Trichomyrmex mayri (Forel, 1902)

(Fig. 25 A–C)

Monomorium (Parholcomyrmex) gracillimum var. mayri Forel, 1902: 209 (w.) India. Indomalaya.

Diagnosis. Worker. Trichomyrmex mayri is closest to T. destructor, from which it can be separated by its uniform dark brown or black-brown color, whereas T. destructor has a yellow to brown-yellow head, mesosoma, petiole, and postpetiole, while its gaster is dark brown.

Material examined. Doha, Fereej Ben Mahmoud, 14.iii.2005, 25°17’N, 51°30’E, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 1w ; Doha, 25°17.124’N, 51°31.86’E, 17.iii. 2005, (M.S. Abdel-Dayem leg.), 1w, (KSMA) .

Geographic distribution. Trichomyrmex mayri was described from India and is widely distributed in the sub-Saharan Africa (Bolton 1987); Levant (Sharaf 2006, Vonshak and Ionescu 2009); the Arabian Peninsula (Collingwood 1985, Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Sharaf et al. 2013, 2016 b), the Socotra Archipelago (Sharaf et al. 2017), and it was recorded from Qatar by Sharaf et al. (2016 b).

Ecological and biological notes. In the Arabian Peninsula, T. mayri invades a wide range of habitats and constitutes the most common species of the genus (Sharaf et al. 2013, 2016). Nests are built in moist soil under stones next to date palm Phoenix dactylifera L. ( Arecaceae) plantations, or close to Acacia trees in sites impacted by trash and human waste, whereas some exist next to the milkweed tree, Calotropis procera (Aiton) W.T. Aiton (Asclepiadaceae) .