Monomorium hiten

A beautiful, very small Monomorium species, characteristically bearing two dark spots ("eyes") on its gaster. In captivity it proves extremely uncomplicated and content with little.

Temperatures between 22–29 °C are accepted without any problem, and it has no particular demands regarding humidity either. In nature they preferably nest in wood, but will accept almost any substrate and are also not light-shy. A single test tube, in which several thousand individuals can fit, is enough to keep them. Due to their tiny size, they should only be kept in sealed test tubes or absolutely airtight containers with very fine mesh for ventilation.

Remarkably, this species reproduces exclusively through parthenogenesis (virgin birth). This means all queens are unmated and clone themselves to produce offspring. As a result, colonies grow very quickly, and the resulting brood pile usually looks like a huge white mound. Males appear extremely rarely and seemingly play no role in reproduction.