Brachymyrmex heeri Forel, 1874

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 : 11

Brachymyrmex heeri Forel, 1874

( ANTWEB: CASENT0173228). ( Map 7 )

Distributed in Central, South America and the Antilles ( KEMPF, 1972; BOLTON et al., 2006). Brachymyrmex heeri is an introduced species that was collected for the first time in 2001 ( HERRERA & LONGINO, 2008). Often found in the dry areas, it is distributed on five islands in disturbed and natural environments. Nests have been found in roots of C. roseus , sidewalks of streets, and under rocks and rotten trunks in Scalesia and Miconia areas. It has been reported visiting flowers of Gossypium darwinii G. Watt , C. roseus , potted plants and other ornamental plants in gardens. It has also been reported on crops such as coffee ( Coffea arabica L.), citrus and bananas. Other records are available from Piscidia carthagenensis Jacq. forests. Workers have been collected on Opuntia megasperma J. T. Howell, G. darwinii , Malus pumila ( L.) Mill. and plants of Hibiscus rosa – sinensis L., Ricinus communis L., Spondias purpurea L., Mangifera indica L., Carica papaya L., C. lutea , M. octogona and Cocos nucifera L. Mutualistic interactions with scale insects like Coccus viridis (Green) , the invasive cottony cushion scale Icerya purchasi (Maskell, 1878) , and unidentified aphids ( CAUSTON et al., 2006; VELASCO et al., 2010), could contribute to their spread. Brachymyrmex heeri is considered a minor threat to Galápagos ecosystems ( HERRERA & LONGINO, 2008).

Figures

Map 7. Distribution of Brachymyrmex heeri Forel, 1874.