Monomorium sp. nr. pharaonis (Linnaeus, 1758)

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 : 24

Monomorium sp. nr. pharaonis

(ANTWEB: CASENT0173275). ( Map 22 )

Only known from India, southeast Asia, California ( US) and Galápagos ( WARD, 2005; HERRERA & CAUSTON, 2010; Bolton pers. comm., XI.2009. Evidence suggests that this species was introduced to Galapagos by humans. It was first collected in 1992 on Baltra Island ( HERRERA & CAUSTON, 2010) and since then has been recorded on nine islands. It is found in natural, urban and disturbed habitats from dry to humid zones. Monomorium sp. nr. pharaonis has been collected in plants of C. lutea , A. nilotica , Z. matrella var. pacifica , R. communis , G. darwinii , T. indica , B. graveolens , C. pyriformis ., M. nr pharaonis was observed competing with other introduced ants (e.g. P. longicornis ) for honeydew produced by I. purchasi on branches of P. aculeata . This species has been collected in open areas, leaf litter, fruits and branches of Citrus x limon (L.) Osbeck. Monomorium sp. nr pharaonis is often collected in the docks and cargo holds of airports in Galápagos. Studies carried out in disturbed landfills and stone quarries show that it can be abundant in these habitats (HERRERA unpublished data). This species was also found on baits used to control the tropical fire ant S. geminata .

Figures

Map 22. Distribution of Monomorium sp. nr. pharaonis.