Myrmicinae, Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
|
|
|
Range
Widespread in the tropics, and often a house pest in the temperate zone. Of Old World origin, introduced in Neotropics.
Identification
Uniformly orange; body surface mat, punctate.
Natural History
Monomorium pharaonis is a well-known house pest throughout the world (see various papers in Williams 1994). In Costa Rica I have observed it as a house pest in Monteverde, Curu on the Nicoya Peninsula, and at La Selva Biological Station. I have two records from Winkler samples from Curu and Manuel Antonio National Park, but I strongly suspect these are contaminants from buildings where the samples were hung. Any record of pharaonis from a forested habitat should be viewed with suspicion, especially when they are in samples that involve extraction or extensive processing in a lab or other building (e.g., Winkler, Malaise, fogging, Berlese, light trap samples).
Literature Cited
Williams, D. F., (ed.). 1994. Exotic ants. Biology, impact, and control of introduced species. Westview Press, Boulder.
Page author:
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA. longinoj@evergreen.edu
Go back to top