Systematics of the Monomorium rothsteini Forel species complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), a problematic ant group in Australia Author Sparks, Kathryn S. South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000, and Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity, and School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide, 5005, Australia kate.sparks@samuseum.sa.gov.au Author Andersen, Alan N. CSIRO Land and Water Flagship, Tropical Ecosystems Research Centre, PMB 44 Winnellie, NT 0822, Australia Alan.Andersen@csiro.au Author Austin, Andrew D. Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity, and School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide, 5005, Australia andy.austin@adelaide.edu.au text Zootaxa 2014 2014-12-10 3893 4 489 529 journal article http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3893.4.2 c50b4017-beb6-4783-820e-8a1da797f2d9 1175-5326 252022 65D00761-21AC-4B5D-ACB9-7BFFC69A75FC Diagnosis of the Australian species of Monomorium A diagnosis of the workers, queens and males of the Australian species of Monomorium is presented in Heterick ( 2001 ) . Heterick also proposed seven species groups for the Australian Monomorium based on shared characters that he recognised as synapomorphies for each group. The monophyly of some of these groups, and indeed the genus more broadly, is challenged by molecular data ( Ward et al . 2014 ; Sparks et. al. unpublished). However, the M. rothsteini species complex is undoubtedly monophyletic, possessing several shared characters that distinguish its members from all other species of Australian Monomorium .