Monomorium areniphilum Santschi 1911

Monomorium areniphilum Santschi, 1911 (Figure 27) Monomorium salomonis var. areniphila Santschi, 1911, p. 84 (w.) Tunisia. Palaearctic. Diagnosis Worker. Larger species (TL 3 ·1–4 · 3 mm); colour distinctly variable among nest series but ranging from red to red-brown to medium brown, gaster always darker than head and mesosoma; eyes distinctly large with 12–14 ommatidia in longest row; mesosoma in profile with mesonotum sharply downcurved and descending to much impressed and deep metanotal groove; propodeum dorsum with narrow median longitudinal furrow; ventral head with a few projecting setae; mesosoma without setae; petiole node with one pair of setae; postpetiole with two or three pairs; cephalic surface with fine dense reticulate to reticulate-shagreenate sculpture. Material examined Six sites: B; 3; 6; 7; 11; 14. Geographic range. This species was originally described from Tunisia and is recorded from several countries in the Afrotropical (Bolton 1987) and Palaearctic regions (North Africa) (Bolton 1987; Collingwood 1985; Collingwood and Agosti 1996). It has been collected from all countries of the Arabian Peninsula (Sharaf et al. 2021). Ecology and biology. This species occurs in desert habitats of the Arabian Peninsula (Collingwood 1985; Collingwood and Agosti 1996) and North Africa (Sharaf 2006). It feeds on plant material, including seeds (Bolton 1987).