Genus Tetramorium Mayr

There is one native species of Tetramorium in California, T. spinosum (Pergande), which occurs in open dry habitats of southern California, and one introduced European species, T. caespitum (Linnaeus) (the pavement ant), which is found in urban and agricultural areas of central and northern California. Both are ground­nesting, with generalist foraging habits. Four other non­native species, of tropical origin, have been recorded occasionally from the state.

Species identification: keys in Bolton (1979). Additional references: Astruc et al. (2001), Brown (1957d), Bruder and Gupta (1972), Knight and Rust (1990), Longhurst et al. (1980), Martinez (1993), Merickel and Clark (1994), Sanetra and Buschinger (2000), Steiner et al. (2005).