Cardiocondyla minutior Forel, 1899

Herrera Léon Baert Wouter Dekoninck, Henri W., Causton, Charlotte E., Sevilla, Christian R., Pozo, Paola & Hendrickx, Frederik, 2020, Distribution and habitat preferences of Galápagos ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Belgian Journal of Entomology 93, pp. 1-60 : 19

Cardiocondyla minutior Forel, 1899

(ANTWEB: CASENT0173261). ( Map 16 )

Cited in previous publications as Cardiocondyla nuda (WETTERER, 2014) , C. minutior is a cosmopolitan tramp species introduced by human activities throughout the tropics and subtropics as well as to oceanic islands ( SEIFERT, 2003; BOLTON et al., 2006; HEINZE et al., 2006, WETTERER, 2014b). It was collected for the first time in 1975 in the Humid Zone of Santa Cruz. It is a conspicuous ant of the Arid and Transition Zones ( LUBIN, 1984; SEIFERT 2003, HEINZE et al., 2006) and has been recorded on 16 islands. Cardiocondyla minutior visits flowers of P. scandens ( MCMULLEN, 1993) , trees of B. graveolens , S. pedunculata , shrubs of T. rufo – sericea and ferns in arid and humid zones of Santa Cruz. Specimens have also been collected in P. floribunda forests, under rocks and in mangrove litter. In the Littoral Zone of Fernandina, specimens were found along a small laguna under tidal influence; an area dominated by Sporobolus virginicus (L.) Kunth and grasses covered with I. triloba . Cardiocondyla minutior was collected along Black Beach (Bahía Urvina– Isabela Island) dominated by dry vegetation ( C. lutea , W. ovata and S. spicata ). In the Humid Zone of San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, Floreana and Isabela, it is reported from cultivated areas in crops of A. comosus , Solanum tuberosum L., S. lycopersicum , M. paradisiaca , C. papaya , S. quitoense , C. sativus , Z. mays , Lactuca sativa L., P. vulgaris , A. cepa , B. oleracea var. capitata . Cardiocondyla minutior is less common than C. emeryi and can be found in urban areas, tourist sites, landfills, electricity stations and quarries. In Galápagos it is considered an invasive ant with potential to disperse and colonize new natural areas ( CAUSTON et al., 2006). Although its impact on other Pacific Islands is considered to be minor (WETTERER, 2014a), it is possible that C. minutior could have a negative influence on native species in the natural areas of the Galapagos Islands.

Figures

Map 16. Distribution of Cardiocondyla minutior Forel, 1899.