'58" E		1
Monomorium pharaonis B Taylor det.	Central African Republic P Annoyer DA	12.i.2005 Dzanga-Sangha 04°22'19.4" N 18°35'49.7" E	360 m; Camp 1; 13.10.2008 17h30-3h; A la base de l'Ayous (Triplochiton scleroxylon, Sterculiaceae) à 50 m du Camp	1
Monomorium pharaonis B Taylor det.	Central African Republic P Annoyer DH-01	20.i.2005 Dzanga-Sangha 04°17’54.9" N 17°22’16.7" E	Forêt de N’goto direction Bambio, Fauchage, 16h30	1
Monomorium pharaonis B Taylor det.	Central African Republic P Annoyer Di-01	20.i.2005 Dzanga-Sangha 03°55’13.2" N 16°36’46.1" E	U.V : 2h-6h, après Sefka (entre Bambio et croisement Nola/Berberati), dans layon forestier; from on a reduviid bug; collected in forest, 1st hour of the morning; 536m asl	1
Monomorium pharaonis B Taylor det.	Congo E Zassi 03-t-2-1	8-9.xi.2007 Lésio-Louna 03°1613.9" S 015°28'21.2" E	Gallery Forest; 24h pitfall trap	1
Monomorium pharaonis B Taylor det.	Egypt M R Sharaf	13.vi.2003 Abuzabal 30°15'N 31°21'E	Qaliobia	1

The photomontage is of a worker from Ghana, collected by S Sky Stephens, 2006.

The photomontage is of a worker from Congo, Réserve de Lésio-Louna, S 03°16'13.9" E 015°28'21.2"; n sp 14; pitfall trap 3, t 1.1; 8-9.xi.2007; Gallery Forest; collected by Eric Zassi.

The photomontage is of a worker collected in Cameroun - south-western tropical coastal forest area between Edéa and Campo (McKey Wolbachia project, Cameroon 96).

The photomontage is of a queen collected in Cameroun - south-western tropical coastal forest area between Edéa and Campo (McKey Wolbachia project, Cameroon 96)

The photomontage of a male identified by Mayr is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent090463.